Some great reader reviews have been posted on Amazon and Goodreads about The Occupation of Joe.

“Lyrical and poignant” wrote one reader. Another labelled the story “poignant, thoughtful.”

“Emotionally gripping”

“A book you won’t forget any time soon.”

Several said they read the story in one sitting. “I couldn’t put it down,” two people said.

Set in Tokyo in 1945, The Occupation of Joe is about a young American officer, who befriends a local boy at the beginning of the American Occupation of Japan. As post-war pressures mount, he becomes entangled in the lives of the boy, his infant sister and his beautiful mother – at the risk of their lives and his own.

“The genius of this book is in the representation of the best and worst in human beings,” another review wrote. “Author Baynes describes well the full breadth of human emotion, formed in large part by living conditions and the possibility of a better life. This book should be turned into what would be a great film, with the theme that HOPE is that which gives our lives meaning.”

A woman in New Mexico said: “I loved the power of the prose. It reminded me of Hemingway’s style. The story flowed so smoothly that it was impossible to put down”

“In unadorned language that puts the reader right there on the cold and devastated Toyko streets, Baynes explores the nuances of the relationship between occupied and occupier in a tale that resonates beyond its time,” another reader reported. “I continued to think about the characters and their complex connections long after I finished reading.”

One review was headlined The Occupation of This Reader.” It concluded: “Baynes, erstwhile AP reporter and filmmaker, writes with the urgency of a dramatist and the clean, no-nonsense prose of a beat reporter. I found myself caring deeply about these three people. I highly recommend The Occupation of Joe.”

I hope you’ll give it a try. Find out for yourself what these readers are talking about.Image