Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted each week by Rose City Reader. It’s a chance to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading this week. You can check out others’ book beginnings here. I’ll share a quote from the 56 percent mark for the Friday 56 hosted by Freda’s Voice! I’m also going to link up with Carrie at Reading Is My Superpower for First Line Friday.

This week’s book beginning:

Synopsis:
Jimmy Propfield joined the army for two reasons: to get out of Mobile, Alabama, with his best friends Hank and Billy and to forget his high school sweetheart, Claire.
Life in the Philippines seems like paradise–until the morning of December 8, 1941, when news comes from Manila: the Japanese have bombed Pearl Harbor. Within hours, the teenage friends are plunged into war as Japanese warplanes attack Luzon, beginning a battle for control of the Pacific Theater that will culminate with a last stand on the Bataan Peninsula and end with the largest surrender of American troops in history.
What follows will become known as one of the worst atrocities in modern warfare: the Bataan Death March. With no hope of rescue, the three friends vow to make it back home together. But the ordeal is only the beginning of their nearly four-year fight to survive.
Inspired by true stories, The Long March Home is a gripping coming-of-age tale of friendship, sacrifice, and the power of unrelenting hope.
July 8, 1941
Dear Jimmy,
You left without a single word. How could you, James Pierce Propfield?

“Claire wants to stay. And I – I ain’t sure I wanna go to seminary. Or even live in Mobile.” It was the closest I could come to saying I didn’t want either of those things without fear that she’d tell Daddy or that I might hurt her feelings.
My thoughts:
The Long March Home is an amazing work of historical fiction. It’s a coming of age story, a World War II story, and it is phenomenal. These two snippets may not seem to do it justice, but believe me when I say this is one I’ll recommend to everyone.
Full review coming soon for Revell Reads.

Book Blogger Hop is hosted by Coffee Addicted Writer. It starts each Friday and runs through the following Thursday. Each week, there’s a new prompt featuring a book-related question. It’s designed to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, make new blogging friends, and gain followers. See what others have to say on this topic and link up your own post here.

12th – 18th – Do you have a “trademark” that everyone would know it’s you whether you said your name or your blog name?
(submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver’s Reviews)
I’ve never really thought about it! I honestly don’t know. I say “y’all” a lot. Does that count? If you’ve read my blog for a bit, do you think there’s anything “trademark”-ish about my style? Leave a comment!
The setting of this story is such a powerful one. Thank you for sharing this book with us.
I’ve seen this book around. I haven’t read it, but I like the quotes. Enjoy your current read!
I hope you love it! Happy weekend!
Happy Friday!
I’m currently reading Fraser by Susan May Warren. It’s pretty good!
“All her training, all her years of keeping her focus…And she’d simply abandoned it all in one blinding moment.”
I hope you have a great weekend! 😀❤️📚
I like reading historical fiction especially if I learn something along the way. Enjoy!
I think the book blogger hop question is hard this week! It’s hard to know if we have a trademark. Glad to know you are enjoying this one. Have a great weekend!
I just finished When the Day Comes by Gabrielle Meyer so I can read book two. The first line is: “Williamsburg, Virginia, May 5, 1774, For as long as I could remember, my mama had told me that my life was a gift.” Have a great week!