“A Bright and Blinding Sun is a gripping book, storytelling at its best, with an enduring message. Not only has Marcus Brotherton brilliantly chronicled the life of one boy, but in doing so he has told the story of countless others. With impeccable research, he beautifully educates us to a time and place in history that needs to be remembered and acknowledged for the bravery and resilience of so many, under brutal circumstances. Unreservedly recommended.” (Heather Morris, number one internationally best-selling author of The Tattooist of Auschwitz)

“What Joe Johnson went through as a young man is heart-wrenching and fierce, yet his story needs to be told and remembered as an example of what deeply humane people encountered and overcame during World War II.” (Gary Sinise, actor, founder of the Gary Sinise Foundation)

“Marcus Brotherton has crafted a strong and respected canon of narrative nonfiction books. In particular, he writes beautifully and hauntingly about the paradoxes of war. Humanity and horror mix and mingle in the fray, but in the end good triumphs over evil. Joe Johnson’s story is truly a testament that every one of us can overcome the obstacles that we are dealt, and even thrive when the odds are against us.” (Sara Vladic, New York Times best-selling author of Indianapolis)