The Jersey Brothers: A Missing Naval Officer in the Pacific and His Family's Quest to Bring Him Home
By: Sally Mott Freeman / Narrated By: Cassandra Campbell
Length: 18 hrs and 41 mins
UNBROKEN x 3
What a FANTASTIC audiobook! At almost 19 hours, one would think that there’d be places within the story that dragged, that were ho-hum, that were perhaps a tad too detailed.
Uhm, no. The book breezes by like a cool wind slipping past an aircraft carrier.
The Jersey Brothers is a story of three brothers as they face the decisions, the perils of WWII. There’s Bill, who works in the Map Room with the likes of Roosevelt and Churchill. There’s Benny, aboard The Enterprise, who is in the thick of some of the fiercest and most famous naval battles, not to mention coming back into port after the attacks on Pearl Harbor.
And mostly there’s Barton, the baby brother who was always the favorite, who took without really thinking about giving back. Not that he’s bad; it’s just that his life has always had a spotlight on it. He’s assigned to the Supply Corps and is stationed on the Philippines—a place where dear old Mom thinks her beloved child will be away from the thick of things.
Naturally, he becomes a POW of the Japanese (and I swear: My ninth grade history teacher told us Douglas MacArthur was a hero, but the more I learn of him, holy cow! Talk about wanting to throttle someone. Here you’re reminded that he left orders for only Army wounded to be evacuated, Navy be damned to the Japanese. Yes!).
And that’s where things get good because no matter what the Japanese do to Barton, he starts really shining. He’s the guy who starts sing-alongs, baseball games; he’s the guy everyone turns to when they’re in despair. He’s a giver as he’s never been before.
The book simply comes alive as sooooo much history is made personal. And if you don’t mind wanting to smack their mom upside the head for her perpetual poison pennings, you’ll love this book. Ahhhhh, I LOVE Military History.
And I love the Mott Brothers as they struggle to survive and to help each other, even when it costs them their health, their personal lives, their very lives.
At first I thought it odd that a woman should be the narrator, but Cassandra Campbell is top notch, handling the brothers distinctly, handling emotion well, handling war scenes deftly. She turns in a truly fine performance. Brava!
Got 18+ hours you’d like to fill? Give The Jersey Brothers a try. Sally Mott Freeman’s 10 years of research make for a stellar of a good listen!
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