Patty CampbellCríticas

Twenty diverse pieces of fiction and nonfiction- essays, stories, interviews, a blog—by authors including Mark Twain, a Nagasaki survivor, a soldier in Iraq—that wrestle with the complexities of war. Bibliography.

Outstanding anthology!

The realities of war are something that are difficult for those who are at home to understand. Using a variety of different points of view, the reasons for and thoughts about what war is and why it happens are addressed. The moral questions along with the practical and philosophical are addressed, but like many things are are few clear answers. Selected passages from this book could be really useful in a variety of high school level socials studies classes.

Marc Aronson and Patty Campbell have selected firsthand accounts and letters and interviews that bring to life the stark realities of war. The end result neither glamorizes nor belittles the work of the men and women (often teenagers) who serve our country and couldn’t be more timely.

A few of the selections in this book really stood out to me. Having never considered the armed forces as a possible future for myself, I found that the “Letter to a Young Enlistee” by Christian Bauman really brought this decision making process into perspective. “In the Front Lines” by Ernie Pyle is a collection of a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist’s articles from the heart of the action in World War II and served as a powerful reminder of the many sacrifices made by my grandfather’s generation. C. W. Bowman Jr.’s “Memories of Vietnam” were written decades after he returned from fighting. Offering the wisdom that comes with hindsight, his tales of being under siege and running tunnels brought the conflict in Vietnam more to life for me in a few pages than many of the movies I’ve seen on the war.

For a look at the more recent conflict in Iraq, I highly recommend “Women at War: What It Is Like to Be a Female Soldier in Iraq,” a series of profiles of women soldiers who are a growing part of the military; “Wordsmiths at War,” a trio of insightful blog entries by a soldier; and “Killing Flies” a one-act play by Rita Williams-Garcia about the challenges of returning home after war.

http://tatalonline.blogspot.com/2011/04/arlington-reads-2011-war-is.html

4Q, 4P
"...if we ask people to fight for us - as we always have an always will - we owe them the respect of listening to them. We have to honor their experience by paying attention to it, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us." p 9 (Marc Aronson, What I Believe About War)

If you know who Patty Campbell is with the big sign imprinted in her forehead: YA Literature, then you will appreciate her own selection of the best of her writings and essays both to read and to treasure. And, if you are just getting acquainted with the YA genre and Patty is not a household name in your personal learning community, then you need to read her sage, activist, and bold ideas on the issues presented here that cross the explosion of YA literature in the last several decades. Provocative.

This is an intriguing compilation of essays, fiction, non-fiction, and observations about war--its nature, the consequences of choices which are made both before and after, and well worth the time to read.½

Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com

I realized that I actually read this book on Peace Day. It left me anything but peaceful. I'm angry about a number of things shared in the stories included in this book.

First of all, I'll mention the introductions written by the book's editors, Marc Aronson and Patty Campbell. They are worth reading even if you don't read the rest of the book. Their ideas about war differ, but those ideas led both to create this collection of war stories - and a powerful collection it is.

The book includes accounts from soldiers, reporters, and civilian survivors. There are stories from past wars and current wars, and all the horrific wars in between. Some stories tell gruesome tales; others find some shred of hope. Whatever the storyteller chooses to share, it reveals the truth and will touch the emotions of all who read it.

My anger flared most when I read of the current war, and how we don't seem to have learned anything from the past. As an educator, I was shocked to learn that the military and the signing of young volunteers is actually a part of the NCLB (No Child Left Behind) Bill. The law states that the military must have the same access to secondary students as post-secondary educational institutions or prospective employers. "The law also requires high schools to provide the military access to students' names, addresses, and telephone numbers -- unless a parent or student contacts the school to deny permission to release this information."

Included in this article is the suggestion that all high school seniors should be given access and help in reading the military recruitment contract. Basically, the military makes hollow, meaningless promises within that contract. Our young people sign up thinking they are agreeing to 4-to-8 years of service with a variety of monetary benefits, and the whole thing has been proven to be completely meaningless.

Other things that raised my hackles were the accounts of how unappreciated our veterans feel, the harassment suffered by women in the military, and the horrific expectations we place on innocent young people only just out of high school. The emotional and physical scars are something no human should have to endure.

Aronson and Campbell have compiled this collection to speak to a YA audience, but this is a book everyone should read. It needs to be in every public library, high school library, college library, and perhaps in every waiting room and lobby around the country. Just picking up this book and randomly choosing and reading a selection will have an impact on any American.

Well-written...but a tough read. A good variety of writings were included, from past and present armed conflicts.