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A review by kimk
Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath by Michael Norman, Elizabeth M. Norman
4.0
Had a hard time deciding between 3 and 4 stars. Ultimately went with 4 because of all I learned from this book. I was aware of the Bataan Death March but never knew about the specifics of the March and the atrocities that followed. General Douglas MacArthur played a major role in the American defeat and the plight the solders were left in on the Bataan Peninsula. Throughout the conflict and even after defeat, he failed to acknowledge his responsibility for his actions and was even awarded a Medal of Honor. He escaped and left his troops in the horrible situation he brought upon them.
The book claims to follow the story of one soldier, Ben Steele, a young cowboy from Montana. However, the author did a very poor job of following Ben's story until the 2nd half of the book. Throughout the book, there are random awkardly-placed flashbacks to Ben's life in Montana.
After very informative descriptions of the Death March and the horrible conditions and brutalities the American and Filipino POWs endured for the 3 years following the March,the author failed to give a clear picture of the years after the end of the war, both in Ben's life and that of other POWs. Instead, he concentrated on what he, the author, believed was the unfair conviction of the Japanese General Homma in the post-war trials of Japanese war criminals. I agree that MacArthur should have had no role in these trials but I also believe that General Homma should have known what his officers were doing to the POWs. If he did not, as the author apparently believed, the author should have provided the information on who was making the decisions regarding POW treatment and why General Homma was oblivious to these decisions.
Overall, very informative.
The book claims to follow the story of one soldier, Ben Steele, a young cowboy from Montana. However, the author did a very poor job of following Ben's story until the 2nd half of the book. Throughout the book, there are random awkardly-placed flashbacks to Ben's life in Montana.
After very informative descriptions of the Death March and the horrible conditions and brutalities the American and Filipino POWs endured for the 3 years following the March,the author failed to give a clear picture of the years after the end of the war, both in Ben's life and that of other POWs. Instead, he concentrated on what he, the author, believed was the unfair conviction of the Japanese General Homma in the post-war trials of Japanese war criminals. I agree that MacArthur should have had no role in these trials but I also believe that General Homma should have known what his officers were doing to the POWs. If he did not, as the author apparently believed, the author should have provided the information on who was making the decisions regarding POW treatment and why General Homma was oblivious to these decisions.
Overall, very informative.