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The following are Reader Reviews that have been posted for Breaking Liberator’s Shackles:
Currently the average rating of all reader reviews is 4.82 Stars (9- five star and 2- four star)
Reviews that have been post by any of my relatives, I have inserted their relationship. For reviews that have been post by other authors (who I know of), I have inserted a designation.
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By Maryanne B. on September 5, 2016, 5 out of 5 Stars on Amazon
A five star read of a father who had been a Japanese POW trying to prepare his son – who is soon to deploy to Vietnam.
This is a very good read about what some POWs endured in WWII. The author did extensive research to document when and where these Americans were captured. The narrative describes the story through a father who had been captured by the Japanese as he tries to prepare his son who is about to deploy to Vietnam. Five stars.
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By J. Kenneth Wilkens, March 24, 2016, 4 out of 5 star rating on Amazon.
Like music and speech can get a metre to them
Terry Wilson has the ability to write with great “timing”. Books, like music and speech can get a metre to them. Both this and Terry’s last book have it. It’s like knowing when to coax and when to hold back. In a very interesting story line; the dialogue is so helped by this. It is a tale of a family who has faced and who is facing the responsibilities of citizenship in our republic and uses a “look-back” to see ahead and prepare. It’s a good read! I look forward to his next book due out soon.
K Wilkens
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By Amazon Customer, January 30, 2016, 5 out of 5 star rating on Amazon.
I loved the book and it was well written – for …
“I loved the book and it was well written – for me it was a great read – I grew up in Chardon myself so there was a lot of familiarity in the story and lots of places I visited and knew well. The book was insightful and hopeful for the POW’s and I am glad that some of them got to return home. The book was steady and I love the characters especially the story teller. I would recommend this to anyone.”
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By Doctor Barbara, an author, November 29, 2015 on Amazon, 5 out of 5 star rating.
Not just for WWII History Buffs
After getting into the roots of this story, it’s obvious that the author’s foreword about the missions and POW events of the fictionalized American crew of this WWII B-24 Liberator are probably spot on. The horrors of their experience are chilling.
This is a must read for war history buffs but also an important read for those who have not read any of the contemporary war novels. It’s eye-opening to know what some Americans go through when they serve their country.
The story is ‘told’ by the freed, older veteran to his son going off to serve in the Vietnam War. It serves as the catalyst method to tell the story but sometimes the son’s dialogue/questions are somewhat stilted. That being said, the book still deserves 5 stars … for anyone should be fully impacted by the sorrowful experience these men went through.
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By Marjorie Appleby, an author, on Goodreads, September 10, 2015 and Amazon, September 11, 2015, 5 out of 5 star rating.
Review by M.A. Appleby, September 10, 2015
If you are a history buff, as Mr. Wilson surely is, and you want a glimpse into what happened to prisoners taken by the Japanese during World War II, then you need to read Breaking Liberator’s Shackles. It gently guides you through an American Airman’s perspective as he relives his nightmare of the War in the Pacific. Undoubtedly, reoccurring dreams, termed post-traumatic stress syndrome today, follows the person for the rest of his/her life, to cope they often push the unpleasant memories into the deep recesses of their minds only to find that by sharing their story they can break those haunting shackles. This is a poignant story, immersing the reader into the depths of solitude where only the prisoner’s wits and strong faith in God keeps them alive.
Nearly a generation later, the Airman embarks on a journey to tell his son what really happened all those years ago in an attempt to prepare him for his tour of duty in the Viet Nam jungle. The Airman knows that the details of the story will not come easy so he takes his son on a fishing trip to a well-known area that reminds them both of a more pleasant time. War is hell, but Mr. Wilson makes this remarkable story a lesson in hope and faith…and survival under the cruelest of circumstances; may this be the tribute Mr. Wilson intended to all World War II participants!
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By Diana Wilder, an author on Amazon.com on April 14, 2015, 5 out of 5 star rating.
Courage, Love Healing
The Land of Fearful memories is a terrible place. They gather in the dark corners, thoughts lived and relived… Impressions, the patchwork of images, sounds. A place firmly in the past, where it belongs, never to be thought of. Or so Grant Metzger feels in the quiet of his own mind. He lived through the horror of imprisonment by the Japanese during World War II, he survived, came home, and left it all behind him, where it belongs. …until the day he learns that his son, a Green Beret, will be deployed to Vietnam.
The memories return, but now with an added barb: his son might be facing the same horrors. The horrors that Grant remembers all too clearly.
This is a story of love, of courage, and of liberation, Grant finds the courage to speak to his son of the dangers he faced, and the sources of strength that he found, and in telling his story, he is freed from fear, horror and grief that bound him for two decades.
This is a good story. It is told in a quiet voice: Grant speaking, telling what he remembers. The events themselves, and the impressions, are clear, and the quality of Grant’s voice relaying them from a twenty year vantage point works very well. This is a story of courage, of love and of healing, and I enjoyed it.
Disclaimer: I purchased a copy of this book because I had interacted with the author on various message boards, and the story interested me as the descendant of veterans of the Pacific Theater of WWII, with relatives who spent time in Japanese POW and concentration camps. The focus of the story interested me, and I wanted to read it. I was given no incentive to read and review.
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By Susan Ward, an author on March 5, 2015 on Amazon.com, 5 out of 5 star rating.
I love the quiet, subtle honesty of the way Terry tells a story.
By Melissa, an author
Great WWII novel!
This novel is a must-read for anyone with an interest in WWII history or POW camps. It is a story of resiliency and hope in the face of seemingly hopeless odds. I really enjoyed the father and son relationship as well. Terry Wilson has a knack for writing war novels that keep the relationships of his characters in the forefront. Enjoyable read!
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By S. K. Townsend on December 1, 2014 on Amazon.Com, 5 out of 5 star rating.
I like the way the father in this book only talked…
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By Jeff Dawson, an author, 4 out of 5 star rating.
Revised Review: Excellent tale of heroism, love and faith
My Note related to this review: Mr. Dawson originally wrote a review that contained a listing of problems he found with the editing of the book. That review led to intensive additional editing and revising both the print and Kindle copies. I appreciate Mr. Dawson taking the time to update with the following revised review, and of course, I am thrilled with the review he has provided.
The story centers around the dad, Grant Metzger and his son Doug. Grant was a B-24 Liberator co-pilot during WWII in Burma. His son, Doug is home on leave before being sent to Vietnam. Grant has never talked to anyone about the seventeen months he spent in a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp, but with son preparing to depart to the theatre he served in, it’s time for the story to be told.
Pro’s
Four stars
This is an excellent story about being a POW in Rangoon. The accounts of day-to-day activities and the treatment of British and American POW’s is superb. This is not a graphic work, only a recounting of the beastly treatment the Japanese handed out to the prisoners. It had me thinking of the movie, “The Bridge on the River Kwai.”
The last chapter of the book will have many who served, shedding a tear as the family attends a home game football game where Doug and all those served, is going to be honored. Excellent touch!
Another excellent touch of the work is Grant’s undying relationship with God. He makes no bones that his faith allowed him to not only survive the cruel treatment of his captors, but was the backbone of continual existence. At one point Doug asks Dad why didn’t refer to the enemy as Japs or Nips. Because of his steadfast faith and eyewitness account of man’s cruelty to man, he vowed never to belittle any race of people as long as he lived. A trait he passed on to his son and daughter. We need more of this type of thinking and behavior today instead of political correctness!
This story is an excellent companion to “Unbroken,” by Laura Hildebrand.
Con’s
When I first read this, the story was plagued with a host of issues. I’m happy to announce all the problems I identified have been corrected. Well done Mr. Wilson
Bottom line, there are no con’s to this excellent work.
This story is an excellent companion to “Unbroken,” by Laura Hildebrand.
4 Stars
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By Eric Wilson, one of my brothers, on December 8, 2014 on Amazon.Com, 5 out of 5 star rating.
I enjoyed the moment in time spent between a father and …,
I enjoyed the moment in time spent between a father and his son in Breaking Liberator’s Shackles. . Sharing that was clearly planned by the father and genuinely received by his son. The story and lessons learned during the father’s time of captivity that were branded into his being. Lessons that had been realized but, until that moment,t had not been shared by the father. A highly trained pilot talking to a battle ready Green Beret. .The advice is powerful, coming from strength needed to remain alive when all power has been removed. This sharing occurred while fishing and viewing the beauty surrounding on their walk by the lake. And knowing for certain that the son would have a dramatically different period in store in the coming months he was to spend in South East Asia. This was a father acknowledging that his son was indeed a warrior ready for the battle ahead, but helping to gird him for the less gallant results that await many who are drawn into the fight.
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