Tears in the Darkness

The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath

By: Michael Norman, Elizabeth Norman

Narrated by: Michael Prichard

Length: 17 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award, History, 2010

For the first four months of 1942, U.S., Filipino, and Japanese soldiers fought what was America's first major land battle of World War II, the battle for the tiny Philippine peninsula of Bataan. It ended with the surrender of 76,000 Filipinos and Americans, the single largest defeat in American military history. The defeat, though, was only the beginning, as Michael and Elizabeth M. Norman make dramatically clear in this powerfully original book.

From then until the Japanese surrendered in August 1945, the prisoners of war suffered an ordeal of unparalleled cruelty and savagery: 41 months of captivity, starvation rations, dehydration, hard labor, deadly disease, and torture---far from the machinations of General Douglas MacArthur. The Normans bring to the story remarkable feats of reportage and literary empathy.

Their protagonist, Ben Steele, is a figure out of Hemingway: a young cowboy turned sketch artist from Montana who joined the army to see the world. Juxtaposed against Steele's story and the sobering tale of the Death March and its aftermath is the story of a number of Japanese soldiers. The result is an altogether new and original World War II book: it exposes the myths of military heroism as shallow and inadequate; and it makes clear, with great literary and human power, that war causes suffering for people on all sides.

©2009 Michael and Elizabeth Norman (P)2009 Tantor

Detailed Accounting of a Grim Story

I chose this book based on reviews that described it as a stellar, moving story about men who survived the horrors of war. For some, perhaps it was. For me, it was less of a story about the survivors than it was a detailed accounting of both American and Japanese strategy and battles in the Pacific.

Sorry, but that isn't my cup of tea. There were brief overlays that were compelling collages from the life of the boy/man from Montana who was catapulted unto an awful circumstance, but not enough to create a story line that kept my attention.

Likely this is a great war story, just not one that I could thoroughly enjoy.

Tragic story!

In so many ways, this is a tragic story. It is almost unbearable to listen to the suffering of the POW’s as they march on and on towards a goal that is hidden from them by the tormentors. Yet, the tormentors themselves are tormented by their training, impossible battle objectives and harsh beliefs. We can only imagine the sacrifice of the ‘Great Generation’ but they gave us freedom from evil. This is a well narrated story of unimaginable strength to survive which is told without bias. Highly recommended for the history lover.

A brutal part of WWII everyone needs to know about

Deeply inspirational survival history all should know about - part of our military history that is beginning to be forgotten by the newer generations, that in itself is troubling to me.

An amazing story

I could not put it down. Well written so much research. You can see humanity at it's best and worse and see why

Very good listen

Where does Tears in the Darkness rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This was a great listen, well researched and descriptive.

What other book might you compare Tears in the Darkness to and why?

Unbroken. Also well researched and descriptive.

What about Michael Prichard’s performance did you like?

Beautifully narrated. I listened to this book about a year ago but could not remember if I had read it or listened to the audiobook. He was that perfect.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

This whole story was moving. The suffering of the Americans and Filipinos was just unimaginable.

Amazing Ben Steele!

I knew Ben, larger than life & "a good guy" as he put it! Amazing!

alonzo

This is my second attempt to write this review. To begin, this is an inciteful book o great compassion, a deep sense of empathy. A story of a substantial sense of the importance of life, indeed a passion for life, how else could servicemen in this position for an extended time maintain a stoasim such that he could find the strength to carry on living? I found this book to be informative, and timely. Certainly it records events that took place some seventy years ago but surely it reminds us all, of the courage of all allied servicemen who found themselves in such an apauling situation. Well done the authors and narrator

Very good historical nonfiction work

I have participated in the annual Bataan Memorial Death March marathon hike in New Mexico for most of the last 15 years. There a few survivors of the original death march in the Philippines that still shake the hands of thousands of the hikers. This book explains in detail and in an interesting manner the horrors that the prisoners in World War II experienced.

Military History At Its Finest

Humans at their worst and at the same time at their very best. I'm was amazed at how cruel the human being can be. War history told through letters, facts and interviews allowed me to be there and see everything first hand. General MacArthur was brilliant but also self absorbed to the detriment of his command. I thought about this book for several weeks after I had finished it. Excellently written and narrated.

Great for feeling the pain of WWII soldiers

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book. I just had to look up the main character on google after listening this. It is a remarkable true story of bravery