On April 9, 1942, more than 76,000 American and Filipino
soldiers on the island of Batan surrendered to the Japanese, who
set them walking 66 miles to prison camp, a notorious walk that
came to be known as "The Bataan Death March". Their surrender
meant defeat in the first major land battle for America in World
War II. Tears in the Darkness, the result of 10 years' research
and interviews, weaves a strikingly vivid tapestry of voices
from all sides to bring this crucial episode to life. Its
central narrative traces new Army Air Corp recruit Ben Steele
from his cowboy upbringing in Montana to his shattering
experience as a prisoner of war. From this quintessential
American tale, other individual stories including those of
Filipinos and the Japanese hang together, fleshing out the
narrative and providing a remarkably rounded account. This
balance is an important part of the book; although there are
many detailed descriptions of the inhuman acts committed against
prisoners, the authors treat the Japanese with sy