Title:	Hold Strong
	Author:	Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, Chris Crabtree
	Published:	January 28, 2025, Lake Union Publishing
	No. of Pages:	503
	Cover Price:	$28.99 Hardcover, $16.99 Paperback, $5.99 Kindle

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I have been enjoying Robert Dugoni for years, and have been impressed with his writing style. He recently published an historical novel that was fabulous, and his new novel, Hold Strong, is another fascinating historical novel. This novel has two co-writers, but it is still excellent and in the style of Dugoni. This one tells the story of Sam Carlson, who comes from a small town in Minnesota; he is in love with Sarah Haber and they make plans for the future together. However, because of the depression, most families are losing their farms and businesses, so Sam joins the military to make enough money to help his father get the family farm back. In the meantime, Sarah is able to go to college and get a degree in mathematics. Sam is deployed after the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor and ends up as a POW. Sarah, because of her excellent math skills, goes to Washington to help the war effort; neither knows where the other is.

One of the most impressive aspects of Dugoni’s historical books is the fact that they are well-researched; this is no exception. He has put his fictional characters into real life scenarios that will keep readers on the edge just learning what really happened during that war. Readers will find themselves rallying for the characters to survive. Dugoni’s characters are extremely well-developed and they seem real. The supporting characters are based on real people that played a part in the war. The storyline is eye-opening and fascinating. Even those of us who had history classes during our school years (instead of ridiculous brainwashing with CRT and DEI) didn’t learn the specifics of the POWs and the cruelty of the monsters that led the Japanese armies. The story will make every reader appreciate the sacrifices that were made on our behalf.

This excellent novel should be required reading for high school and college students instead of cancel culture garbage. It gave me a sense of pride in those who saved our country and made me realize how lucky we are. This novel is definitely recommended.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.