Introduction

Inspired by true stories, The Long March Home is a gripping coming-of-age tale of friendship, sacrifice, and the power of unrelenting hope.

Jimmy Propfield joined the army for two reasons: to get out of Mobile, Alabama, with his best friends Hank and Billy and to forget his high school sweetheart, Claire.

Life in the Philippines seems like paradise--until the morning of December 8, 1941, when news comes from Manila: Imperial Japan has bombed Pearl Harbor. Within hours, the teenage friends are plunged into war as enemy warplanes attack Luzon, beginning a battle for control of the Pacific Theater that will culminate with a last stand on the Bataan Peninsula and end with the largest surrender of American troops in history.

What follows will become known as one of the worst atrocities in modern warfare: the Bataan Death March. With no hope of rescue, the three friends vow to make it back home together. But the ordeal is only the beginning of their nearly four-year fight to survive.

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Discussion Questions

From the publisher:

1. The story centers around four best friends: Jimmy, Claire, Billy, and Hank. How would you describe the personality of each character? Who do you identify with most?

2. How does Jimmy, Claire, Billy, and Hank’s friendship as children differ from their friendship as young adults? Do their adventures remind you of any favorite times with friends during your childhood?

3. Hank and Jimmy are sent on a mission by the Crate during which time Jimmy, who prides himself on always doing what’s right, is faced with a decision in which right and wrong aren’t easily discernible. Would you take an innocent life to save a friend? When was the last time you faced a “gray” decision—and what did you do?

4. Discuss the changes in Jimmy, his mother, and his father after Jimmy returns from war. How does Jimmy eventually find grace/redemption—or does he? In what ways has he changed the most?

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