In Country
In the summer of 1984, the war in Vietnam came home to Sam Hughes, whosefather was killed there before she was born. The soldier-boy in the picture never changed. In a way that made him dependable. But he seemed so innocent. "Astronauts have been to the moon," she blurted out to the picture. "You...
show more
In the summer of 1984, the war in Vietnam came home to Sam Hughes, whosefather was killed there before she was born. The soldier-boy in the picture never changed. In a way that made him dependable. But he seemed so innocent. "Astronauts have been to the moon," she blurted out to the picture. "You missed Watergate. I was in the second grade."She stared at the picture, squinting her eyes, as if she expected it to cometo life. But Dwayne had died with his secrets. Emmett was walking around with his. Anyone who survived Vietnam seemed to regard it as something personal andembarrassing. Granddad had said they were embarrassed that they were still alive. "I guess you're not embarrassed," she said to the picture.This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.
show less
Format: paperback
ISBN:
9780060835170 (0060835176)
ASIN: 60835176
Publish date: August 2nd 2005
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Pages no: 272
Edition language: English
Category:
Young Adult,
Novels,
Academic,
School,
Literature,
Book Club,
American,
Historical Fiction,
War,
Coming Of Age,
Contemporary,
Southern
This is only the second book I've ever read about Vietnam and I like how different it was from the other one (Rumor of War). I appreciated the pop culture references and I disagree with the critics who think they are worthless.
This book takes on the Vietnam War after the fact. It focuses on the daughter of a vet who died and her relationship with her uncle, the brother-in-law of the dead vet. Much of the references are dated, but this does a good job of showing how war impacts us many years after the events are over.