“Unbroken meets Band of Brothers—and then some.”
—Congressman Pete Sessions

During the Vietnam War, hundreds of American prisoners-of-war faced years of brutal conditions and horrific torture at the hands of North Vietnamese guards and interrogators who ruthlessly plied them for military intelligence and propaganda. Determined to maintain their Code of Conduct, the POWs developed a powerful underground resistance. To quash it, their captors singled out its eleven leaders, Vietnam’s own “dirty dozen,” and banished them to an isolated jail that would become known as Alcatraz. None would leave its solitary cells and interrogation rooms unscathed; one would never return.

“Inspirational.” —Kirkus Reviews
As these men suffered in Hanoi, their wives back at home launched an extraordinary campaign that would ultimately spark the POW/MIA movement. When the survivors of Alcatraz finally returned, one would go on to receive the Medal of Honor, another would become a U.S. Senator, and a third still serves in the U.S. Congress. A story of survival and triumph, courage and brotherhood, Defiant is a compelling work that no reader will soon forget.

“A riveting tribute to true American heroes.”—Senator John McCain, POW (1967-73)

ALVIN TOWNLEY is the acclaimed author of Legacy of Honor: The Values and Influence of America's Eagle Scouts, Spirit of Adventure: Eagle Scouts and the Making of America's Future, and Fly Navy: Discovering the Extraordinary People and Enduring Spirit of Naval Aviation. He lives in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia.

Prologue: A Dark Place
1. Black Sea and American Firepower
2. Welcome to the Hanoi Hilton
3. Dead or Alive?
4. I Submit
5. T-O- R-T- U-R- E
6. My Dearest Syb
7. Lord, I Just Need Your Help
8. I Love a Parade
9. Superman!
10. Your Adoring Husband
11. BACK US
12. A Snake You Can't Kill
13. A Helluva Story
14. The Bad Camp
15. To Tell the World
16. We Will Break You Now
17. Blackmail
18. The Captain of My Soul
19. GBU
20. Mayday!
21. O Say Can You See?
22. Peace Is at Hand
23. God Bless America