Review: A Pledge of Silence by Flora J. Solomon

Recommended Read!

“History books or classes should be accompanied by stories such as these.” ~ Under the Covers

A Pledge of Silence is a fictional story with real-life events from WWII in the Philippines. In the eyes of an American Army Nurse, you will witness her experiences before, during, and after the war. While this story is of tragic circumstances, it is also a story of survival as a woman, a mother, a wife, a nurse, and a veteran of this era.

I enjoyed reading Margie’s story. Though her story broke my heart, it also made me feel proud and appreciative of the woman and the hero she has become. Margie was strong and not only that she handled everything life had thrown at her, but she also survived it while helping others. And for that, I salute her.

The author touches issues from this era that are as real now as it was back then. Issues such as women’s equality rights or lack thereof, political circumstances in that era including Pearl Harbor bombing, lack of medical facilities, medications, and death. Mental Illnesses like POW syndrome including PTSD and suppression were a big part of the book as well. The author did a great job making me feel empathy towards all the characters, especially Margie.

While this was a hard book to read because of all the hardships and sacrifices, there were good things too. I love seeing the Philippines through Margie’s eyes. The culture, the cuisine, and the language are things I am very familiar with, so it was a treat to read about it. My favorite is the history relayed in this book. My grandfather was a Lieutenant in the Philippine Army and is a survivor of the Bataan March but his stories were always filtered. I’m sure there are things you just don’t tell your grandkids but this book gives me a good perspective of what happened. History books or classes should be accompanied by stories such as these. Lastly, I was glad for the tiny bit of love story in Margie’s life. It was the one thing that may have kept her going and made this book lighter to read. I was personally glad for it.

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