BIBLIOGRAPHY
Partridge, Elizabeth. BOOTS ON THE GROUND: AMERICA’S WAR IN VIETNAM. ISBN 978-0-670-78506-3.
PLOT SUMMARY
The war fought in Vietnam by American soldiers is told by multiple perspectives that of American Soldiers, a war nurse and a Vietnam refugee. Their stories lead readers through their experiences on the field, violent protests back home, a presidential assassination and the remnants of the war on soldiers and the community long after its end.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Partridge’s prologue explains her emotions for soldiers who died at war and the generations they left behind influenced her to speak to veterans and write about their stories from war. The personal stories in this nonfiction narrative, of gunfire and struggles to survive accompanied by action shots of the field effectively complement the feeling evoked by their personal accounts. Photographs of antiwar protests show a different point of view of the war. Maps during the war help the reader see the foreign land upon where the war was fought. Photographs with descriptions give the images factual context. The contents give a clear and organized sequence to the book, labeling everything according to Vietnam or America, giving the reader context to the stories. Acknowledgements, source notes, and a bibliography are listed at the end of the book.
EXCERPTS/ AWARDS
ALA Notable Children’s Books, 2019
Booklist starred, 01/01/18
Horn Book Guide Starred, 11/01/18
Kirkus Reviews starred, 02/15/18
School Library Connection starred, 05/01/18
School Library Journal, 04/01/18
Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA), 06/01/18
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults-Nominees, 2019
Booklist starred (January 1, 2018 (Vol. 114, No. 9)): “Their stories are woven into a sweeping, chronological narrative of the war, which delivers the facts, nicely pitched for the age range, while taking significant looks at notable protestors, politicians, and presidents, whose beliefs, and at times, misguided patriotism dramatically affected America’s involvement in the conflict.”
Kirkus Reviews starred, (February 15, 2018): “Emphasizing the lasting emotional legacy of the war for those who served, even as the rest of the country seemed content to put it behind the, Patridge’s narrative storytelling is incisive and masterfully woven together.”
School Library Journal, (April 01, 2018): “Patridge brings the conflict to a personal level, with accounts of eight men, two women, for U.S. presidents, Martin Luther King Jr., and Maya Lin.”
CONNECTIONS
The narrative nonfiction book on U.S. History is a great read for the Young Adult audience because the images help the reader move along and see first-hand images of the war fought overseas.
This book would benefit from being displayed in November for Veterans Day alongside other books about veterans, World War II, U.S. History and more.
Providing maps of the war and current day maps will do for a great comparison activity while incorporating geography and history lessons.
Diggs, Barbara. THE VIETNAM WAR. ISBN 978-1-61930-658-5
Edmonds, Anthony O. THE WAR IN VIETNAM. ISBN 978-0-313-29847-9
Santoli, Al. EVERYTHING WE HAD: AN ORAL HISTORY OF THE VIETNAME WAR BY THIRTY-THREE AMERICAN SOLDIERS WHO FOUGHT IT. ISBN: 978-0-345-32279-1
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