Reviews online

50 5***** reviews out of 61 (total) on Amazon (4.8 average):

They said it...

"An unforgettable saga of determination, strength, sacrifice, and love set against the background of unspeakable horrors during World War II in the Pacific Ocean Theater." — GILBERT KING, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning, Devil in the Grove

"A moving tribute...and a masterful account of PoW experiences in the Pacific." — THE LADY, UK (full review here)

"...a compelling story, with more than a few devastating twists." — HISTORY OF WAR, UK (full review here)

“Minter did a masterful job of research and writing, and what a story he had to tell. When I finished reading it I wanted to go out and find the ring. May another miracle return it to you. I recommend the book highly.” — BILL POLK, ex Headmaster of The Groton School (Groton MA) 1977-2003

"a tragic and remarkable tale... It’s a superb example of how committing to a story doesn’t just engage audiences, it changes the storyteller themselves." -- LINKEDIN SOPHISTICATED MARKETER, October 2018 (full review here)

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OTHER ENDORSEMENTS FOR THE BOOK:

  • "Here is an inspired feat of historical sleuthing that stretches across generations and continents. In this feelingly told account of the heroic life of a grandfather he never knew, Minter Dial reminds us that history, above all else, is personal.” — HAMPTON SIDES, bestselling author of Ghost Soldiers and In the Kingdom of Ice

    "Minter Dial has, with remarkable success, blended intimate family history with one of the more horrifying aspects of the Second World War. He vividly captures the unimaginable ordeal endured by his namesake grandfather, while successfully avoiding being sucked into emotional quagmire. The result is a stark presentation of the sufferings and hopes of a young man caught up in a manmade manifestation of Hell.” — CHARLES ALTHORP, Earl Spencer, Historian and Author of Killers of the King (Sunday Times Bestseller), Blenheim, Battle for Europe (Sunday Times Bestseller), Prince Rupert

  • "The legacy of the Americans who surrendered after the 1942 Battle of the Philippines can now add a new voice, this time from a namesake who never met his grandfather, aprisoner of the Japanese. Last Ring Home is poignant story of suffering and loss across the generations. What makes this story unique is the saga of about the discovery and existence of one U.S. Naval Academy ring which will leave readers thinking about the endurance of tenderness.” — MICHAEL NORMAN and ELIZABETH M NORMAN, authors of Tears in the Darkness: The Story of the Bataan Death March and Its Aftermath

    "Minter Dial spent decades piecing together the life of the grandfather he never knew, in a quest that plunged him deep into one of the darkest chapters of the Pacific War. The Last Ring Home is the unforgettable story he uncovered – a tale of bravery, brutality, and monumental suffering. With its haunting postscript, this book is a loving testimonial to the sacrifices of an entire generation.”  — JANNY SCOTT, author of A Singular Woman: The Untold Story of Barack Obama's Mother

  • Minter Dial had a fulfilling career in the Navy–Annapolis ’32, leading to command of a ship in the Pacific fleet, based in the Philippines, by the time he was 30. And at home, a loving wife and two beloved children. A lot to live for. By 33, he was dead, one of thousands of American servicemen who died atrociously as POWs of the Japanese. His grandson, named for him, has spent years of his own life tracking down facts and shaping them into Last Ring Home, a story of the human costs of war, life and death, love and loss. — GAVAN DAWS, author of Prisoners of the Japanese: POWs of World War Two in the Pacific
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