Hold Strong Audiobook By Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, Chris Crabtree cover art

Hold Strong

A Novel

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Hold Strong

By: Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, Chris Crabtree
Narrated by: Will Damron
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About this listen

From Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, and Chris Crabtree comes an epic and inspiring novel—based on true events—about love, heroism, and resilience during the darkest chapters of World War II.

Sam Carlson is a projectionist in small-town Minnesota, where fantasies unspool in glorious black and white—for him and for his sweetheart, college-bound math whiz Sarah Haber. When the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Sam is sent to the Philippines and captured as a POW. Brutalized but unbroken by the Bataan Death March and POW camps, Sam is one of eighteen hundred starved and weakened prisoners herded into the cargo hold of a barbaric hell ship called the Arisan Maru, his survival doubtful.

Determined to use her math skills on the home front, Sarah is recruited to Washington, DC, into the covert field of code breaking. When Sarah intercepts a message about a Japanese convoy, the US Navy’s mission is clear: sink the Arisan Maru and send it to the bottom of the South China Sea. Now, the lives of the two young lovers are about to inadvertently collide in one of the most shocking acts of World War II.

Anchored in an extraordinary true story and breathlessly re-created, Hold Strong is a one-of-a-kind novel that explores faith, courage, survival, and coming home against insurmountable odds.

©2025 La Mesa Fiction, LLC, Jeff A. Langholz, and Chris Adam Crabtree. (P)2024 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
Biographical Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction World War II Prisoners of War

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One of Robert Dugoni's best Novels

I absolutely loved this novel based on true historical events. The authors really did their research.

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Fantastic

Wasn’t expecting this to be a wwll book. I bought it w/o reading plot. I love RD books so I was expecting it to be a thriller. How ever it caught my interest right away. I like to listen to this era in time. It kind of reminded me a little of Unbreakable by Laura hilldetbrant

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Great book!

I enjoyed the history lesson and story line. It was great! Anyone who loves WWII book will enjoy the novel.

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5 Stars? Can I Buy MORE??

This saga nearly broke me. I simply could not put it down, staying up late into the night because I had to find some peace in this story!! Please understand- this is storytelling at its finest. The fact that it's based on actual events makes it even more mind-blowing. But the authors are taking us into a very dark alley, and escape is not assured. This story is tough to read or listen to. At times it's horrific, even inhuman.

Sam Carlson goes from his life in a town much like the old movie "Pleasantville" into a journey that descends the rings of hell. Every time he's sure things couldn't get any worse, they did. So while there are sweet, tender, romantic, and funny moments, ultimately that's going to be offset by a lot of suffering and death. Yet for all the time I spent with Sam Carlson making that descent into hell, it was all worth it. I highly recommend this read if you can handle the high-pressure abuse. This isn't for everyone, and sensitive readers or those with PTSD should give careful consideration before diving in. But as for me, I'm so glad I took this journey. Amazing.

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Amazing and heartbreaking storytelling

I’ve never read a Robert Dugoni book that I didn’t love, and Hold Strong is no exception. Dugoni masterfully brings history to life, transforming its characters into real, relatable people who feel as though they could be any one of us. This novel was not only compelling but also deeply informative—I had no idea that while Jews suffered in German concentration camps, equally brutal POW camps were being run by the Japanese. Learning about the harrowing experiences of these soldiers and the role the U.S. played is crucial, ensuring that history is remembered and never repeated.

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Amazing

Great read from start to finish. The author does a great job telling the story from multiple sources

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Thought provoking. Great audiobook

I liked the storyline even though sometimes the horror of what actually happened to the real POW’s is mind blowing. I definitely recommend this book.

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Heartbreaking

Dugoni does a good job telling the story of a fictional character that represents thousands of WWII POWs who were inhumanely held in Japanee hellships, and about a brilliant woman that represents the many who served as secret code breakers during the war. Heartbreaking to think so many suffered and died sometimes by our own troops for the greater good. I can't image being put in the position of knowing and making those calls. Authors notes at the end are a worthy read/listen.💔

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the relevance to our situation in Israel now

I was fascinated by the similarities of the horrors perpetrated by the Japsnese to those perpetrated on us by Hamas.

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The courage of the POWs.

Amazingly well researched and revealing of untold stories. I was impressed with the time perspective information.

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