Valor by Dan Hampton

Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Valor:

The story of a man who refused to enjoy a beach vacation.

Quick synopsis:

The story of Bill Harris in World War II as he fights, gets captured, fights, fights some more and absolutely refuses to sit still.

Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like:

Chicago’s mayor thought it was possible for the Japanese to bomb Chicago. Yeah, really. He wasn’t great at math, apparently. Or physics. Or engineering.

Fun Fact for History Nerds:

How much disparity was there between the economies Japan and the United States around the time of World War II? The U.S. produced 17 times the income of Japan and that number is DURING the Great Depression.

My Take on Valor:

Dan Hampton is no stranger to authoring military books and Valor is just another example of how good he is at it. Valor follows the life of Lt. Bill Harris through his various sagas in the Pacific during World War II. Harris’s story is nothing short of extraordinary and if someone wrote this in a fiction book, they would be laughed out of the room for writing something so farfetched. Harris would go from fighting marine, to POW, to escapee all within a short time. He would travel all over the Pacific trying to get back into the fight while running into numerous characters along the way.

Hampton is a master at writing these types of stories. He keeps the reader aware of the greater war going on outside the main narrative but doesn’t get bogged down in the details. He also gives the reader a sense of who Bill Harris is without going into full hero worship (although one could be forgiven if he did). This is a great book for anyone who wants a personal story of perseverance in World War II.

Verdict:

A great book that anyone can enjoy. Buy it here!

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