A Bright and Blinding Sun - A Story of Survival, Love, and Redemption on Bataan and Corregidor "What Joe Johnson went through as a young man is heart-wrenching and fierce, yet his story needs to be told and remembered as an example of what deeply humane people encountered and overcame during World War II." Gary Sinise, Actor, Founder Gary Sinise Foundation Joe Johnson Jr. ran away from home at the age of 12, hopping a freight train at the height of the Great Depression. He managed to talk his way into the U.S. Army two years later. Seeking freedom and adventure, he was sent to the Philippines. Adrift in spirit, Joe visited a teenage prostitute, and they became unlikely, smitten allies. Yet when the Japanese attacked on December 8, 1941, their hopes of being together had to wait. Joe and his fellow soldiers fought for four brutal months in Bataan and Corregidor, until they were forced to surrender. The boy endured years of horror as a prisoner of war, only dreaming about seeing again the girl he'd come to love. Marcus Brotherton is a New York Times bestselling author and coauthor dedicated to writing books that inspire heroics, promote empathy, and encourage noble living. His commendations include the Christopher Award for literature "that affirms the highest values of the human spirit." His previous work includes books on Easy Company veterans Shifty Powers and Buck Compton.
—Paul Woodadge