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SOLDIERS' FIELD

A NOVEL OF POSTWAR GERMANY

A unique view of an overlooked era in postwar Germany.

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In this memoirlike novel, 19-year-old David Streiber, a Jew, is shipped out on assignment to Germany in 1959, although he doesn’t know that the months spent in what was formerly enemy territory will teach him who he is as a man.

David considers himself lucky—he could have been sent to Korea to serve out his duty in a hut. He’s doubly lucky when he finagles his way into metropolitan Nuremberg, rather than the East German border. He’s conflicted upon arrival: He knows what the Germans did to his people in the recent war, but he thinks it’s unfair to blame the youth of that nation for what their parents did. Also, as much as he knows it would kill his mother, he’s a young man, and he’s eager to see what the frauleins are like. Still in his teens, he joined the Army because he found himself at a crossroads. Not long after his enlistment, though, he realized he wanted to go to college and get out of his working-class Coney Island neighborhood, so he’s determined to keep his nose clean and finish his military service as quickly as possible. His Jewish heritage fits prominently into the story, as it shapes his relationship with his Army peers, his supervisors, the women he commingles with along the way and the landsmen he meets at synagogue and on a trip to Israel. At times, the novel reads like a memoir or travelogue, but it’s not truly either. It is, however, a sharp look at what an enlistee in the peacetime Army might suffer in his last year of service. David, who narrates, is a smart, likable and fairly identifiable tour guide. As a Jewish kid, he knows what it’s like to be an outsider. He generally gets along with the white compatriots in his outfit, but he can also relate to the African-American soldiers—at least while they’re on base. The more time he spends off base, though, the more David defines himself by his unique, personal heritage. David’s is a quieter tale, not one full of adventure and battle. It’s rooted in reality, which can sometimes border on tedium. David’s interactions with women and with his Army compatriots often seem repetitive, and he rarely seems to learn from his experiences. And yet, although he’s not jumping into foxholes or performing acts of heroism, it’s enjoyable spending time with him. The strongest scenes follow David as he travels around the rest of 1950s Europe and Israel, allowing readers to experience these places through the eyes of a Jewish kid from Brooklyn.

A unique view of an overlooked era in postwar Germany.

Pub Date: April 19, 2012

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 633

Publisher: CreateSpace

Review Posted Online: Aug. 24, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2012

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JUPITER STORM

In more ways than one, a tale about young creatures testing their wings; a moving, entertaining winner.

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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

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BROTHERS IN ARMS

BLUFORD HIGH SERIES #9

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

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