About "Tears In The Darkness"

Phew!  I finally made it through "Tears In the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March And It's Aftermath" by Michael and Elizabeth Norman.  It has taken me a month PLUS to read this book.  I didn't really want to read it, but since I didn't finish a recent book club pick, I wouldn't allow myself to not finish this one.  I didn't read anything while trying to get through this one either so it was just one of those books I forced myself to read.  It wasn't long enough to merit taking this long to read.  I just avoided picking it up for days at a time.  I gave it 2 stars.  I might have given it 3 if my attitude had been better.  This is the true story of Ben Steele who joined the military during WWII and had the misfortune to be sent to Manila.  The Japanese took control of this island after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and Ben and thousands of other US troops were taken captive and forced on a grueling march to the other end of Manila.  Along the way they were tortured and killed in staggering numbers.  Ben survived, later became an artist and helped document the atrocities through his drawings.  They are part of the book, and they are gruesome.  This book was long on military war details and shocking beyond words about the horror of war.  I feel much the same about this book that I felt about reading Elie Wiesel's "Night": I'm glad I read it, but I'll never read it again.  And I'm glad I finished it, because the last few paragraphs about Steele's heart aneurysm at the age 82 are as amazing as his journey.  By the way, Steele is a well-known artist in this area, and is still alive.  He continues to speak about the torture he suffered and even engages young people with his story.  This book is also required reading in our area at the highschool level, and both the prince and the king have read it and really enjoyed it.