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A Bright and Blinding Sun
- A World War II Story of Survival, Love, and Redemption
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 8 hrs and 20 mins
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Publisher's summary
From a New York Times bestselling author comes an incredible true war story of an underage soldier who experiences his first love and loss on the battlefields of Bataan and Corregidor—perfect for fans of The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz and Unbroken.
Joe Johnson Jr. ran away from home at the age of 12, hopping a freight train at the height of the Great Depression. He managed to talk his way into the U.S. Army two years later. Seeking freedom and adventure, he was sent to the Philippines.
Adrift in spirit, Joe visited a teenage prostitute, and they became unlikely, smitten allies. Yet when the Japanese attacked on December 8, 1941, their hopes of being together had to wait.
Joe and his fellow soldiers fought for four brutal months in Bataan and Corregidor, until they were forced to surrender. The boy endured years of horror as a prisoner of war, only dreaming about seeing again the girl he’d come to love.
This lyrically written and deeply encouraging saga will remind you that every life can be lifted, forgiveness is the patron of restoration, and redemption is available to all.
Critic reviews
“A Bright and Blinding Sun is a gripping book, storytelling at its best, with an enduring message. Not only has Marcus Brotherton brilliantly chronicled the life of one boy, but in doing so he has told the story of countless others. With impeccable research, he beautifully educates us to a time and place in history that needs to be remembered and acknowledged for the bravery and resilience of so many, under brutal circumstances. Unreservedly recommended.” (Heather Morris, number one internationally best-selling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz)
“What Joe Johnson went through as a young man is heart-wrenching and fierce, yet his story needs to be told and remembered as an example of what deeply humane people encountered and overcame during World War II.” (Gary Sinise, actor, founder of the Gary Sinise Foundation)
“Marcus Brotherton has crafted a strong and respected canon of narrative nonfiction books. In particular, he writes beautifully and hauntingly about the paradoxes of war. Humanity and horror mix and mingle in the fray, but in the end good triumphs over evil. Joe Johnson’s story is truly a testament that every one of us can overcome the obstacles that we are dealt, and even thrive when the odds are against us.” (Sara Vladic, New York Times best-selling author of Indianapolis)
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 53
Khorramshahr, Iran, May 1982 - It was the bloodiest battle of one of the most brutal wars of the twentieth century, and Najah, a 29-year-old wounded Iraqi conscript, was face to face with a 13-year-old Iranian child soldier who was ordered to kill him. Instead, the boy committed an astonishing act of mercy. It was an act that decades later would save his own life.
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5 out of 5 stars
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- By jennie on 04-10-24
By: Zahed Haftlang, and others
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My Brother's Voice
- How a Young Hungarian Boy Survived the Holocaust: A True Story
- By: Stephen Nasser, Sherry Rosenthal
- Narrated by: Maxwell Glick
- Length: 9 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 171
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 156
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Story5 out of 5 stars 156
Stephen 'Pista' Nasser was 13 years old when the Nazis whisked him and his family away from their home in Hungary to Auschwitz. His memories of that terrifying experience are still vivid, and his love for his brother Andris still brings a husky tone to his voice when he remembers the terrible ordeal they endured together. Stephen's account of the Holocaust, told in the refreshingly direct and optimistic language of a young boy, will help every listener to understand that the Holocaust was real.
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5 out of 5 stars
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my favorite I've read it 5 times
- By Anonymous User on 04-15-18
By: Stephen Nasser, and others
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Way of the Wolf
- The Vampire Earth, Book 1
- By: E. E. Knight
- Narrated by: Christian Rummel, E. E. Knight (Introduction)
- Length: 11 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 953
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Performance4 out of 5 stars 607
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Story4 out of 5 stars 609
Louisiana, 2065. A lot has changed in the 43rd year of the Kurian Order. Possessed of an unnatural and legendary hunger, the bloodthirsty Reapers have come to Earth to establish a New Order built on the harvesting of enslaved human souls. They rule the planet. They thrive on the scent of fear. And if it is night, as sure as darkness, they will come.
On this pitiless world, the indomitable spirit of mankind still breathes in Lieutenant David Valentine.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Its what you expect, and thats not a bad thing.
- By Kevin McLaughlin on 11-26-08
By: E. E. Knight
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Forgiveness
- A Gift from My Grandparents
- By: Mark Sakamoto
- Narrated by: Geoff Sugiyama
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 39
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 33
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 32
When the Second World War broke out, Ralph MacLean chose to escape his troubled life on the Magdalen Islands in eastern Canada and volunteer to serve his country overseas. Meanwhile, in Vancouver, Mitsue Sakamoto saw her family and her stable community torn apart after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Admirable progenitors
- By M. D. Baines on 04-24-18
By: Mark Sakamoto
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The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell
- An Accidental Soldier's Account of the War in Iraq
- By: John Crawford
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 5 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 339
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 156
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 158
John Crawford joined the Florida National Guard to pay for his college tuition; it had seemed a small sacrifice to give up one weekend a month and two weeks a year in exchange for a free education. But one semester short of graduating, and newly married, he was called to active duty, to serve in Kuwait, then on the front lines of the invasion of Iraq, and ultimately in Baghdad. While serving in Iraq, Crawford began writing short nonfiction stories, his account of what he and his fellow soldiers experienced.
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5 out of 5 stars
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An honest, real account of the Iraq War
- By Michael J. Mountain on 09-07-05
By: John Crawford
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One Soldier's War
- By: Arkady Babchenko, Nick Allen - translator
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 11 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 437
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 387
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 386
In 1995, Arkady Babchenko was an 18-year-old law student in Moscow when he was drafted into the Russian army and sent to Chechnya. It was the beginning of a torturous journey from naïve conscript to hardened soldier that took Babchenko from the front lines of the first Chechen War in 1995 to the second in 1999. He fought in major cities and tiny hamlets, from the bombed-out streets of Grozny to anonymous mountain villages.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Real, Brutal, & Honest
- By Patrick on 05-09-16
By: Arkady Babchenko, and others
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Silent Warrior
- The Marine Sniper's Vietnam Story Continues
- By: Charles Henderson
- Narrated by: Corey M. Snow
- Length: 9 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 325
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 287
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Story5 out of 5 stars 289
In the U.S. Marine Corps, the most dangerous job in combat is that of the sniper. With no backup and little communication with the outside world, these men disappear for weeks on end in the wilderness with nothing but intellect and iron will to protect them - as they watch, wait, and finally strike. But of all of the snipers who ever hunted human prey, one man stands above the rest as the most legendary fighting man to ever pull a trigger. That man is Carlos Hathcock.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Just like Marine stories should be told
- By James A. on 04-16-15
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The Last Jump
- A Novel of World War II
- By: John E. Nevola
- Narrated by: Mike Ortego
- Length: 23 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 174
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 157
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 159
The Last Jump is a war story, a mystery, a love tale, and a tribute to the people who won World War II. Fact and fiction intermix seamlessly to unravel a secret passionately guarded by four aging soldiers. The reader is transported back in time to an imperfect America, with all is incredible virtues and vexing shortcomings struggling with racial and gender issues while fighting for its very survival. It was time when Americans stood shoulder to shoulder to free the world from tyranny.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Good Story, Too Preachy
- By Michael Brown on 09-15-17
By: John E. Nevola
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Under a War-Torn Sky
- By: L. M. Elliott
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 74
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 61
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 61
When Henry Forester is shot down during a bombing run over France, the World War II pilot finds himself trapped behind enemy lines. In constant danger of discovery by German soldiers, Henry begins a remarkable journey to freedom. Relying on the kindness of strangers, Henry moves from town to town-traveling by moonlight, never asking questions or even the names of the people who help him along the way. Each day brings him closer to home, yet every step in enemy territory invites new dangers.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Great book for young people.
- By Timothy Baker on 10-02-18
By: L. M. Elliott
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Helmet for My Pillow
- From Parris Island to the Pacific: A Young Marine's Stirring Account of Combat in World War II
- By: Robert Leckie
- Narrated by: James Badge Dale, Tom Hanks (introduction)
- Length: 10 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 6,861
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6,161
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 6,144
The celebrated 2010 HBO miniseries The Pacific, winner of eight Emmy Awards, was based on two classic books about the War in the Pacific, Helmet for My Pillow and With The Old Breed. Audible Studios, in partnership with Playtone, the production company co-owned by Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, and creator of the award-winning HBO series Band of Brothers, John Adams, and The Pacific, as well as the HBO movie Game Change, has created new recordings of these memoirs, narrated by the stars of the miniseries.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Should be required reading in high school
- By Randall on 04-03-19
By: Robert Leckie
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On the Devil's Tail
- In Combat with the Waffen-SS on the Eastern Front 1945, and with the French in Indochina 1951-54
- By: Paul Martelli, Vittorino dal Cengio - with
- Narrated by: James Anderson Foster
- Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 64
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 63
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 63
This is the riveting true story of Paul Martelli, a 15-year-old German-Italian who fought in Pomerania, on the Eastern Front, in 1945 as a member of the 33rd Waffen-Grenadier-Division der SS "Charlemagne" and later as a soldier with French forces during three years (1951-1954) in the Tonkin area, Vietnam.
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3 out of 5 stars
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If Rambo was a NAZI
- By Rodney on 02-22-23
By: Paul Martelli, and others
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The Runner
- By: Christopher Reich
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 16 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 88
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 76
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 74
American lawyer and former police detective Judge Devlin is in Europe sifting through evidence of Nazi atrocities. He is part of the International Military Tribunal, but his agenda is personal. He hopes to convict SS member and former Olympic sprinter Eric Seyss, the man responsible for his military chaplain brother’s death. When Judge learns Eric has just escaped from an American POW camp, the American sets off in a desperate race for vengeance.
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4 out of 5 stars
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this story just went on and on and on
- By Stevie on 09-07-12
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Fur Volk and Fuhrer
- The Memoir of a Veteran of the 1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler
- By: Erwin Bartmann, Derik Hammond
- Narrated by: James Foster
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 842
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 756
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 751
Like many Germans, Berlin schoolboy Erwin Bartmann fell under the spell of the Zeitgeist cultivated by the Nazis. Convinced he was growing up in the best country in the world, he dreamt of joining the Leibstandarte, Hitler's elite Waffen SS unit. Tall, blond, blue-eyed, and just 17-years-old, Erwin fulfilled his dream on Mayday 1941, when he gave up his apprenticeship at the Glaser bakery in Memeler Strasse and walked into the Lichterfelde barracks in Berlin as a raw, volunteer recruit.
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3 out of 5 stars
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High rating with a major proviso
- By marykk on 05-22-17
By: Erwin Bartmann, and others
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No Ordinary Joes
- The Extraordinary True Story of Four Submariners in War and Love and Life
- By: Larry Colton
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 12 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 47
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 31
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Story5 out of 5 stars 31
Their names were Bob Palmer, Gordy Cox, Tim McCoy, and Chuck Vervalin, and in 1941, when they joined the Navy, they were not trying to prove their patriotism - they were just looking for a job that would provide "three hots and a cot". But on April 22, 1943, the war took a terrible turn for them. Their submarine, the USS Grenadier, was torpedoed. Listed as lost in action and given up for dead, all four had in fact miraculously escaped, only to be captured by the Japanese.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Prisoner of War Tale
- By Lynn on 03-20-11
By: Larry Colton
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To Hell and Back
- By: Audie Murphy
- Narrated by: Tom Parker
- Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 4,193
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,780
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Story5 out of 5 stars 3,769
Audie Murphy was a desperately poor eighteen-year-old orphan when he joined the Army, nineteen when he first saw a buddy die from an enemy bullet and an enemy die from one of his own. By VE day, he had killed at least 240 Germans, had single-handedly destroyed a German tank in one battle and held off six tanks in another, and had become the most decorated soldier in American history, winning every medal his country offered, including the Congressional Medal of Honor.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Puts you in the place & time along with him
- By Patrick on 12-30-13
By: Audie Murphy
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Fields of Fire
- By: James Webb
- Narrated by: Sean Runnette
- Length: 17 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 943
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 835
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 831
They each had their reasons for being a soldier. They each had their illusions. Goodrich came from Harvard. Snake got the tattoo - Death Before Dishonor - before he got the uniform. And Hodges was haunted by the ghosts of family heroes. They were three young men from different worlds plunged into a white-hot, murderous realm of jungle warfare as it was fought by one Marine platoon in the An Hoa Basin, 1969. They had no way of knowing what awaited them. Nothing could have prepared them for the madness to come. And in the heat and horror of battle they took on new identities, took on each other, and were each reborn in fields of fire....
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5 out of 5 stars
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Awesome Read! of course I am Prejudiced
- By Autoteacher on 07-30-15
By: James Webb
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Code Talker
- The First and Only Memoir by One of the Original Navajo Code Talkers of WWII
- By: Chester Nez, Judith Schiess Avila
- Narrated by: David Colacci
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall5 out of 5 stars 672
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Performance5 out of 5 stars 600
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Story5 out of 5 stars 597
His name wasn’t Chester Nez. That was the English name he was assigned in kindergarten. And in boarding school at Fort Defiance, he was punished for speaking his native language, as the teachers sought to rid him of his culture and traditions. But discrimination didn’t stop Chester from answering the call to defend his country after Pearl Harbor, for the Navajo have always been warriors, and his upbringing on a New Mexico reservation gave him the strength to excel as a marine. This is the first and only memoir by one of the original Navajo code talkers of WWII.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Wrong narrator!
- By Kindle Customer on 06-26-20
By: Chester Nez, and others
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Boocoo Dinky Dow
- My Short, Crazy Vietnam War
- By: Grady C. Myers, Julie Titone
- Narrated by: Jeffrey S. Fellin
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall4 out of 5 stars 74
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 65
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Story4.5 out of 5 stars 65
Grady Myers was an artistic but aimless teenager in 1968, when, desperate for troops, the U.S. Army overlooked his extreme nearsightedness and transformed him into Hoss, an M-60 machine gunner. His memoir Boocoo Dinky Dow: My Short, Crazy Vietnam War is by turns funny and sobering. Grady recounts his military initiation at Fort Lewis, where there could be a fuzzy line between training and torture.
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4 out of 5 stars
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a good autobiographical Vietnam War story
- By Midwestbonsai on 06-22-15
By: Grady C. Myers, and others
What listeners say about A Bright and Blinding Sun
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Zachary
- 11-11-22
A Painful Biography
It is a story so fantastic that it is hard to believe it really happened.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jamie Heath
- 06-06-23
Excellent!
My great uncle, originally with 7th Chemical Aviation Company, was on Bataan when the Japanese attacked and was reassigned to Joe Johnson’s D Company after his company was decimated and before eventually dying in captivity. I had the honor of talking with Joe over the telephone before he died. He didn’t remember my uncle, but our conversation was one I’ll remember for the rest of my life. He was a good man.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- great great game
- 01-27-23
it goes by fast
very very good, I highly recommend it. what's more is Christ is glorified by this man's life
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- PDXer
- 10-25-22
Powerful and inspiring
Found myself sitting in the car several times after I’d parked wishing I’d taken the long way home so I could hear more of this masterfully written audiobook.
Feeling much more hopeful about my circumstances that have seemed overwhelming of late, after hearing Joe’s story.
Must-read/listen.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Steve McAlpin
- 01-11-23
Incredible narrative
Marcus Brotherton did an incredible job capturing the true story of Joe Johnson. The details fit perfectly into the greater context of the war in the Pacific. it's difficult to imagine that a human being can endure so much and still come out a better man.
I'm grateful for the love and inspiration I felt from this reading. Thank you Marcus.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Jim Dittrich, Perryville, AR
- 01-30-23
Amazing Story
I am a military historian always in search of a good book and this is the best I have listened to in a long while. Great research. Read it like a novel.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David S.
- 07-08-22
Incredible!
I cannot recommend this one enough! I've been learning about WW2 my entire life and yet there are still so many stories to hear. This one certainly stands out. It flows like a novel and the narration was great!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 05-29-22
Absolutely outstanding
This was a wonderful book from beginning to end. I enjoyed everything about it. It had a wonderful message and it was a great testimony to this man’s character! I just love the whole thing and would recommend it to anybody I know!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mac Talley
- 11-17-22
Truly and amazing story
This was easily one of the best books I have listened to and the crazy thing is it almost never happened I’ve told everyone I meet about this book because I feel everyone should know joe’s story
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mark nelsen
- 08-08-23
A very moving and emotional story.
I was stationed in the Philippines for 3 years in the 70's. Great people! I have always appalled by what humans are capable of doing to each other. I am also amazed by the resilience of others in the face of such depravity. Great job in telling this story.
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