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Searching... Monmouth Public Library | YA Fic Mazer, H. 2012 | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
A soldier returns home from Iraq forever changed in this poignant and pivotal novel from award-winning authors-one a veteran.
Ben lives a charmed life--effortlessly landing the lead in the high school musical, dating the prettiest girl in school. When he decides to enlist in the army, no one thinks he'll be in real danger. But his decision has devastating consequences: His convoy gets caught in an explosion, and Ben ends up in a coma for two months. When he wakes up, he doesn't know where he is--or remember anything about his old life. His family and friends mourn what they see as a loss, but Ben perseveres. And as he triumphs, readers will relate to this timely novel that pairs the action and adventure of the best war stories with the emotional elements of struggle and transformation.
Author Notes
Harry Mazer was born on May 31, 1925 in New York City. During World War II, he served in the U.S. Army Air Force and received a Purple Heart and an Air Medal with four bronze oak leaf clusters. He received a B.A. from Union College in 1948 and a M.A. in education from Syracuse University in 1960. Before becoming a full-time writer, he was as a welder in a factory, a railroad brakeman and switchtender for New York Central, and an English teacher.
He has written more than 20 books for young readers including Please, Somebody Tell Me Who I Am; My Brother Abe; The Last Mission; The Boy at War trilogy; The Wild Kid; The Dog in the Freezer; The Island Keeper; and Snow Bound. He along with his wife, Norma Fox Mazer, received an ALAN award in 2003 for outstanding contribution to adolescent literature. He died on April 7, 2016 at the age of 90.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-When Ben Bright enlists in the army after graduation, his family and girlfriend are shocked, and his friend Niko berates himself for not trying to make him stay, even though he knows, "convincing Ben to do anything was like trying to talk the words off a street sign." His girlfriend, Ariela, who becomes his fiancee, takes the promise of his engagement ring seriously, but when he suffers a head injury from an I.E.D. explosion not long into his Iraq tour, her worry and guilt compound an already demanding freshman year at college. Meeting a kind guy at school makes Ariela feel less lonely, but further complicates her life. Niko provides stalwart support to the family now in crisis. Ben's younger, autistic brother, Chris, is also well drawn. His single-mindedness protects him from fully comprehending what's happened, but also makes him prone to violence when he gets upset. Chris's poems slowly provide him with a voice and a way to connect with his brother. While Ben struggles with putting the scattered pieces of his life back together, readers understand that even his less-appealing characteristics-his stubbornness, for instance-will be necessary for his recovery.-Georgia Christgau, Middle College High School, Long Island City, NY (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Mazer (Heroes Don't Run) and Lerangis (wtf) use strong characters and storytelling to explore the slow and painful recovery of an injured teenage soldier. High school senior Ben has great grades and a potentially bright future in the arts, so his friends, family, and girlfriend are all surprised when he enlists in the military. And they are horrified when he is quickly deployed to Iraq, where he receives a head injury and suffers brain damage in the line of duty. The story is divided into Before, During, and After sections; Mazer and Larangis shift their focus among the prominent people in Ben's life, including his autistic brother, Chris; his best friend, Niko; and his fiance, Ariela. The authors carefully demonstrate the effect the tragedy has on everyone involved, particularly Ariela's attempts to maintain a social life in college, while vividly bringing Ben's struggles to life. (One chapter simply shows a scribble on a sheet of paper, Ben's attempt to write.) Readers will likely sense where the story is headed, but the journey is powerful and worthwhile. Ages 12-up. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
When high school senior Ben Bright enlists in the army, he claims hes not going to war; hell just be in the reserves. But his best friend Niko knows: "Of course he was going. They all went. They went and came back, and then they went again and again, until they were used up." Sure enough, Ben goes off to Iraq, and when his tank rolls over a mine, he suffers a traumatic brain injury and must begin the slow road to recovery, if there is such a thing. His memory is shattered, and he has to relearn not just language but his identity -- who his parents are, who his friends are, who he is. Divided into three sections -- before Iraq, during, and after -- the brief novel covers big themes: language, memory, identity, and how a war injury affects not just the soldier but everyone around him. Bens parents teeter on divorce; his girlfriend, now in college, loses weight and suffers from insomnia; and his autistic brother Chris must learn to cope when his ordered world can never again be as it was. Though the novel reads more like the outline for a larger work -- the at-war section taking only fourteen pages, just long enough for Ben to get injured -- it has the power of prose distilled into its purest essence. An easy-to-read war novel that respects its readers and challenges them to understand the true consequences of war. dean schneider(c) Copyright 2012. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
(Fiction. 12 up)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Ben has the talent to be a star on Broadway after high school, but instead Broadway just becomes his nickname with his buddies in Iraq. Ben's e-mails to his longtime girlfriend (now fiancee) Ariela portray a young man much changed from the one she and Ben's best friend, Niko, remember. When a blast sends Ben home with a traumatic brain injury, Ariela and Niko deal with Ben's condition differently. Screwball Niko becomes an introspective and constant companion to Ben's mom and autistic brother. Ariela, away at school, buries herself in new relationships while keeping Ben in her heart. Ben emerges from a coma struggling to remember anything about his past self, including how to speak, construct meaning, and recognize loved ones. This is an easy read about a difficult and important subject, with realistic characters whose depth is implied more than explained. Although the reader may despair at the tragic turn of a young man so full of promise, the ending offers a glimpse of light at the end of what will be a long, dark tunnel.--Booth, Heather Copyright 2010 Booklist