Book Review- Death Coming Up a Hill

So, I posted this book on my YA book blog earlier this week.  It's already listed and linked on the "2015 book challenge" on the side bar. You can read my review on my YA blog here: http://librarynut-booksforteens.blogspot.com/2015/03/death-coming-up-hill.html.

I wanted to take a few more minutes and explore the book a little more fully here.  My YA Blog is a separate identity.  It's a way of making people aware of the fantastic YA literature that's out there, but I try and keep my personal voice off of that blog as much as possible.  That blog is intended to have a more professional edge to it.  Sometimes, I put my own voice into the reviews, but I try not to.

This blog, however, is full of my own personality and voice. (Sorry about that!)  So, I want to spend a little time going a bit more in-depth with this book.

My father was a Vietnam War Veteran.  He was there from 1969-1970.  I was 4 years old when he left, and way too young to understand much of what was going on.  I had many friends who had fathers and brothers and sisters who went to Vietnam and never returned home.  I had friends whose fathers or brothers came home years after everyone else did (POW's) and they were never the same again.  Dad never spoke much about his year in Vietnam, but I do know that it changed him forever.  He was never the same person after.  My Dad passed away almost 10 years ago.  In an attempt to understand a side of him that I never really knew, I do read occasional literature about the Vietnam War in an attempt to understand that time period in American History in the context of my growing up years.

This book was set in 1968- the year of the highest U.S. casualties of the entire conflict.

In the author notes, Chris Crowe talks about his struggles writing the book.  He finally decided to write the book in Haiku.  You remember Haiku- 3 lines, with a total of 17 syllables.  The first line has 5 syllables, the second 7, and the third 5.  The verses do not need to rhyme, the metrical structure defines the poem.

In this haunting tale, the story of Ashe Douglas, a 17 year old high school student who is facing love, loss, and an uncertain future is told.

One last aside here:  the author decided to tell the tale in Haiku, remember?  17 syllables to a verse?  The number of syllables in the entire book matches the number of lives we lost in Vietnam in 1968.

The title of the book is taken from a letter written home by a service member who fought on Hamburger Hill- the deadliest battle of the entire conflict.

The tale is worth reading.  With our nation currently wrapped up in the "War on Terror", and the continuing actions we are in around the globe, it helps to be reminded of the very real human stories of each and every service member.  

Author's Web Site: http://www.chriscrowe.com/about-me.html