Vietnam Redux: For Some the Vietnam War Never Ended

Cohen, H. (2015). Vietnam Redux: For Some the Vietnam War Never Ended. Bookbaby.

Adult / Military / Historical & Realistic Fiction

I gave this book 4* of 5 stars

In Vietnam Redux: For Some the Vietnam War Never Ended, author Howard B. Cohen has written an historical and contemporary military fiction story that takes readers back and forth between the Vietnam War and the war that continues today between the Vietnamese and its indigenous Montagnards, allies to American soldiers in the Vietnam War. 

Politician George Darnell brings together former Special Forces buddies Benny Friedman and Frank Stone -- both retired, wealthy, single, and pushing seventy -- and proposes a plan that Benny and Frank can't resist. Darnell, a lobbyist and advocate for the Montagnards and safe emigration for them, has received information that indicates that the Montagnards are planning a violent revolt, which could compromise any progress Darnell has made on their behalf. He asks Benny and Frank, posing as old Vets touring the country, to go on a fact-finding mission within the Montagnard community and to dissuade them from any violence. With the aid of Nyugen Thi Anh, a Vietnamese woman and Montagnard sympathizer, what Benny and Frank discover is that the Montagnards have an unfathomable problem: a plot by the Vietnamese Environmental Adjustment Agency, run by the vengeful Tran van Throng, to carry out the genocide of the Montagnards. Benny, Frank, and Anh join Dan Carter, leader of the Montagnard resistance, as they set-out to destroy the death camps and document the atrocities for all the world to see.  Through flashbacks to the war, readers learn many of the characters' backgrounds -- full of heartbreak, horror, and heroics -- which molded each of them into the people they are today.  Benny and Frank, compelled by their history with the Montagnards, find themselves going back into the jungles of Vietnam to fight to save their former allies.

What is impressive about Vietnam Redux is how author Cohen must have done meticulous research in order to provide such a factual account of the Montagnards and the role they played vis-a-vis the US Special Forces during the Vietnam War. Additionally, he has pulled current events straight from the headlines, where we see as recently as early March, 2015, there were reports of several dozen Montagnards hiding in Cambodia, hoping to seek refugee status for alleged political and religious persecution in their homeland, who were sent back to Vietnam. The reports indicate that some Montagnards have disappeared and there is suspicion of Vietnamese interrogations and torture.  Cohen's story, given the current climate in Vietnam and with the United Nations, is completely feasible. Military enthusiasts will appreciate the level of detail in describing weaponry, war tactics, and engagements, which are graphic and violent and realistic. It's war, after all, but this war has an entirely new rule book, where the lines are blurry between right and wrong, good and bad. The transitions between past and present were smooth and the characters were well defined. Through the last quarter of the book, the tension builds steadily, resulting in readers rapidly turning pages to get to the conclusion.  

*A note about the writing: readers who are bothered by writing errors will be frustrated by this book. The book is in desperate need of a thorough, professional editing. Normally, I do not recommend books that are in need of substantial editing, but Vietnam Redux is an exception. 

This book was reviewed for Readers' Favorite, which provided me an eBook copy in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give.

Scarlet

Meyer, M. (2013). Scarlet. NY: Feiwel and Friends.

ARC received in contest I won, but I don't know who sponsored because the package had no return information to help me out. EEK!

YA Dystopian / SciFi / Fantasy
Book Two of The Lunar Chronicles

452 pages, ages 13-17
I gave this 5 out of 5 stars on GoodReads

Scarlet smoothly begins where Cinder finished, but this time with a fairy tell parallel to Little Red Riding Hood. My one word for Scarlet? MAAAAHHHVELOUS! This book rocked, and I am eagerly anticipating the next installment, Cress (a Rapunzel tale), to be released in 2014.  As a matter of fact, I would almost recommend waiting to anyone who hasn't started the series, as this is the kind of series you just want to devour one after another. 

In this installment of The Lunar Chronicles,  Cinder's story continues to unfold, but we are introduced to new character Scarlet.  The story is told from alternating points of view between Cinder, Scarlet, and now Emperor Kai.  Though this has potential for disaster, Meyer transitions between the stories smoothly and it really works well -- there may be two or three chapters about Scarlet and just when you don't know if you can handle any more twists or turns, Cinder will take over and build-up the reader in an entirely different direction -- and next a quick chime-in from Kai to see his turmoil in dealing with his conflicting feelings over Cinder, his country's welfare, and to remind us of the purely evil Lunar Queen Levana. Boo! Hiss! She is bad, bad, bad to the bone. HATE HER and just hope that when the series finishes, she goes down memorably.   What's truly remarkable is that Meyer manages to weave the seemingly independent stories of Cinder and Scarlet together in a believable way -- super snaps to her for doing that very well.

Where Cinder was smart but subtle in her debut novel, Scarlet is smart and IN YOUR FACE in hers.  Scarlet knows what she wants and goes after it, kicking-butt and taking names to anyone in her path. It was great fun getting to know Scarlet, but I am not sure what purpose she'll serve from here, though revenge must weigh heavily.  Happily, Cinder also has become a little more kick-butt/in-your-face and also stays singularly focused, doing whatever it takes to get what she needs.  We see some good growth and soul searching from Cinder, which results in setting the stage nicely for the next book.

Two new characters are introduced in Scarlet.  The first is Wolf, who is clearly big and bad. Err, maybe he's big and good. Wait! Maybe he's just pretending to be good! Yes, that's it! Or vice-versa! Wolf brings terror and tenderness and violence and romance to the stage. Love him. . . or loathe him. Not sure yet.  The second is "Captain" Carswell Thorne, who is clearly a womanizing con man.  Err, maybe just a con. Hmm. Maybe more like an opportunist.  In any case, he's excellent snarky, comic relief for the very serious Cinder.
(Side note:  The story of Scarlet's grand-mere could be a whole book in itself! I would love to see Meyer write a little ".5" about her!  COOL lady.)

I am so happy that the ending was such that we could have resolutions to a few things, breathe a little, and get geared up for Cress. Yes, of course there are plenty of loose ends, but they are not left for us in a frustrating way.  This was one action-packed roller coaster ride!

I give this book a 7 out of 10 on the Clean-O-Meter scale.  There is no vulgar language and no sex, though there's a little kissing and there is one pretty steamy kiss. The only other sexual reference was to androids who are escorts, and one scene where there's very mildly implied sexual domination when an escort droid is dragging a man, chained behind it. There are scenes of drinking and smoking, but it's not done by teens.  The book is pretty violent with bloody, illegal fights, a battle to the death between two Lunar creatures, torture (and some subsequent deaths) of prisoners, and most notably, the very bloody, savage attacks of Lunar creatures on Earthens. These creatures and scenes could be pretty haunting to the immature reader.
 
Here's Entertainment Weekly's trailer, but I don't think it does the book justice.  As always, I don't picture the main characters like they are portrayed.  Enjoy!

Monsters of Men

Ness, P. (2010). Monsters of Men.  NY: Candlewick Press

YA Lit / Dystopian, Post-Apocolyptic

Publishers Weekly's Best Children's Books of the Year for Fiction (2010); Carnegie Medal in Literature (2011)

I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads

This was a spectacular trilogy, and if I could do half stars, I would have given just this book 4.5 out of 5. The story and ideas and format remain original, and this third installment of Chaos Walking is a real roller coaster ride.  It gets very intense, then the intensity seems to resolve itself, and just when you’re feeling calm, you’re thrown for a loop again.  It’s like slowing to the end of the ride, when your heart stops racing and you’re beginning to recover and suddenly, you are jerked forward and going through the whole ride again.

In Monsters of Men, a third narrator voice is added, and I honestly didn’t like it.  (reason one for the 4.5) I found myself just skimming through every time this narrator came up.  I don’t think Ness could have eliminated this voice because the perspective is critical, but it just kind of bored me the way it was written.  It was probably a good thing to have that happening every so often because the rest of the book was so emotionally exhausting.  

As with the other books, there were plenty of surprises and unexpected twists – and lots of death and gore, as would be expected in battle.  Mayor Prentiss is extremely interesting in this installment. . . I just love to hate that guy.  Mistress Coyle is another character who gets even more interesting and does something very shocking and unexpected.  Actually, the Mayor does too, but I didn’t find his action as believable as Mistress Coyle’s.  Ahhh, it’s so hard to talk about this book without revealing anything. 

The second reason I made this book less than 5 out of 5 stars is the ending.  It seemed to me that perhaps the ending was done so that there would be the option of a continuation or spin-off of the series. That makes me crazy. Perhaps Ness left it the way he did so the reader could decide what happened, but I don’t like that angle.  I want a conclusion, firm and clear and it seems like most of the time, books with loose endings end up getting more sequels, and they are usually inferior.  A major character dies in Monsters of Men, and I can’t see how the series could be any good without that character in it.

As with the other two books, the Clean-O-Meter rating stays at a 3.0 – 3.5 out of 5 on the scale. It’s violent -- but it’s about war and could be way more graphic and doesn’t go there -- but there is only “substitute” swearing (for example, “effing” in lieu of the full F Bomb) and there is no sex, sexual situations, or sexual references.  It gets closer this time – there is GASP a kiss and people imagining being GASP naked with others.  (Clean-O-Meter Ratings: 1 – naughty, naughty. . . . . .5 – squeaky clean)

The trilogy’s curse is its length (over 1600 pages for the three books), and I’m afraid that will turn-off many a reader.  But if you start it, you WILL finish. 

The Ask and the Answer

Ness, P. (2009). The Ask and the Answer.
YA Lit / Dystopian, Post-Apocolyptic

I gave this 5 out of 5 Stars on Goodreads

Well I just burned through this and now into Book 3, Monsters of Men.  This should be one giant book because there really is not natural breaking point between where The Knife of Letting Go finished, this one, and the next.

Another page turner with some very interesting pieces of information coming to light.  Viola, our female lead from book one, really becomes formidable and the readers see her much more clearly.  Todd is much more tormented than in the first book (both physically and mentally), and for good reason. And the Mayor. . .boooo, hisssss. He is one evil dude and honestly, I kept turning pages to see what he was going to do next and if he'd keep getting away with his dastardly deeds.  Old characters are more defined, and new characters are introduced - good and bad - and some you can't ever figure out!

I haven't read all books in a series, back-to-back, since The Hunger Games came out some years ago.  This series has my attention for all 1600+ pages.

On the Clean-O-Meter rating, this is a 3 out of 5.  As with Book One, The Knife of Letting Go, Ness's writing style gives you the impact of swear words without the offense. In Book Two, the violence is more intense and the descriptions are pretty graphic, so that's where some younger kids might be in uncomfortable territory. (This moved my rating from a 3.5 on Book One.)There is no sex or sexual situations or even sexual references. (1- naughty, naughty ------- 5 - squeaky clean)

Boys will still enjoy this book even though Viola takes on a more prominent and powerful role.  It's war in all its awful gore and glory.

Here's a video of the author, Patrick Ness, reading an excerpt from The Ask and the Answer. Enjoy!

This Is Not A Drill

McDowell, B. (2012). This is not a drill. NY: Penguin.

YA Fiction / Realistic Fiction

QuickNEasy, 224 pages, ages 12+

I gave this 4 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, but I probably would give it more like 4 1/2 if I could.  I had an advance/uncorrected galley copy (thank you Penguin, for being at the TLA Conference!), so it's possible some of what held me back from giving it a 5 will be corrected when the book is released in October.

Unfortunately, the book is no longer fiction but realistic fiction given the world we live in and the number of school shooting incidents. It is a good story and shares a perspective that we don't often see or hear about: the thoughts and feelings of the shooter, told by the shooter in the midst of the crisis. The book is not a good example of what anyone should do in this situation (attempting psychology and heroics with someone who holds a gun), but it made the story interesting and gave us more insight into the Emery and Jake, the two teenagers.

Though the book has a romance angle, it's really background. I think boys would enjoy reading this as much as (maybe moreso?) than girls. The story is told alternating chapters between a high school senior girl and a high school senior boy. This was a good way to present the story, but this is also part of why I scaled my rating back from a 5 star.  You get the same events replayed twice - once told by Emery and once told by Jake. This got tedious for me and even though they were seeing things differently, there was still a lot of repetition.

The book says this is for ages 12 and up / 7th grade and up, and it's actually written at that level. Pretty basic writing; however, the language is pretty raw at parts, including very realistic, intense descriptions of war, death, and an F-bomb thrown-in. Realistic, given the character of the shooter, but maybe a little much for some 7th graders.

Eve

Carey, A. (2011). Eve. NY: Harper Collins
YA Fiction / Dystopian

I must start by addressing the cover.  Again, the female from the back, with beautiful flowing locks cascading down her back and something indistinct in the distance. Bleh.  Can't we start getting a little more creative, here?  This is about the zillionth book I've seen with this type of cover.  At a minimum, her hair should be all nasty and tangly and her clothes ripped and gross -- at least to be in keeping with the story.

The story. . .  as usual, I liked the premise because for the most part, I like the dystopian setting.  The world's a wreck (or is it just the USA?) and the people are rebuilding.  The survivors have lost their smart genes and follow leaders who want to tell them what to do, where to do it, and how often, with zero tolerance and death to those who defy the government. The few rebels don't roll that way.

I like the mind games and psychology that is used on the females in the society, and it did cause me to pause and think how gullible we are to blindly believing the people who lead us, especially in times of desperation.

In Eve, everything moves very quickly and in order to enjoy the story, the reader is required to frequently suspend the disbelief or allow for numerous not-too-realistic stretches.  I don't particularly like Eve. For being so smart and creative and the finest female specimen in all the kingdom, she does some pretty stupid things.  And there doesn't seem to be much remorse for the wake of death and destruction she leaves behind her.

It was an entertaining read and though the ending was good, it didn't seem overly plausible either.  I generally don't tell details of the stories, but I must here, so be warned:
***SPOILER ALERT***SPOILER ALERT***SPOILER ALERT******SPOILER ALERT***SPOILER ALERT******SPOILER 
Are we really supposed to believe that these two young adults, so deeply in love, are going to just wave good-bye to each other? That Eve will just watch Caleb gimp slowly down the hill and into the mist? That there's not even going to be a hug or kiss or promise? That Eve wouldn't go inside and at least bring him back a glass of stinkin' water?? Ugh, the drama just didn't work here for me. ***END SPOILER***END ***END SPOILER ***END SPOILER******END SPOILER***END SPOILER***END***

Here's a trailer from HarperTeen. (again, the gorgeous hair. yeah, I'm just jealous.)


This is part of a planned trilogy, with book two, Once, already released.Will give the nine chapters a shot and then decide if I'll continue.

SAMPLE THE FIRST 9 CHAPTERS OF THE SEQUEL, ONCE, BY CLICKING HERE.

Wow, what an original cover. Siigh.

UPDATE 9/18/12: Gotta say -- I just read the first 9 chapters of Once,  and I'm going to read the whole thing.  Eve's already being stupid, but I'm sucked-in to the story and want to know what happens.

Insurgent

Roth, V. (2012). Insurgent. NY: Katherine Tegen Books.
YA Fiction / Dystopian
ALA Best Fiction for Young Adult Readers,

I was able to snag this Advance Release Copy at the TLA Conference in April, and YES, I got it signed and below is a picture of me with the author, Veronica Roth, signing my book. YESSSSSS again!  As I waited in line to be one of the first to get this yet-to-be-published sequel to the most awesome Divergent, I wondered what it must be like to be Ms. Roth. At the tender age of 23, she's set for life and can look out amongst the middle-aged people like me, who jockeyed for a place in line, and think, "Dang, I hope I never have to sink to that level."

So the book. . .  you know I'm not really into spoilers, but man, could I spoil this one for everyone.  I will say that divergence (what it is to be Divergent) is more fully explored and explained, and that makes for some interesting twists and turns in the story.  Tris is really dealing with the implications and emotional destruction of what she did in the first book, and at times I got impatient with that. Deal with it! Talk to someone! Work through it already!  I really thought the book started off a bit slow, but it may have just been my impatience at getting the story rolling so I could find out where it was all going.  I dunno.  It was worth wading through the slowness to get to the meat of the story. Talk about conspiracies and confusion and the shaking up of everything that had been accepted as truth in their society. Good is not necessarily good, bad might be good, evil may not be in the form it seems. And trust is not easily given or received.

******WARNING: JUST A LITTLE SPOILER ABOUT TRIS & FOUR******
I was happy that this didn't turn into a cheesy romance between Tris and Four, and truly I was surprised that their relationship was survived in spite of the hardships and the psychological scars they both have.  At times, they both displayed very real teenager-ish behavior, which can be the kiss of death. But they continued to be drawn back together and were really pretty patient with each other, considering how messed-up they each are.  I was very glad that the romance aspect was not the focus and did not take away from the story.

****YOU MAY NOW SAFELY RETURN TO THE NON-SPOILER PART OF THE SHOW****
For the careful reader, there are plenty of hints and a bit of foreshadowing about where the book ends.  I was not totally surprised by the ending -- maybe a bit by the specifics of it -- but I thought it was great because Roth hasn't boxed herself in.  There are many directions she could go with it.


And here's a cool little trailer about it. . .

Between Shades of Gray

Sepetys, R. (2011). Between Shades of Gray. NY: Philomel.
YA / Historical Fiction
 UPDATE: I created a thirty-second trailer for this book for day 20 of the Holiday Break Reading Challenge. Check it out!

This book is amazing and tells about a period in history that was unfamiliar to me - Stalin, and his Reign of Terror.  Before I even discuss my thoughts, I encourage anyone to view this trailer/book talk by the author.  It's eleven minutes, but it's well worth the time. (you can also go to the Official Book Website for more information)

   

I was absolutely swallowed-up in this very real story and couldn't put it down.  The style of incorporating flashbacks of her good, normal life as fifteen-year-old Lina is dragged through the atrocities of Stalin's army was a powerful tool to remind readers of the contrast, cruelty, and unfairness to the Lithuanians (Estonians, Latvians, and Finns). My heart ached for these people, and I had to remind myself that the story wasn't really fiction.  Humans had to endure this treatment in the not so distant past.  Even after they were released, those few who survived the injustices weren't able to live freely in their homes or have their lives back.  As recently as the '90s, they still lived in fear.

This is such a powerful story and every bit as important as knowing the story of Anne Frank and Hitler's attempts at genocide.  Stalin was an equal monster.

Sunrise Over Fallujah

Myers, W.D. (2008). Sunrise Over Fallujah. NY: Scholastic Press.
LS5385: YA Lit/Realistic Fiction

First, interesting observation.  This one does not have multiple covers as far as I can tell.

And the hits keep coming. In my YA Lit class, I have now read eight books and there has only been one I disliked. (see Jumped blog)

With us on the cusp of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, this book was especially apropos to me.  It took me back to the time just after the attacks when our troops were desperately searching for Suddam Hussein and the weapons of mass destruction.
Thankfully, this book didn't focus on the atrocities of war in an overly descriptive way. By that, I mean that the death and the killing and the violence were not described in graphic detail.  They just didn't need to be.
Instead, it focused on one young man's emotional battle with dealing with war and the bigger meaning behind what he was doing and what he was seeing.  He struggled seeing people die - both the "bad guys" and his own fellow soldiers - but he also struggled with how he began to numb to the death.  And he struggled with God's presence and/or absence in it all.
It was very thought provoking and I especially liked that for the young reader, it was giving a realistic view of what it's like in war.  It's not dressing-up and drilling and practicing on targets.  There was a very real face to war, and it often the face of children and poverty and heartbreak - not just "the bad guys."