I’m deeply indebted to the following authors, without whom it would have been impossible to write my novel. In particular, the work of Gavan Daws, Richard Rhodes, Donald Knox, Hampton Sides, Dorothy Cave, Sydney Sheldon, and Matsui Ibuse proved invaluable.

And though his work does not appear here, special thanks is owed MSG Jeronimo “Rick” Padilla, curator of the Bataan Memorial Military Museum and Library, who provided much information and advice, in addition to being deeply generous with his time. Thank you, Rick. I encourage anyone interested in the subject of the Bataan Death March to visit the museum and Rick at 1050 Old Pecos Trail in Santa Fe, New Mexico (and don’t forget to make a donation).

Trinity and Beyond: The Atomic Bomb Movie by Peter Kuran

A New Mexico Story by Aaron Wilson

The Bataan Memorial Military Museum and Library, Santa Fe, NM White Sands Missile Range Museum

White Sands Missile Range Public Affairs Office White Sands Missile Range Trinity Site Index

This book is dedicated to my lovely parents, Robert and Rebecca Parsons.

First and foremost, I owe a great debt to my grandfather, H. McIlvaine Parsons, for his support and encouragement, and to Robert Boswell and Antonya Nelson, who are as dear as family and a good deal more permissive than my blood relatives.

Books are largely collaborative and In the Shadows of the Sun is no exception. In fact, I didn’t write a word of it! Okay, maybe I scrawled a few of them. I can’t thank my agent, Kim Witherspoon, enough for her patience, criticism, and general excellence, and the same holds true for the others in her office, particularly Eleanor Jackson. I’m also deeply grateful to Nan Talese and to Coates Bateman, a.k.a. El Jefe, a.k.a. Señor Tormenta, a.k.a. my editor, for taking this book on and helping me through a series of thoughtful revisions. He gets credit for the good parts.

Thanks are also due a great number of dear friends and a few organizations. Rather than cram them together in a massive block paragraph, I’ll run the risk of assigning them their own rock-band-on-tour taxonomy.

Accompaniment (gong, kazoo, mouth harp, etc.): John Flaxbone Greenman, Henry Shukman, Greg Hammond, Mike Yang, Oliver Wright, Kathleen Lee, Tony Hoagland, Mc McIlvoy, Don Kurtz, and Devin Corbin.

Roadies: Bruce Peabody, Adam Rappaport, Dan Finkelstein, Jon Karp, Mark Jude Poirier, Thom Jones, Heather Armstrong, Marilyn Robinson, Sean Desmond, and Lorelei Ortiz.

Back-up Vocals: Brett Ellen Block, Aimee Blanchard, Ellen Shurman, Cameron Dougan, Charlotte Bacon, Leslie Vinjamuri-Wright, Ryan VanWhye, Johnny Mac, Lucia Marks, and Eric Gemmen.

New Mexico Road Crew: Pat Withers, Helen Wilson, Johnson Stearns, Patty Burris Brady, Tom Nelson, Bob Evelyth, Carmella Padilla, Mary Sweitzer, Robert Bluestone, and John, Merry, and Tom Schroeder.

Sponsors:
The Bataan Memorial Military Museum and Library
The Writers’ League of Texas
The Associated Writing Programs
National Endowment for the Arts
The Institute for Humane Studies and their frontman, Paul Feine
The University of New Hampshire
The New Mexico State University Archives & Special Collections
The New Mexico State University Department of English
New Mexico Commission of Public Records State Records Center and Archives
Jim Eckles and the White Sands Missile Range Public Affairs Office, U.S. Army
Bureau of Land Management

I’m particularly grateful to New Mexico State University, The Writers’ League of Texas, and The Institute for Humane Studies for their long-standing support.

Finally, the book would never have been written were it not for the veterans of World War II, especially those who served in the Pacific Theatre of War, among them the men of the New Mexico Brigade—the 200th Coast Artillery Regiment and the 515th Coast Artillery Regiment. May their bravery and sacrifice—and that of their families—never be forgotten.