2014 Winner — Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award — General Fiction When Margie Bauer joins the Army Nurse Corps in 1941, she is delighted to be sent to Manila, the Pearl of the Orient. Though rumors of war circulate, she feels safe, trusting the island is fortified and the Filipino troops are well trained.On December 8, 1941, her dreamworld shatters when the Japanese invade the Philippines. The US … invade the Philippines. The US Army evacuates to the Bataan Peninsula, where she cares for the wounded soldiers in a field hospital, and then in a catacomb of tunnels on Corregidor Island. Ultimately captured, she is interned in Santo Tomas, a Japanese prison camp, where for three years she endures escalating danger, starvation, and loss.
At once an epic tale of a nation at war and the deeply personal story of one woman’s intense journey, A Pledge of Silence vividly illustrates the sacrifices the Greatest Generation made for their country, and the price they continued to pay long after the war ended.
Revised edition: This edition of A Pledge of Silence includes editorial revisions.
more
If I think of complaining about something, I will remind myself of what I read in this book and will forget about complaining.
You will think about this book long after you finish reading it.
Highly recommended.
Wonderful historical novel.
Seldom do we hear about the nurses of any war. I’ve read many books about the war in Europe but nothing about the war raging in the Far East. This was an eye opener. Through this story Flora Solomon brought to life some of the horrors these nurses lived and died through. With thorough research the author was able to be bring these heroic peoples …
If you were to take a time machine back to the early 1940’s you would discover that Flora Solomon has perfectly captured the essence of those times. She paints the view of a small Michigan town with the dreams, heartaches, and hesitation of good caring people, strong people, drawn into the horrors of war. Clinging to their principles and soul …
4 Stars. I listened to this book on Audible & it came across like a memoir. I liked that the story covered so many years and war-related events. Hearing how the nurses trained, handled combat nursing & survived the prison camp was really interesting. However, I felt the melodrama of the post-war years dragged on.
WWII in the Philippines
This was one of the most exceptional books I have ever read and that says a lot. I read constantly and this was a book that I could not put down. I have referred it to so many. Do yourself a favor and make it a priority to read. It will impact you.
I learned a lot about the horror the people in the Phillipines went through in WWII; things I never knew. I was astounded by the fact of the nurses having to sign a document they would not reveal their suffering and that of others during their imprisonment for decades.
Wasn’t what I expected. Only read a few chapters
It was too sad for me to read much of it. WWII makes me too scared.
Incredible courage and fortitude with a world at war. A must read.
Although this book is fiction, it reads like a biography. I love every moment of it.
Awesome!
Great read about women nurses who served in Pacific and were held in prison camps!
This novel was based on real events of WWII, a piece of the history of that war I didn’t know anything about. I’m going to read more, and enjoyed the information and interviews on the website which is linked to the book.
I thought this was an excellent book. I learned more about World War 2 and, especially, the important roles nurses played in the war. Dry intense ok. Really enjoyed the character Margie. Very strong woman.