Click on cover image to purchase a copy
MWSA Review
Brothers Bound by Bruce K Berger is a phenomenal story of two men bonded through combat, capture, survival, and escape from a prison camp during the Vietnam War. However, its reach extends far beyond a typical historical novel about war. It contains hard-earned life wisdom and is written in such a way that the entire book feels lyrical, poetic, and profound. This quality is juxtaposed with well written prose that depicts the raw and horrible side of war.
Narrated in the first person by Buck, a school teacher who is drafted in late 1969, the story captures the emotions ranging from laughter (a few times) through fear, loss, grief, and redemption. Buck’s buddy Hues, a tri-racial soldier who was a street minister in Detroit, first meets Buck when Buck saves him during a bar fight in a backward and backwater bar near Fort Polk, Louisiana. They are deployed to Vietnam in nearby units near Phu Bai and occasionally serve together on missions. When they are shot down and captured, Hues carries the unconscious Buck until he can march on his own to the prison camp, thereby returning a favor and saving Buck’s life. They survive the beatings and hard labor by sharing their histories, their hopes, and their dreams, focusing on the good memories and sustained by Hues’s faith.
Throughout the book, Berger punctuates the text with original contemporary psalms that Hues creates for every occasion. When they escape the camp, Hues’s life force and spiritual connection keep Buck moving toward freedom, step by painful step.
Review by Betsy Beard (January 2025)
Author's Synopsis
How much can the human spirit endure? Buck, a Caucasian teacher, and Hues, a multiracial street preacher, form an unlikely friendship after meeting in a bar fight near their Army training base in 1969. When their helicopter crashes later in Vietnam, they’re captured by Viet Cong soldiers, and marched to a brutal prison camp.
Each day begins with the ominous question: how can they survive another day? They discover the gift of good memories and find great hope in Hues’s incredible life spirit which lights their darkest days.
Fourteen months after their capture, Hues damages his ankle so severely he can’t walk. With death closer than ever, they escape and begin a harrowing journey through dense jungle filled with predators. Buck vows to carry Hues every step until they reach safety, but can they possibly make it? Their brotherly love drives them onward.
Format(s) for review: Paper & Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 256
Word Count: 83,000