Despite some shortcomings, a riveting, realistic tale of Navy seamen and their pride in their ship.
A Vietnam-era naval thriller pits a destroyer’s crew against a scheming admiral.
In 1971, the USS Farnley is an aging World War II Navy destroyer stationed in the Mediterranean. Unbeknownst to its captain and its crew, it is part of Operation Marathon, in which it is subjected to wartime deprivation conditions in order to assess its functionality during a nuclear war. The operation is intended to prove that the U.S. needs a brand-new generation of high-tech ships. It is the brainchild of Adm. Eickhoff, who is manipulating the results since he stands to be promoted and put in change of this new navy. He has made sure that the Farnley has an inadequate captain, Javert, an inexperienced crew and virtually no supplies. After two years, the ship is a wreck, and the frustrated crew is demoralized. But Lt. Lee, a new engineering officer, inspires the crew to regain pride in their ship. Skirting the rules, Lee finds mechanical parts and injects new spirit into the men. Eickhoff, however, finds out and moves to correct the situation. Meanwhile, suspecting that something is amiss, the Navy brass sends an officer to investigate. Skulduggery, fights, personality conflicts and a suicide ensue, culminating in a dramatic rescue at sea. Author Laswell served on a similar vessel in the 1970s, and it shows in his terrific book. Dialogue and action are vivid, and the machinations of the naval hierarchy are completely believable. Scenes aboard the ship are palpably real, especially the breathtakingly intense rescue scene, based on an actual event on the USS William M. Wood, on which Laswell served. Yet the book still needs some work. Interior monologues can be stilted, and too often, readers are simply told what to think. Eickhoff, Javert and others sometimes come off as one-dimensional, so better character development is needed as well. The first part of the book moves too fast, relegating two years of Operation Marathon to a few paragraphs; it’d be more compelling to use a chapter or two to show the ship’s gradual decay rather than to state the circumstances as a given. Still, with a strong editor, this book has serious potential.
Despite some shortcomings, a riveting, realistic tale of Navy seamen and their pride in their ship.Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-0615886435
Page Count: 252
Publisher: Outperform Expectations
Review Posted Online: July 3, 2014
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.
A fifth-grade New Orleans girl discovers a mysterious chrysalis containing an unexpected creature in this middle-grade novel.
Jacquelyn Marie Johnson, called Jackie, is a 10-year-old African-American girl, the second oldest and the only girl of six siblings. She’s responsible, smart, and enjoys being in charge; she likes “paper dolls and long division and imagining things she had never seen.” Normally, Jackie has no trouble obeying her strict but loving parents. But when her potted snapdragon acquires a peculiar egg or maybe a chrysalis (she dubs it a chrysalegg), Jackie’s strong desire to protect it runs up against her mother’s rule against plants in the house. Jackie doesn’t exactly mean to lie, but she tells her mother she needs to keep the snapdragon in her room for a science project and gets permission. Jackie draws the chrysalegg daily, waiting for something to happen as it gets larger. When the amazing creature inside breaks free, Jackie is more determined than ever to protect it, but this leads her further into secrets and lies. The results when her parents find out are painful, and resolving the problem will take courage, honesty, and trust. Dumas (Jaden Toussaint, the Greatest: Episode 5, 2017, etc.) presents a very likable character in Jackie. At 10, she’s young enough to enjoy playing with paper dolls but has a maturity that even older kids can lack. She’s resourceful, as when she wants to measure a red spot on the chrysalegg; lacking calipers, she fashions one from her hairpin. Jackie’s inward struggle about what to obey—her dearest wishes or the parents she loves—is one many readers will understand. The book complicates this question by making Jackie’s parents, especially her mother, strict (as one might expect to keep order in a large family) but undeniably loving and protective as well—it’s not just a question of outwitting clueless adults. Jackie’s feelings about the creature (tender and responsible but also more than a little obsessive) are similarly shaded rather than black-and-white. The ending suggests that an intriguing sequel is to come.
In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.Pub Date: Nov. 11, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943169-32-0
Page Count: 212
Publisher: Plum Street Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.
In the ninth book in the Bluford young-adult series, a young Latino man walks away from violence—but at great personal cost.
In a large Southern California city, 16-year-old Martin Luna hangs out on the fringes of gang life. He’s disaffected, fatherless and increasingly drawn into the orbit of the older, rougher Frankie. When a stray bullet kills Martin’s adored 8-year-old brother, Huero, Martin seems to be heading into a life of crime. But Martin’s mother, determined not to lose another son, moves him to another neighborhood—the fictional town of Bluford, where he attends the racially diverse Bluford High. At his new school, the still-grieving Martin quickly makes enemies and gets into trouble. But he also makes friends with a kind English teacher and catches the eye of Vicky, a smart, pretty and outgoing Bluford student. Martin’s first-person narration supplies much of the book’s power. His dialogue is plain, but realistic and believable, and the authors wisely avoid the temptation to lard his speech with dated and potentially embarrassing slang. The author draws a vivid and affecting picture of Martin’s pain and confusion, bringing a tight-lipped teenager to life. In fact, Martin’s character is so well drawn that when he realizes the truth about his friend Frankie, readers won’t feel as if they are watching an after-school special, but as though they are observing the natural progression of Martin’s personal growth. This short novel appears to be aimed at urban teens who don’t often see their neighborhoods portrayed in young-adult fiction, but its sophisticated characters and affecting story will likely have much wider appeal.
A YA novel that treats its subject and its readers with respect while delivering an engaging story.Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2004
ISBN: 978-1591940173
Page Count: 152
Publisher: Townsend Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 26, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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