A Bright and Blinding Sun: A World War II Story of Survival, Love, and Redemption

by Marcus Brotherton

Overview

From a New York Times bestselling author comes the incredible true story of an underage soldier's first love and loss on the battlefields of Bataan and Corregidor—perfect for fans of The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz and Unbroken.

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. 

This lyrically written and deeply encouraging saga will remind you that every life can be lifted, forgiveness is the patron of restoration, and redemption is available to all. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316318914
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	05/24/2022
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	1,064,444
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.50(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Marcus Brotherton is a New York Times bestselling author and coauthor dedicated to writing books that inspire heroics, promote empathy, and encourage noble living. Four of Marcus’ books are New York Times bestsellers, five are national bestsellers, four have been optioned for movies, two have received Booklist Starred Reviews, and one is an international bestseller. His books have also appeared on USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly, Wall Street Journal, and ECPA bestseller lists. Born in British Columbia, Marcus earned a bachelor’s degree from Multnomah University in Portland, Oregon, and a master’s degree from Biola University in Los Angeles, where he graduated with high honors. He lives with his wife and their three children in the Pacific Northwest.

Table of Contents

Map ix

Part I

1 Little Bird Walking 7

2 Last Days of Boyhood 15

3 Where Sea and Sky Meet 28

4 Lost Babes in the Woods 43

5 The Girl Named Perpetua 57

6 She'll Make You a Star 72

Part II

7 Horizon of Hurt 93

8 Digging the Ashes 110

9 Ache from the Hacienda 125

10 Final Days of Bataan 135

11 So Utterly Alone 148

Part III

12 Prerogative of Madness 169

13 The Bilibid Prison Respite 186

14 Three Ships from Hell 199

15 Under the Cold Ground 212

16 Emancipation 227

17 A Time to Heal 236

Acknowledgments 259

A Note on Sources 261

Notes 267

Editorial Reviews

03/14/2022

The incredible WWII saga of Joe Johnson Jr. (1926–2017), who left home at age 12, enlisted in the U.S. Army at 14, and survived three years in Japanese POW camps, is recounted in this rousing account from bestseller Brotherton (Blaze of Light). Stationed in Manila, Joe fell in love with a teenage prostitute named Perpetua, who soon became pregnant. Shortly after he snuck her out of the brothel and paid for her room and board at a local convent, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor and invaded the Philippines. Joe witnessed the deaths of most of his unit during the battles of Bataan and Corregidor before being captured. He endured constant starvation, regular beatings, and multiple nights in an eiso, a wooden cage the size of a small coffin, before being sent with more than 1,600 other POWs on a ship to Japan. By the time they arrived six weeks later, only 450 prisoners were still alive. Suffering severe malnutrition and a grisly leg injury, Joe was held at the Fukuoka POW camp until Japan’s surrender in August 1945 and briefly reunited with Perpetua, who had become a nurse, while recuperating in the Philippines. Full of near-death escapes and unlikely twists of fate, this will appeal to fans of Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken. (May)

Publishers Weekly

A Bright and Blinding Sun is a gripping book, storytelling at its best, with an enduring message. Not only has Marcus Brotherton brilliantly chronicled the life of one boy, but in doing so he has told the story of countless others. With impeccable research, he beautifully educates us to a time and place in history that needs to be remembered and acknowledged for the bravery and resilience of so many, under brutal circumstances. Unreservedly recommended.”
 —Heather Morris, #1 internationally bestselling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz

“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

“Marcus Brotherton has crafted a strong and respected canon of narrative nonfiction books. In particular, he writes beautifully and hauntingly about the paradoxes of war. Humanity and horror mix and mingle in the fray, but in the end good triumphs over evil. Joe Johnson’s story is truly a testament that every one of us can overcome the obstacles that we are dealt, and even thrive when the odds are against us.”—Sara Vladic, New York Times bestselling author of Indianapolis

“Private Joe Johnson displayed an indomitable spirit throughout his remarkable life. He endured what seemed impossible and came out the other side victorious. Marcus Brotherton always writes a powerful book, and A Bright and Blinding Sun does not disappoint.”—Green Beret SFC Ryan Hendrickson, Silver Star recipient. Nationally bestselling author of Tip of the Spear

 “Superb! A rare and moving narrative, both brutal and compassionate in scope. Marcus Brotherton is a masterful writer, able to channel any voice as he whisks us away on a journey into the past.”—Adam Makos, New York Times bestselling author of Spearhead

"Full of near-death escapes and unlikely twists of fate, this will appeal to fans of Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken."—Publishers Weekly

“Brotherton has done his homework … this florid account of Johnson’s experiences is hard to put down…a good read.”—Kirkus

From the Publisher

2022-02-24
The wartime experiences of a teenage American soldier in the Philippines.

Most readers will know that Brotherton’s hero is headed for trouble, but the author takes his time recounting the gritty life of Joe Johnson, a poor boy from a dysfunctional family in Depression-era Texas. Though it was clear to military recruiters that Johnson was too young to serve, in 1941, the rapidly expanding Army was eager for warm bodies, so he slipped through the cracks. Even before his unit began training, there was a call for volunteers to join the fight in the Philippines, and he stepped forward. Manila, near his base, was full of temptation for an adolescent anxious to prove his manhood, and Johnson fell in love with a teenage prostitute. Their relationship continued after the war until his mother cut it short. During the early period of the war, Johnson spent five miserable months fighting on Bataan and Corregidor before American forces surrendered in April 1942. Although World War II enthusiasts are aware that the Japanese treated both prisoners and civilians viciously, even die-hard military buffs will be horrified at the sheer sadism that Johnson witnessed and endured during three and a half years of captivity in the Philippines and Japan. Luck, youth, imagination, and a refusal to lose hope contributed to his survival, although he spent months in the hospital after being released. As he did in such previous books as Blaze of Light and A Company of Heroes, Brotherton has done his homework researching official records, interviews, and Johnson’s extensive writing, which included “journal entries, musings, essays, bundles of wartime letters, photos, original poems, wartime documents, hard copies of emails to friends and family members, and more than ten hours of compelling video and audio interviews.” However, he recounts his story like a novel, with invented dialogue and insight into the thoughts of his characters. Some readers may be put off by this approach, but this florid account of Johnson’s experiences is hard to put down.

Overheated but still a good read.

Kirkus Reviews