In the spirit of Hacksaw Ridge, Flags of Our Fathers and Pearl Harbor... Realistic • Gritty • Gutsy
INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS
In the spirit of The Thin Red Line, Hacksaw Ridge, Flags of our Fathers and Pearl Harbor.
Realistic. Gritty. Gutsy. Without taking it too far, Craig and Pura take it far enough to bring war home to your heart, mind, and soul. The rough edge of combat is here. And the rough edge of language, human passion, and our flawed humanity. If you can handle the ruggedness and honesty of Saving Private Ryan, 1917 or Dunkirk, you can handle the power and authenticity of ISLANDS: Far on the Ringing Plains.
For the beauty and the honor is here too. Just like the Bible, in all its roughness and realism and truthfulness about life, reaching out for God is ever-present in ISLANDS. So are hope and faith and self-sacrifice. Prayer. Christ. Courage. An indomitable spirit. And the best of human nature, triumphing over the worst.
Bud Parmalee, Johnny Strange, Billy Martens—three men that had each other’s backs and the backs of every Marine in their company and platoon. All three were raised never to fight. All three saw no other choice but to enlist and try to make a difference. All three would never be the same again. Never. And neither would their world.
This is their story.
A NEW BOOK BY MURRAY PURA AND PATRICK E. CRAIG
Three men of the Mennonite faith: Two who swore to save their country and another who swore to save lives—facing the horrors of war on tropical islands in the Pacific, dealing with demands upon their courage unimaginable back home, never forgetting those they loved, never forgetting their duty, never forgetting they had each other’s backs, never forgetting the meaning of sacrifice—never forgetting that love was still possible in a world torn by conflict and suffering, that men and women who had feelings for each other could always find one another again, that the possibility of true love between a man and a woman was one of the reasons they faced death every day.
Murray Andrew Pura was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, and has traveled extensively throughout Canada, the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. Ordained as a Baptist minister in 1986, Pura has served five churches in Canada and headlined numerous speaking engagements in Canada and the United States. He has five books published, was a contributor to the Life With God Bible, has been a finalist for The Paraclete Fiction Award, The Dartmouth Book Award, and The John Spencer Hill Literary Award, and has been shortlisted for the prestigious 2010 Kobzar Literary Award of Canada.
Patrick E. C
raig, a lifelong writer and musician, left a career in the music industry to concentrate on writing fiction and non-fiction books. In 2011 he signed a three-book deal with Harvest House Publishers to publish his Apple Creek Dreams series. Harlequin recently purchased the print rights for his new novel, The Amish Heiress. Patrick and his wife, Judy, make their home in Idaho. They have two married children and five grandchildren. Patrick is represented by the Steve Laube Agency.