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The Road Home (Echo Company #5)

4.52 of 5 stars 4.52 · rating details · 237 ratings · 43 reviews

Rebecca Phillips, twenty-two, is a nurse in Vietnam who has seen endless bloodshed, horror, and suffering. When her helicopter crashes in the jungle, she faces a brutal showdown for survival that will change her forever.

Paperback, 469 pages

Published November 1st 1997 by Scholastic (first published November 1st 1995)

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May 02, 2013 Anne Osterlund rated it 5 of 5 stars

Rebecca has been in Vietnam long enough to acquire nightmares, a bullet hole in her shoulder, and an affinity for chugging alcohol. She is also fully aware of the hazards of making friends. Though somehow she has become chosen recipient of almost daily letters from a grouchy, stubborn private named Michael. Who walks point in the jungle and who she has to constantly worry will be flown into her ER tent during the next round of casualties. And who has taken to signing his letters with the word, “...more Rebecca has been in Vietnam long enough to acquire nightmares, a bullet hole in her shoulder, and an affinity for chugging alcohol. She is also fully aware of the hazards of making friends. Though somehow she has become chosen recipient of almost daily letters from a grouchy, stubborn private named Michael. Who walks point in the jungle and who she has to constantly worry will be flown into her ER tent during the next round of casualties. And who has taken to signing his letters with the word, “Love(!)”

Then one day, the inevitable happens. (No, I’m not going to tell you what). And the question is no longer whether Rebecca will figure out how to sign her own letters or if she will survive Vietnam without being entirely destroyed. But whether she will ever have the strength to return home.

Sigh. So I am now going back to re-label all my four-star ratings for the books in this series as five stars. Let me see if I can explain why. I first read this book in 1995. And I really liked it. In the bio, at the very back of the book, was a brief reference to an earlier series, featuring the main character. I’m not sure why--though I think it had something to do with the goofy cover of the first book in the series and the fact that the author used a male pen name while writing it--but at the time I assumed the earlier Echo Company books were a mid-grade series for boys. It didn’t matter, anyway, because I couldn’t get ahold of them.

Years later, the first book became available through used bookstores on Amazon, but why buy only the first book? More recently the entire list became available and the cost for the first one dropped to affordable. So I took the plunge. And instantly fell in love with Michael’s snarky narrative voice. The book was clearly YA. And was one of my favorite reads of last year. Yes, I eventually splurged on all three of the following books. Loved every one of them. And flew through every one.

By themselves, they are a blast, though less than a complete story.

It had been so long since I read The Road Home that while I remembered the basic elements of Rebecca’s—and Michael’s—journeys, I could not recall many of the details, and I was not at all certain where it picked up in their lives.

Even if I had read The Road Home recently, however, there is no doubt that this was an entirely different experience. Because while Scholastic clearly marketed this book as a stand-alone, it is genuinely the end of the series. The events, the characters, and all the drama within the book come directly out of the previous four. Can you read this book alone and enjoy it? I am obvious proof that you can. But you are also missing out.

Because I can now say that this is one of the most satisfying series I have read in a long time. Michael and Rebecca are so real! The books are full of pain and drama and a sense of humor. And when read in order, from start to finish, the story is better than extremely good. It’s absolutely fabulous.

HIGHLY recommended.
(less)

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Feb 11, 2011 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Michelle by: Angie

Shelves: 2009, la-la-loved, historical-fiction, own, 2011

I haven't read a book that I enjoyed this much in a long time. I say enjoyed, but really it was more like being swept away on the emotional hurricane that is Lt. Rebecca Phillips. The Road Home made me bust out laughing, had me on the edge of my seat with fear and dread, and even made me cry a few times. I hardly ever cry over a book but this one had such an emotional impact I couldn't help but feel every moment of heartbreak, turmoil and even happiness in Rebecca's story.

After losing the love o...more I haven't read a book that I enjoyed this much in a long time. I say enjoyed, but really it was more like being swept away on the emotional hurricane that is Lt. Rebecca Phillips. The Road Home made me bust out laughing, had me on the edge of my seat with fear and dread, and even made me cry a few times. I hardly ever cry over a book but this one had such an emotional impact I couldn't help but feel every moment of heartbreak, turmoil and even happiness in Rebecca's story.

After losing the love of her life/childhood sweetheart to the Vietnam war and her beloved brother who flees to Canada to escape the draft, Ivy Leaguer Rebecca Phillips impulsively joins as a nurse and is assigned one year of active duty in Vietnam. Still hurting from her profound loss and estrangement from her family, Rebecca is forced to daily face the challenges of the emergency room where she and her co-workers try to save the men (boys really) who have been bombed, shot at, set on fire, or just gotten sick from the various diseases lurking in the jungle. If that weren't enough to mess with someone's head, after impulsively jumping in a helicopter (which she should never have gotten on in the first place) and being shot down over the jungle, Rebecca spends several days MIA in the jungle fleeing for her life until she stumbles upon a squad of American soldiers. Among the soldiers is Michael, a surly grunt, whose letters become a lifeline to Rebecca after her return to the hospital. Michael is so real to me - his fears and glimpses of hopes are all contained in his letters and just like Rebecca couldn't wait to read his latest. Upon her return from Vietnam, Rebecca comes home to find herself, her family and friends all changed beyond recognition. Her struggle to find her place is the World after being a part of such brutality and pain is what makes Rebecca's story so breathtaking.

White's characters were so solid. Of course I loved Michael but one of my favorites is the cerebral Major, one of the head nurses at the field hospital. Her perfectness is legendary but so is her leniency with Rebecca. I most enjoyed their night time conversations - often requiring major mental gymnastics - where Major Doyle brought such depth and honesty to Rebecca's questions.

I really don't know much about the Vietnam war. It seems to me they sort of glossed over that section in history (it was bad and lots of people died. the end). I knew there was plenty of controversy and that veterans were not treated with respect but I really didn't understand how it all fit together until I read this powerful book. Rebecca's story is full of loss and utter depression but her journey for a chance at happiness and hope was just so real to me.

On a side note, I did feel like I had stumbled into the book mid-series and kept wondering if I was missing something. Turns out I was right. Ellen Emerson White (writing as Zack Emerson) wrote a series of four books called The Echo Company which follows Michael's company. It turns out White felt like she had to finish Rebecca's story (which begins in these books) and thus wrote The Road Home as a sort of conclusion. They are pretty hard to find, but I am hoping to get my hands on what will surely prove to be excellent reading.(less)

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Oct 23, 2007 Angie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: belovedbookshelf, girls-who-do-things, new-adult

This is one of my all-time top comfort reads. I know. Minutely researched Vietnam War novel=comfort read? What can I say? My favorite characters tend to endure mountains of suffering before attaining (hopefully) a modicum of happiness. Lt. Rebecca Phillips is no exception. A Radcliffe-educated nurse, Rebecca comes from stalwart, intellectual New England stock. She's the last person anyone expects to enlist in the Army and voluntarily get herself shipped off to Vietnam. But after the boy she love...more

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Aug 27, 2009 Holly rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Holly by: Angie Thompson

Shelves: young-adult

Ha! I bet none of you would've predicted that I would be reading a book about Vietnam - including myself. But this out-of-print YA historical novel turned out to be a hidden gem and well-worth tracking down.

Lieutenant Rebecca Phillips' life as a nurse in Vietnam is unimaginable. Not only has she treated hundreds of dying men, but she has watched her only two friends die, endured the battlefront firsthand while MIA, and struggled with her own gunshot wound and other injuries. While Rebecca's mos...more Ha! I bet none of you would've predicted that I would be reading a book about Vietnam - including myself. But this out-of-print YA historical novel turned out to be a hidden gem and well-worth tracking down.

Lieutenant Rebecca Phillips' life as a nurse in Vietnam is unimaginable. Not only has she treated hundreds of dying men, but she has watched her only two friends die, endured the battlefront firsthand while MIA, and struggled with her own gunshot wound and other injuries. While Rebecca's mostly able to ignore the 24/7 physical pain, it's the emotional scars that don't seem to heal. In the hospital, where her skill and exactness as a nurse are sorely needed and free time is almost non-existent, it's easy to bottle those wounds. Life also happens to be brutally simple and mindless when you're popping pills and staying highly caffeinated as you auto-pilot from body to body, task to task for up to 20 hours at a time. However, the emergency room isn't devoid of hope, either. Rebecca still has her letters from Michael Jennings, the at times grouchy, cocky grunt whose squad she met while lost in the Vietnamese jungle. But when Michael is admitted to the hospital seriously injured and her year of in-country service is up, Rebecca's practically forced to leave, and home isn't a place she can hide from her guilt-ridden, damaged soul much longer.

That The Road Home was so well-written and gripping exceeded my expectations. Reading about war through the perspective of a nurse rather than a soldier was very refreshing, but just as horrific and painful. There are no words for having to experience so much suffering that you can no longer look at a soldier as a human being. There are no words for killing another and witnessing your friends endure the toughest of hardships. Rebecca's felt so much that she's numb, and it's so hard to be party to her self-destruction. Though I'm in no position to understand, I still found myself telling her to speak, tell, let someone - anyone - know her true feelings. It was almost frustrating at times. But inches from rock bottom, when Rebecca decides to take a one-person road trip across the country and she learns that going through hell and back wasn't without some consolation- she has beyond redeemed herself. And that conclusion? So rewarding, rewarding, rewarding for the reader. I felt the watery-eye kind of happiness.

I also loved Ellen Emerson White's writing style: so effortlessly smart and fluid. This is so simple, but I liked how she interspersed letters with at times line-by-line thoughts and commentary from the character reading the letter. I particularly liked how smoothly Rebecca's words and thoughts ran together - what she was saying and what she was actually feeling in the same moment was so important to the story. Also, White's characters are pure gold. From the mains - Rebecca, Michael, Major Doyle - to the sides - Snoopy, Finnegan, and Rebecca's parents - all are fully-fleshed out people with real strengths, weaknesses, and personality quirks. I will definitely be reading any of the other Rebecca books I can manage to get my hands on.(less)

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Jul 14, 2010 Allison rated it 5 of 5 stars

I've spent some time in my "adult" life searching for information and stories about the Vietnam-American War in hopes of understanding more about my Dad's experiences as a Marine. I've wanted to know more so that I can more fully comprehend my Dad's reluctance to speak about his experiences and I believe that the more I know, the more I can know without opening up his war wounds. Up until about a month ago, I had found one source that really helped me start to understand what it was like to be a...more

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Jul 07, 2010 Kasia rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: youngadult

I picked this up because a few YA blog I read had mentioned it as being one of the most romantic YA books. I was pretty sure I read it as a kid (I was a big fan of Ellen Emerson White and I liked army nurse stories for some reason... probably for the gore), but I only had vague memories of the story. It explores one woman's experience of the Vietnam War, her time there as an army nurse in an ER unit and the challenges she faces when she comes home. It is a really interesting perspective on the w...more

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Oct 07, 2010 Chachic rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Chachic by: Angie

Shelves: actual-books-owned, favorites, received-as-gifts, out-of-print, best-of-2010

Originally posted here.

I don't usually go for books set during war time. More so for this one because it's about the Vietnam war, a time in history which I know nothing about. However, if a book comes highly recommended by someone I trust, I can't help but give it a try. Plus, Angie sent a copy already so the least I could do was read the book, right? :) The Road Home has two sections: the first part deals with Rebecca working as a nurse in Vietnam and the second part is about her coming back ho...more Originally posted here.

I don't usually go for books set during war time. More so for this one because it's about the Vietnam war, a time in history which I know nothing about. However, if a book comes highly recommended by someone I trust, I can't help but give it a try. Plus, Angie sent a copy already so the least I could do was read the book, right? :) The Road Home has two sections: the first part deals with Rebecca working as a nurse in Vietnam and the second part is about her coming back home to the States. I thought The Road Home was a standalone novel but looking at Ellen Emerson White's website, it looks like she wrote a series called The Echo Company which focuses on a certain soldier's experiences in Vietnam and Rebecca comes into the picture in the latter books. This is probably why when I was reading The Road Home, I felt like I came into the middle of the series.

As the story starts, Rebecca is working in an American hospital in Vietnam. She's a Radcliffe-educated nurse straight out of college and she signed up mainly because of issues with her family. It sort of felt like things already happened to Rebecca and the book is dealing with the aftereffects of those events but I didn't really mind. Rebecca's helicopter was shot down in the jungle and she was MIA for a couple of days until she meets a squad of American soldiers and one of them, Michael, becomes a close friend. Based on hints throughout the novel, Rebecca used to be a cheerful and lively girl and everything changed when she was lost in the jungle. Mostly she runs on autopilot as she tries to save lives when she doesn't even understand the point of it all. During her remaining time in Vietnam, we see her struggle to connect with other people: the Chief Nurse Major Doyle, Michael and even her mother and father through letters.

The Road Home is more than just Rebecca's story of coming back from Vietnam. It's about coming to terms with everything that she encountered while she was there and trying to understand how she's going to go on living when so many people died. Rebecca lost touch with herself when she went off to join the Army and this novel is about her finding herself again. The characters are believable and real - from their experiences during the war to how lost they were after they came back. It's an understatement that it's difficult to overcome the horrors of war. Your heart will break several times over while you're reading this one but I think it's worth reading. The last few chapters are my favorite part of the novel, when Rebecca decides to go on a road trip. Plus the ending? *sigh* It's perfect for the story. So again, I thank Angie for encouraging me to read a book that I normally wouldn't have picked up. I never thought I'd find comfort in a novel about war. I'm baffled that the book is out of print because it deserves to be read by more people. (less)

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Feb 27, 2008 Trina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: youngadultbooks, 2008-reads, history

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 18, 2012 Ashley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-all-time-favorites, young-adult

I love this book. It is my all-time favorite. I read it pretty much every year since I read it for the first time about 15 years ago. It is terrific and has something for everyone. Even though I've read it about 12 times (and can quote whole sections!), I always find something next. It's smart, funny, and exciting, and yet manages to eloquently portray an era in American history that was politically and culturally loaded.

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May 23, 2011 Juno rated it 4 of 5 stars

YA novel of a nurse finishing her tour and returning home after Vietnam. I'm a huge fan of White's - she doesn't sugar coat her families or her characters and I think she does a good job here with the consequences of combat service - realistic but not too dark for her audience.

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Mar 24, 2013 Tiffany rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, 2013-favorites, action, believable-romance, favorites, historical-fiction, trauma-emotional, realistic-fiction

On the melodramatic side, but I think that just makes it more amusing. There were a lot of recycled character traits (Red Sox fan, trauma, flawed but indisputably charming, the like) that I saw from the President's Daughter series, but I love White's style too much to care.

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Jan 03, 2009 Jules rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: own

Was sick and looking for a distraction that didn't require too much brain power. This book proved just the thing. White has a real handle on creating smart, damaged, mouthy female characters who push away the ones who love them when they feel they don't deserve it.

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Mar 10, 2012 Julia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, fiction, young-adult

5/11 - Just bought my third copy, I need to stop loaning these out (replacements are getting harder and harder to find on-line)

I think LONG MAY SHE REIGN has edged out THE ROAD HOME as my favorite Ellen Emerson White book. Compared to Malibu Bobby, Michael is on the mean edge of "grouchy." There is still such a beautiful redemption to both Rebecca and Mike's journeys. You don't get the impression that things are going to be easy, but they're certainly going to be interesting.

3/12/12 - Every tim...more

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Nov 23, 2010 Rachel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, vietnam, ya

Like all Ellen Emerson White's books, this was SO GOOD. I actually got into bed last night 4 hours early so I could read in comfort. Read straight through to the end. She writes some of the funniest and most touching dialogue of anyone I know.

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Nov 08, 2011 Jamie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Maybe I should have read the companion books to this, but I didn't know they existed when I started. Possibly because of this, I wasn't won over by this book. It definitely felt like I missed the action, and the whole of this book was just the after effects of the action. I wasn't impressed with the main character's ever-depressed mood and self destructive attitude. I understand that these were because of the (not included in this book) trauma from before....but I kept waiting for her to rise ab...more

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Jun 30, 2012 Kathleen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Agree with Laurie that this resembles China Beach, or for slightly older people like me, perhaps MASH. Great details (as far as I know) about the hospital work in Vietnam; also deals with the aftermath -- coming home from Vietnam to many unsympathetic people as well as memories to deal with.

The first half seemed a little slow to me; more a depiction of Rebecca's life than a story that was going somewhere. I also felt like I was missing something - I gathered that Rebecca is a character from a bo...more

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Aug 16, 2011 Cat rated it 5 of 5 stars

I read this and high school, about a dozen times. I couldn't put it down the first time I read it and all the other times after. Compelling and mesmerizing from start to finish. It put me through a whole range of emotions while reading, I don't often cry but this certainly brought out the tears, and joy, and hopefulness only a truly good book can.

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May 15, 2011 Christina rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just remembered that I read this book forever ago.
I do remember the guy she fell in love with. He had his leg amputated. That's literally all I remember.

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Sep 01, 2009 Alicia rated it 4 of 5 stars

The fist two chapters were hard on me emotionally but once I got reading this book I really couldn't put it down. It was a fabulous read that really seemed to explore what one would go through when in a war. Amazing.

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Feb 02, 2012 Nancy rated it 4 of 5 stars

A book I come back to over and over again and I always find that I understand a new part of Rebecca's humor and take something new from the story.

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Dec 19, 2010 Lady Susan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: and-a-little-bit-of-romance, young-adult

I was surprised that my library had this book. It is a very good YA book set during the Vietnam war. That being said, it was surprisingly gritty for being a YA book. Although not necessarily surprisingly gritty for the subject matter.

The characters were well developed and the plot line quite realistic. I would be interested in reading more from this author but I don't think my library has anything more.

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Jun 09, 2013 Karina Palmer rated it 2 of 5 stars

Am I better for having read it? No, I don't think I am. Am I worse? No, not that either. My expectations were high and it disappointed me. It was a depressing read. Yes, it's a war book so I expected sadness. But after reading an amazing masterpiece of a book like Left to Tell by Ilibigiza, I felt like this one fell flat.

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Dec 27, 2010 Michelle added it

Shelves: historical-fiction, chapter-books-ya

about Vietnam--some coarse language, but good picture of life in the medical camp. Kaye likes.

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Sep 29, 2009 Nancye rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was such a great story. It really makes you feel what she went through.

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Mar 03, 2009 Prudence rated it 5 of 5 stars

Interesting story of Vietnam from the perspective of a nurse.

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Feb 06, 2013 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013, books-that-move-in, loved-it-lived-it-miss-it, favorites

Five stars. All the stars. All the stars in the sky.

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Nov 17, 2010 Janssen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, historical-fiction, young-adult

Wow, this book was fabulous: http://everydayreading.blogspot.com/2...

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Feb 15, 2013 Amy (Turn the Page) rated it 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars.

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Jan 19, 2013 Hallie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, historical-fiction

Review (of sorts) will follow, when I'm sure I won't do something stupid that causes me to lose what I've written. (*This* stupidity was forgetting to go to a new tab to find an image of the Memphis VA hospital - which I will now add.) looks just as I remember it - explanation will also follow

looks just as I remember it - explanation will also follow

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Sep 11, 2012 Trish Doller rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just loved this so much.

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About Ellen Emerson White

This talented writer attended Tufts University (and published her first book, "Friends for Life," while a senior there) and currently lives in New York City. Ms. White grew up in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Many of her fiction novels feature characters who reside in or around Boston and are fans of the Boston Red Sox (as is Ms. White). In addition to fiction novels, Ms. White has published several...more

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Books by Ellen Emerson White

Voyage on the Great Titanic: The Diary of Margaret Ann Brady, R.M.S. Titanic, 1912

Kaiulani: The People's Princess, Hawaii, 1889

Where Have All the Flowers Gone?: The Diary of Molly MacKenzie Flaherty, Boston, Massachusetts, 1968 (Dear America)

The President's Daughter (The President's Daughter, #1)

Long May She Reign (The President's Daughter, #4)

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“On Christmas morning, Rebecca lost her moral virginity, her sense of humor - and her two best friends. But, other than that, it was a hell of a holiday.” — 1 person liked it

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The Road Home (Echo Company #5)

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