Hold Strong

Published by Lake Union Publishing

Publish Date: January 28, 2025

ASIN: B0CW1FVMPG

From Robert Dugoni, Jeff Langholz, and Chris Crabtree comes an epic and inspiring novel—based on true events—about love, heroism, and resilience during the darkest chapters of World War II.

Sam Carlson is a projectionist in small-town Minnesota, where fantasies unspool in glorious black and white—for him and for his sweetheart, college-bound math whiz Sarah Haber. When the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor, Sam is sent to the Philippines and captured as a POW. Brutalized but unbroken by the Bataan Death March and POW camps, Sam is one of eighteen hundred starved and weakened prisoners herded into the cargo hold of a barbaric hell ship called the Arisan Maru, his survival doubtful.

Determined to use her math skills on the home front, Sarah is recruited to Washington, DC, into the covert field of code breaking. When Sarah intercepts a message about a Japanese convoy, the US Navy’s mission is clear: sink the Arisan Maru and send it to the bottom of the South China Sea. Now, the lives of the two young lovers are about to inadvertently collide in one of the most shocking acts of World War II.

Anchored in an extraordinary true story and breathlessly re-created, Hold Strong is a one-of-a-kind novel that explores faith, courage, survival, and coming home against insurmountable odds.

Book Club Questions

General Themes
1. The title, Hold Strong, suggests resilience. How do the main characters embody this theme?
2. War often presents difficult ethical dilemmas. Which decisions (moral choices) in the book stood out to you as particularly challenging or controversial?
3. How does the book portray the personal sacrifices made by individuals during wartime?

Character Development
4. Sarah works in a code-breaking unit. How does her role challenge societal norms of the time, and what impact does this have on her character?
5. Which character did you relate to the most, and why?
6. Were there any moments where you disagreed with a character’s decision? How might you have acted differently?

Relationships
7. How do Sam and Sarah’s respective roles in the war affect their relationship?
8. Friendship and camaraderie are central to the novel. How do these relationships influence the characters' survival and morale?
9. How does the tragedy of the friendly fire incident test the relationships between characters?

Historical Details
10. How effectively did the authors use historical details to immerse you in the setting?
11. What role did the research and endnotes play in your appreciation of the book?
12. Did any historical aspects of the code-breaking unit, POW experience, or submarine warfare surprise you?

Writing and Style
13. What did you think of the authors’ writing style? Did it enhance your connection to the characters and their experiences?
14. How did the dual narratives—Sam’s on the battlefield and Sarah’s in the code-breaking unit—add depth to the story?
15. Were there any particular scenes or passages that stood out as especially moving or memorable?

Broader Impacts
16. How does Hold Strong compare to other historical fiction novels you’ve read?
17. What lessons or messages from the book do you think are most relevant today?