Battle Fatigue

War has played an important role in Joel Bloom's life. He has grown up in the shadow of World War Two, spending his childhood playing it with his friends and as he gets older, he sees the affects that this war continues to have on his shell-shocked teacher and distant uncle, but he also begins to question the purpose of war and what his war will be. He wonders how hiding under a table will save him against a nuclear attack during the Cold War, is affected by the deaths of Martin Luther King, JFK, and Robert Kennedy, and his life is forever changed when America goes to war with a country he has never heard of and couldn't place on a globe. But this war, the Vietnam War, is to be the war he has been expecting and he has to decide what to do. Should he fight in a war he doesn't believe in and take the lives of others? Should he go to war and risk being killed himself? Should he go into hiding and risk going to prison? Could he be a Conscientious Objector? Could he make himself ill to avoid the draft, as a friend does? Could the birthday lottery save him? Or should he leave his family and country and emigrate to the safety of Canada? Kurlansky, with his simple but elegant writing style, engaging characters, and emotive plots, has created a provocative, insightful and compelling novel, which made me think long after finishing. The complexities of war for the different generations and the Catch-22 situations which Joel and his friends find themselves in are beautifully portrayed. As a historical novel, which gives a feeling of American life leading up to and during the Vietnam War, this is a story to recommend, but it also works for adding to general discussions on the ethics of war and how it feels for a person who finds themselves trapped in their country's hostile relationships.

Suggested Reading Age 11+