The Indomitable Florence Finch
The Untold Story of a War Widow Turned Resistance Fighter and Savior of American POWs
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Narrated by:
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Dan Woren
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By:
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Robert J. Mrazek
About this listen
The New York Times bestselling author of Fly Girls shares the riveting story of an unsung World War II hero who saved countless American lives in the Philippines.
When Florence Finch died at the age of 101, few of her Ithaca, NY neighbors knew that this unassuming Filipina native was a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, whose courage and sacrifice were unsurpassed in the Pacific War against Japan. Long accustomed to keeping her secrets close in service of the Allies, she waited fifty years to reveal the story of those dramatic and harrowing days to her own children.
Florence was an unlikely warrior. She relied on her own intelligence and fortitude to survive on her own from the age of seven, facing bigotry as a mixed-race mestiza with the dual heritage of her American serviceman father and Filipina mother.
As the war drew ever closer to the Philippines, Florence fell in love with a dashing American naval intelligence agent, Charles "Bing" Smith. In the wake of Bing's sudden death in battle, Florence transformed from a mild-mannered young wife into a fervent resistance fighter. She conceived a bold plan to divert tons of precious fuel from the Japanese army, which was then sold on the black market to provide desperately needed medicine and food for hundreds of American POWs. In constant peril of arrest and execution, Florence fought to save others, even as the Japanese police closed in.
With a wealth of original sources including taped interviews, personal journals, and unpublished memoirs, The Indomitable Florence Finch unfolds against the Bataan Death March, the fall of Corregidor, and the daily struggle to survive a brutal occupying force. Award-winning military historian and former Congressman Robert J. Mrazek brings to light this long-hidden American patriot. The Indomitable Florence Finch is the story of the transcendent bravery of a woman who belongs in America's pantheon of war heroes.
©2020 Robert J. Mrazek (P)2020 Hachette AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
One of BookBub's 12 Best New Nonfiction Books This Summer!
One of Amazon's Best Books of July 2020!
"A riveting story of courage and sacrifice....Mrazek's book is a treasure, an eminently readable tribute to the wartime heroism of one brave woman."—The New York Times Book Review
"A monumental biography....Details of Finch's life are blended deftly with the chronology of the Philippines and the world at large....What is special about this biography is the fashion in which certain interesting and controversial topics come into view... historians have long debated whether or not America was really prepared for World War II....Robert Mrazek is to be praised for his serious research and superior writing style, both of which make this chronicle of Florence's real-life adventures an absorbing saga. Her receipt of the Medal of Freedom spotlighted her brave, fearless war effort, just as The Indomitable Florence Finch brings her life and service to our attention."—Washington Independent Review of Books
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Story
Virginia Hall left her comfortable Baltimore roots in 1931 to follow a dream of becoming a Foreign Service Officer. After watching Hitler roll over Poland and France, she enlisted to work for the British Special Operations Executive (SOE), a secret espionage and sabotage organization. She was soon deployed to occupied France where, if captured, imprisonment and torture at the hands of the Gestapo was all but assured.
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The narrator is ruining the book for me
- By Penni Khandi on 06-19-14
By: Judith Pearson
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We Band of Angels
- The Untold Story of the American Women Trapped on Bataan
- By: Elizabeth M. Norman
- Narrated by: Dina Pearlman
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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We Band of Angelsis the story of women searching for adventure, caught up in the drama and danger of war. On the same day the Japanese Imperial Navy launched its surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, it also struck American bases in the Far East, chief among them the Philippines. That raid led to the first major land battle for America in World War II and, in the end, to the largest defeat and surrender of American forces.
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A very moving tribute!
- By mark nelsen on 05-17-17
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No Surrender
- A Father, a Son, and an Extraordinary Act of Heroism That Continues to Live on Today
- By: Christopher Edmonds, Douglas Century
- Narrated by: James Lurie
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
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Part contemporary detective story, part World War II historical narrative, No Surrender is the inspiring true story of Roddie Edmonds, a Knoxville-born enlistee who risked his life during the final days of World War II to save others from murderous Nazis, and the lasting effects his actions had on thousands of lives - then and now.
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Personal and impactful
- By Rodney on 10-10-19
By: Christopher Edmonds, and others
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Undefeated
- America's Heroic Fight for Bataan and Corregidor
- By: Bill Sloan
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 13 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Abandoned by their government, the men and women of the American garrison struggled against impossible military odds, rampant disease, and slow starvation to delay inevitable surrender by the largest American military force ever. Rather than picturing these defenders as little more than helpless victims of an overwhelmingly powerful and sadistic enemy-as most previous books about the Philippines campaign have done- Undefeated credits American troops with the unexcelled heroism and indomitable spirit they displayed under the worst imaginable conditions.
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Mesmerizing
- By Amazon Customer on 03-30-17
By: Bill Sloan
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A Tomb Called Iwo Jima
- Firsthand Accounts from Japanese Survivors
- By: Dan King
- Narrated by: Drew Bott
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Firsthand accounts from Japanese WW II soldiers, sailors, and pilots who fought in the battle for Iwo Jima and survived. Some were evacuated before the Marines landed, and others were taken as prisoners of war. The Japanese army and navy combatants are given a voice to share their experiences in the battle that coined the phrase "uncommon valor was a common virtue".
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Surprising and shocking. It explains a lot.
- By Maggie on 07-18-20
By: Dan King
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Sons and Soldiers
- The Untold Story of the Jews Who Escaped the Nazis and Returned with the U.S. Army to Fight Hitler
- By: Bruce Henderson
- Narrated by: Brett Barry
- Length: 13 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1942 the US Army unleashed one of its greatest secret weapons in the battle to defeat Adolf Hitler: training nearly 2,000 German-born Jews in special interrogation techniques and making use of their mastery of the German language, history, and customs. Known as the Ritchie Boys, they were sent in small, elite teams to join every major combat unit in Europe, where they interrogated German POWs and gathered crucial intelligence that saved American lives and helped win the war.
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Couldn't put it down
- By P. Voelker on 08-06-17
By: Bruce Henderson
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MacArthur's Spies
- The Soldier, the Singer, and the Spymaster Who Defied the Japanese in World War II
- By: Peter Eisner
- Narrated by: Peter Eisner
- Length: 12 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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A thrilling story of espionage, daring, and deception set in the exotic landscape of occupied Manila during World War II. On January 2, 1942, Japanese troops marched into Manila unopposed by US forces. Manila was a strategic port, a romantic American outpost, and a jewel of a city. Tokyo saw its conquest of the Philippines as the key in its plan to control all of Asia, including Australia.
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A Must For Travelers To Manila
- By Pete Andresen on 06-20-17
By: Peter Eisner
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D-Day Girls
- The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II
- By: Sarah Rose
- Narrated by: Sarah Rose
- Length: 10 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1942, the Allies were losing, Germany seemed unstoppable, and every able man in England was on the front lines. To "set Europe ablaze," in the words of Winston Churchill, the Special Operations Executive (SOE), whose spies were trained in everything from demolition to sharpshooting, was forced to do something unprecedented: recruit women. Thirty-nine answered the call, leaving their lives and families to become saboteurs in France.
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an excellent story ruined by horrible narration
- By Joshua on 04-23-19
By: Sarah Rose
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One Thousand Miles to Freedom
- A British Soldier's Impossible WWII Escape from the Burma Railway of Death
- By: Mark Felton
- Narrated by: Mark Felton
- Length: 54 mins
- Unabridged
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The thrilling true story of a British Army soldier who was determined to break free from Japanese captivity in World War II. Corporal Roy Pagani staged a daring escape from the Burma-Thailand Railway of Death, after already escaping twice from captivity, and set out to walk 1,000 miles to freedom in India through some of the most challenging landscape in the world. Along to way he endures great hardships, joins a guerrilla force, launches daring raids against the Japanese and faces betrayal and torture at every step. Can he make it to freedom where none have yet succeeded?
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Splendid story of human perseverance and determination.
- By S. H. Moore on 01-12-20
By: Mark Felton
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Facing the Mountain
- A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II
- By: Daniel James Brown
- Narrated by: Louis Ozawa
- Length: 17 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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In the days and months after Pearl Harbor, the lives of Japanese Americans across the continent and Hawaii were changed forever. In this unforgettable chronicle of war-time America and the battlefields of Europe, Daniel James Brown portrays the journey of Rudy Tokiwa, Fred Shiosaki, and Kats Miho, who volunteered for the 442nd Regimental Combat Team and were deployed to France, Germany, and Italy, where they were asked to do the near impossible. Brown also tells the story of these soldiers' parents, immigrants who were forced to submit to life in concentration camps on U.S. soil.
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Wow
- By Tbone McCoy on 06-13-21
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Taking Berlin
- The Bloody Race to Defeat the Third Reich
- By: Martin Dugard
- Narrated by: Samuel Roukin
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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Fall, 1944. Paris has been liberated, saved from destruction, but this diversion on the road to Berlin has given the Germans time to regroup. The American and British armies press on from the west, facing the enemy time and again in the Hurtgen Forest, during the Market-Garden invasion, and at the Battle of the Bulge, all while American general George Patton and British field marshal Bernard Montgomery vie for supremacy as the Allies’ top battlefield commander.
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Great until personal politics showed up
- By UP North on 12-16-22
By: Martin Dugard
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Scholars of Mayhem
- My Father's Secret War in Nazi-Occupied France
- By: Daniel C. Guiet, Timothy K. Smith
- Narrated by: Robert Fass
- Length: 7 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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When Daniel Guiet was a child and his family moved country, as they frequently did, his father had one possession, a tin bread box, that always made the trip. Daniel was admonished never to touch the box, but one day he couldn't resist. What he found astonished him: a .45 automatic and five full clips; three slim knives; a length of wire with a wooden handle at each end; thin pieces of paper with random numbers on them; several passports with his father's photograph, each bearing a different name.
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Better than fiction!
- By M. Galloway on 04-04-21
By: Daniel C. Guiet, and others
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Killing Jesus
- A History
- By: Bill O'Reilly, Martin Dugard
- Narrated by: Bill O'Reilly
- Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Millions of people have thrilled to best-selling authors Bill O'Reilly and historian Martin Dugard's Killing Kennedy and Killing Lincoln, works of nonfiction that have changed the way we view history. Now the anchor of The O'Reilly Factor details the events leading up to the murder of the most influential man in history: Jesus of Nazareth. Nearly 2,000 years after this beloved and controversial young revolutionary was brutally killed by Roman soldiers, more than 2.2 billion human beings attempt to follow his teachings and believe he is God.
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The Jesus story in context
- By Kimberly on 10-01-13
By: Bill O'Reilly, and others
What listeners say about The Indomitable Florence Finch
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- ElaineE.Flore
- 02-05-21
An inspiring story
This is a riveting, inspiring biography of a heroic woman whose courageous efforts against the Japanese invaders of the Philippines during World War need to be told. Thoroughly captures the reader’s attention! Highly recommend.
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3 people found this helpful
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- J and W Thomas
- 02-22-23
What a powerful read!
Finally, I have read a book about a true woman heroine that was so inspiring and humbling. I had relatives in the Philippines and Pacific, and I had no idea the extent of the atrocities that went on there. This should be a part of required reading!!! This was so well written without pretense, i love that it was succinct and without rewriting the history through current lenses.
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- Susan Turner
- 05-21-22
Unforgettable…
This is an unforgettable true story of many heroes! Seen through the eyes of Florence Finch, parts of it are very hard to read or listen to! But that should not stop anyone from purchasing this retelling of the war in the Philippines! Everyone should know about the sacrifices made in the name of war and the extreme need for freedom! Florence Finch had such spirit and that spirit helped her and was shared with those she touched! I learned so much and will never forget this brave woman and others who fought in the Pacific war, including my father!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 06-06-22
great story
I love reading about unsung heroes (and heroines). My father served in the U.S. Army in the Philippines during WWII. He was blessed not to have been captured! Great story!
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- Mia
- 03-29-23
Florence Finch is an Inspiration
As a Fil-American who grew up in the United States this book was really important to the connection I have with my Filipino heritage. To this day, the U.S. educational system focuses heavily on the European theater of war. This book gave much needed context for the atrocities committed by the Japanese against civilians and POW; context that will be needed as we move further away from WWII.
The context of history is easy to forget in the sea of facts printed in the pages of textbooks. The Indomitable Florence Finch holds its own in that fight, rising up as victor with details and emotions that are important to see the human side of the war.
P.S. The reader didn't pronounce most of the tagalog words and names properly, but he's clearly an American. My tagalog-speaking relatives don't pronounce English words and names properly, either.
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- Tasia Thompson
- 08-04-20
inspiring story well written and read
This is an inspiring story of courage and selflessness amidst the atrocities of war. Written in a way that allows reader to
understand the trials without getting dragged down in overwhelming gorry details.
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8 people found this helpful
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- Ray Graham
- 06-17-22
Americas greatest generation
I’m amazed at her heroic achievements. I am also truly saddened that I’m 67 and have just read about Florence. I should have read about her no later than the 8th grade. I was greatly moved by hers and the ones she knew and loved who gave all. I’m the father to a daughter and a son. I certainly hope in the future that should a man or a woman display the heroism the people in this book displayed that they would be rewarded and remembered equally.
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- Josie
- 06-19-22
what a beautiful story
Incredible. How do we not learn about these people and Florence Ebersole, Smith Finch? Thank you so much Robert Mrazek for gifting us the story and Dan for the beautiful read.
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- Linda M.
- 08-12-22
Indomitable Florence Finch
This story is amazing and inspiring. It makes us all realize how precious freedom is and how we need to honor those who have made this freedom possible.
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- Jana
- 03-16-24
Incredible story
This is an incredible story about a woman’s contribution, trials, and achievements to the war in the Philippines during World War II. Her life is truly an inspiration and this book is a great reminder of overcoming adversity and how little we appreciate the comforts we have today.
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