Defiant

If the suffering of American POWs at the hands of their Vietnamese captors was unimaginable, this audiobook goes some way to make that experience vivid for listeners. Joe Barrett's narration is matter-of-fact and mostly unadorned, save for some subtle Asian accents. But the anguish of the POWs comes through in his voice, and many of the descriptions of torture are hard to listen to. This book is much more than a chronicle of misery, however. Author Townley weaves a remarkably detailed account of "the Alcatraz 11," the most famous inmates who endured as many as eight years in the prison nicknamed Hanoi Hilton, and the role played by the women who wouldn't let their country forget them. D.B. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

November 18, 2013
The plight of the American pilots and other air crewmen shot down over North Vietnam and held prisoner in the infamous Hanoi Hilton is one of the best-known and widely written-about aspects of the Vietnam War. Many books, including memoirs by former POWs, have appeared since the men were released en masse in 1973. Townley (Fly Navy), drawing heavily on the previous body of POW literature, delivers an engaging account that focuses on about a dozen of the captives; he also relates the oft-told story of their wives at home who, against long odds, successfully lobbied the government on their husbands’ behalf. Much of the narrative looks at two of the longest-held and renowned POWs, James Bond Stockdale and Jeremiah Denton. Townley recounts in detail how Stockdale, Denton, and the other POWs endured years of almost unimaginable physical and mental torture, and the ways the men coped with the physical pain and emotional torment. In a fast-flowing narrative replete with reconstructed dialogue, Townley writes reverently of these POWs, whom he calls “American stalwarts,” “defiant patriots,” and “corralled incorrigibles.” 22 b&w photos. Agents: Jack Scovil and Russell Galen, Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency.