Remember Wake

by Teresa R. Funke

Based on a true story from The Pacific. . .

December, 1941—While the world focuses on the carnage at Pearl Harbor, tiny Wake Island 2,300 miles west is also under attack. On it are 1,200 civilians and a small detachment of Marines. This frightened, under-equipped band of Americans will hold the mighty Japanese navy at bay for sixteen days before succumbing to a sweeping invasion. "Remember Wake" becomes a battle cry for a nation marching to war. Now prisoners of the Emperor, Colin Finnely and the others are crowded aboard a notorious Japanese hell ship bound for Asia, where they will suffer four long years in disease-infested prison camps, while forced to work as slave laborers. They will die by the hundreds. With only one reason to live—his love for his fiancée, Maggie Braun—Colin struggles to survive torture and inhuman conditions. And on the home front, Maggie, unsure if Colin is even alive, faces agonizing decisions that may alter both their lives.

Genres: Historical Fiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 12, 2002

About the author

Teresa R. Funke is the author of "Bursts of Brilliance for a Creative Life," a highly regarded collection of her postings from her popular blog of the same name. She is also the author of seven novels for adults and children about World War II including "Remember Wake," "Dancing in Combat Boots," and the Home-Front Heroes Series.

Teresa's short stories, articles, and essays have appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers, and anthologies. Two of her essays were listed as Notable Essays by the prestigious Best American Essays series.

She is a sought-after speaker and consultant and works with organizations, schools, and non-profits to promote the arts, literacy, and history education.

Reviews

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading the side stories and forgotten bits of history can really help to give a bigger picture of the history we learned as kids. Funke does a great job of delivering some of those hidden bits in this fictionalized account of the taking of Wake Island and subsequent Japanese POW stories from WWII. This is a good read after reading Unbroken. It is a good fit for my classroom shelves.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah yes, my sister's first. Actually a very intersting story about factual events of WWII that I had no idea about.

Recommended...

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

We met this author at the Catholic History fair and bought 2 of her books; this one and the No-No Boys, Book 2 in a children's series about different children and their experiences in WWII. Teresa Funke does extensive research and her stories are based on actual interviews of people who lived during that time.

Remember Wake is an appropriate title for a book about an event most people don't remember. In fact a lot of people didn't even hear about Wake during the War or if they did, soon forgot about it. Reasons for this include the fact that it was attacked by the Japanese at the same time as Pearl Harbor and those who defended Wake and ultimately became prisoners of the Japanese were almost entirely American civilian construction workers or hotel employees from Guam with a few Marines thrown in.

The story flowed along really well. Main storylines alternated between Colin and his buddies in prison camps in China and Japan and Colin's fiance and family in Boise ID. The book got well into the details of the horrors of being prisoners of the Japanese; Funke must be a very skilled interviewer because there were lots and lots of small details that really make the story real.

The romance between Colin and Maggie didn't seem to have the chemistry going for it; on the other hand the true nature of Love's sacrifice for the good of another was developed by Maggie's need to make difficult decisions about whether to follow her feelings or her promises.

I learned a lot about Wake: the island, the battle, and the group of men who suffered the consequences of being there at the wrong time. Although they started out the war as civilians (they offered to join the Marines while they were being attacked and were refused), their experiences can truly be added to those of the heroes who have defended our freedom around the world.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed Teresa R. Funke's Remember Wake. It was a part of WWII (or any war for the matter) that I have not read/researched much about. The story revolves around Colin and Maggie, a young couple engaged to be married. Just before the war, Colin decides to take a short term job on Wake Island in the pacific to save money for their new life together. Based on a true story, Colin's story takes us to Wake Island during Pearl Harbor and the taking of the island by Japanese forces. We see life through his eyes as a Japanese POW. Maggie's story takes us through life back home, not knowing what has become of her beloved. Great insight into little known parts of the war and a great romance to boot.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a copy through FirstReads. This book was outstanding. It is both packed with emotion and vivid detail. I found myself unable to put it down. It is not my normal genre, however I will definitely be looking into more from this author in the future. This book is at times disturbingly brutal, but does an excellent job at attempting to portray how the conditions actually were during WWII. Because of these conditions, one is never sure what will happen next. Will it be something good or bad? This emotional roller coaster is one of the things that made the book so hard to put down before finding out how it ended.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book from Goodreads First Reads. It was pretty great. I liked that it not only addressed what the prisoner was going through but it also addressed what his fiancé and family went through while he was in the camps.

The chapters were short which made it easy to get to a good stopping point. Plus, once Colin was put on the ship, I don't know that I could have taken long chapters describing the conditions and treatment. It was all ready gut-wrenching with the length it was.

The author writes well and I'm interested in reading her other work.

[Jane G Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved learning about this interesting piece of history. Wake Island was attacked by the Japanese in WWII and the marines and civilians were take to prison camps for the next four year. The tone was pure, and true. At first it felt too simple, compared with the writing that we encounter today, but the book took place in the 40's and after only a short while I was taken by the authentic feel of the characters and their world... It was a great page-turner.

[Kitty Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Title: "Remember Wake”
Author: Teresa R. Funke
Published By: Victory House Press
Age Recommended: 18+
Reviewed By: Kitty Bullard
Raven Rating: 5

Review: Teresa Funke is a historical fiction writing genius. “Remember Wake,” is a beautifully written novel that brings you up close and personal with the way life truly was in 1941.
The characters are carefully written and their romance is beautiful. This book is a real treasure for history and romance lovers alive.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you think you have a hard life, read this book. Any war is awful and to see what happens through the pages of a book is as close as you can get to the real thing. Colin is a fighter throught the story using sheer will power to stay alive. Good book.

[Nancy (Colorado) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had Teresa's son, Brian, in my third grade class at Lopez. Got her to come and talk to the class about being a writer (2001-2002 at Lopez Elementary).

[Noël · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recieved a free copy of this book from the author when I won a giveaway here. I received the book in the mail the other day, and I'm hoping to read it soon, and review it when I'm done.

[Rebecca Zimmerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this a fast read. My only complaint is the story lacked in-depth character development.

[Talena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book!