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81st out of 86 books
—
213 voters
War Is...: Soldiers, Survivors, and Storytellers Talk About War
In a provocative anthology, two editors with opposing viewpoints present an unflinching collection of works reflecting on the nature of war.
Marc Aronson thinks war is inevitable. Patty Campbell thinks war is cruel, deceptive, and wrong. But both agree on one thing: that teens need to hear the truthful voices of those who have experienced war firsthand. The result is this d...more
Marc Aronson thinks war is inevitable. Patty Campbell thinks war is cruel, deceptive, and wrong. But both agree on one thing: that teens need to hear the truthful voices of those who have experienced war firsthand. The result is this d...more
Hardcover, 208 pages
Published
September 9th 2008
by Candlewick Press
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This book is a collection of experiences, opinions, poems, etc. of soldiers or citizens that have been involved with war. It is neat because you get to see many different aspects of many different wars. I would say it is extremely informational but keeps your interest well. It has a strong anti-war bias throughout, but there are a few that found good in it. If you want to experience war without actually experiencing it, this is a good one.
I liked it. I had considered joining the military before...more
I liked it. I had considered joining the military before...more
Summary: This is an anthology of personal accounts of soldiers during various wars ranging from Vietnam to the Iraq War. It is separated by sections like "the act of war" and "deciding to fight." These accounts detail the tragedies of war. Many are written in letter format to their families back at home. The common theme in their writing was that they never knew how horrible war was until they entered it. There are people in the book who warned people who wanted to fight in a war. They asked if...more
I'm not quite sure how to digest this anthology-- a collection of short stories, letters, one play by Rita Williams Garcia, and others written about war. As Aronson and Campbell state about what they believe about war, the collection is really the "truth" about war to encourage our youth as well as adults about the costs of war mentally, physically, emotionally, sexually (for women of war) and the hell people go through, not just currently in Iraq and Afghanistan but in wars past.
It's a motley...more
It's a motley...more
"War Is..." is an anthology of war related literature aimed at creating awareness in young adults. It has a wide range of content from actual war experiences, to women in war, to obscure dystopic short stories about war. Both Aronson and Campbell (the editors) have unique perceptions on war that guided the content of this book, but there definitely seems to be a dominant theme of young people in war and the reality of war from several perspectives.
I didn't like some of the selections because I f...more
I didn't like some of the selections because I f...more
A collection of essays, stories, and articles written about war, the book is divided into four sections: What I Believe about War, Deciding about War, Experiencing War, and the Aftermath of War, as well as a list of further resources and copyright acknowledgments. The authors make their biases known in the first few pages that they view war as destructive and misguided, but they also make it clear that this is not an anti-war book insomuch as it is a book about the multi-faceted aspects of war—t...more
I had a hard time reading this book, but not for the obvious reasons that it's about war. That's not it at all. I liked reading this book because it was very informative, but I hated it because it showed me what really happens in war and in the army, and it made me sick and angry. I especially had a hard time reading it because my boyfriend in in Afghanistan right now, and I am constantly worrying about him, and if he will come home, or if he's experiencing what I've read in the book. I did like...more
I have read many books on war, both fiction and nonfiction. I picked up this book thinking I would come away with it having learned more and gained...something. But I didn't. It was just okay. It wasn't great. Some parts were interesting, but for the most part I was just bored. This book took me longer than it should have to finish because it bored me to tears. It was like the majority of it I was bored and then for just one or two entries per section I was interested. I feel like some fiction b...more
I really enjoyed this book, all the different perspectives it brought to the subject of war and what it's like. I appreciated how it was a combination of first-hand experiences and fictional representations, from the standpoint of both men and women serving in the military or affected by war in a wide range of time. I believe the editors did a great job of portraying war in a way that's doesn't condemn those that support or fight war, without glorifying it, either.
This book definitely clarified...more
This book definitely clarified...more
This book is a series of stories by both members of our armed forces (recruiters, Marines, Soldiers, etc) and civilians (reporters, family members, etc). It accounts what people have seen and experienced in times of war and explores armed forces member's reasons for joining, whether for financial reasons, patriotic duty, or other reason. There are a few pieces of fiction thrown in that "capture" the essence of war and I guess help people, especially young adults understand the "truth" behind suc...more
This is a new anthology coming out in September, I believe. I have an essay in here ("Letter to a Young Enlistee"), and two friends are also contributors (Hedges and Turnipseed), so this is a totally biased review. But what a great collection. You never know, when you get asked to contribute to these things, what the outcome will be. Always a pleasure when the final product is something you would love and buy if you weren't in there.
I have mixed feelings about this book and I still keep going back and forth on what I want to say about it or which side I want to represent. The thing that draws me to this book is that the talk of war is done not from the politicians, world leaders, or those "fighting" war behind their desk holding all of the power, it is told from those that where there and witnessed it first hand. It is told by men and women who are familiar to me: a neighbor, father, friend, grandparent, etc. to where I fel...more
This book is a collection of essays, stories, real life accounts, articles and plays that describe different aspects of war. Divided into three sections, deciding about the ward, experiencing the war and the after math of war, these accounts take you on an emotional journey. The journey is up for you to decide. There are positive and negative accounts in this book.
It is hard describe this book other than it describes war from different points of view. I think every person should read this book....more
It is hard describe this book other than it describes war from different points of view. I think every person should read this book....more
This book is exactly what the title is trying to say, "war is..." each story gives us a little more insight of what war actually is. It's brutal. it's scary. it's sad. it pulls people together- it tares them apart. It was interesting to read about it..however it's not something i want to read out of pleasure. It got boring (that makes me sound heartless). It made me so grateful that i never have to go through what they have to- the people that fight for this country are so strong.
I would recomm...more
I would recomm...more
This book is crazy....crazy true and crazy horrifying. It took me a while to really get into the stories and the retellings, but as I did I really liked hearing about what soldiers had to go through in World War II, the Vietnam War, and in the war we are fighting today. Some of their experiences are gruesome while others seemed unbelievable.
I have never really taken an interest in hearing those stories. I am not sure why because my dad was in the Army, but he never really talked about what happe...more
I have never really taken an interest in hearing those stories. I am not sure why because my dad was in the Army, but he never really talked about what happe...more
This book gives real accounts of different people's take on war. There are accounts from people fighting in different wars, journalists of wars, and then songs and poems about war. It breaks down the book into different sections which are: What I Believe About War, Deciding About War, Experiencing War, and the Aftermath of War.
I think the book did a great job of depicting all the different aspects of war. It truly gave you things to think about when it comes to war. I didn't really enjoy the boo...more
I think the book did a great job of depicting all the different aspects of war. It truly gave you things to think about when it comes to war. I didn't really enjoy the boo...more
Where do I start about this book. Well I will say that I gave it four and not five stars because I really did not see a point for the last story in the book. Most of the book was true stories and the last one was a fictional story of a fictional society after war. I also feel there could have been some sort of conclusion or closing for the book.
However I found it a great compilation of stories about war, about choosing to go to war. I have to say Letter to a Young Enlistee was wow...I got goos...more
However I found it a great compilation of stories about war, about choosing to go to war. I have to say Letter to a Young Enlistee was wow...I got goos...more
This non-fiction book is interesting. It combines letters, conversations, laws, newspaper articles, and many other genres into one book to explain many people's perspectives about war. For the most part, the information included correlates with the current war, but it also touches on other wars in fairly recent history.
Reading the different points of view was sometimes scary. I kept thinking, "I don't want to know this. Just let me stay in my bubble." But they are very real.
I recommend this boo...more
Reading the different points of view was sometimes scary. I kept thinking, "I don't want to know this. Just let me stay in my bubble." But they are very real.
I recommend this boo...more
I thought overall it was a good book and i enjoyed learning about the different peoples's experiences with war and how it has effected them. It opened my eyes more to what war really is and not what I thought it was before. It made me also more grateful for the soldiers that go and fight for this country.
I would recommend this book to young adults that were at least 15 years or older. I would not give it so anyone younger because it can be a lot to take in and some of the stories are sort of gra...more
I would recommend this book to young adults that were at least 15 years or older. I would not give it so anyone younger because it can be a lot to take in and some of the stories are sort of gra...more
I thought this was a brilliant and interesting read geared towards young adults. Divided into several sections, War Is introduces its readers to an array of information about war. From Mark's Twain's "The War Prayer" to survivor's tales from Iraq, this book does not attempt to hide the brutality, inhumanity, emotional, and unemotional aspects of war.
I thought that Campbell did a good job of trying to be neutral in the situation of war for his reader by presenting information from both sides. Th...more
I thought that Campbell did a good job of trying to be neutral in the situation of war for his reader by presenting information from both sides. Th...more
A collection of essays, stories, and articles written about war, the book is divided into four sections: What I Believe about War, Deciding about War, Experiencing War, and the Aftermath of War. This book is very blunt and descirbes in depth the horrors and tragedies war brings not only to the soldiers but their families and friends as well.
I was reading some of the other reviews on this book and saw that a few were wives of soldiers and they did not like the way this book was portrayed. I can u...more
I was reading some of the other reviews on this book and saw that a few were wives of soldiers and they did not like the way this book was portrayed. I can u...more
I wan't sure how I would feel about this book because I am not a huge fan of nonfiction, and honestly there were parts that I found a little hard to work through. Overall though, I found it to be informative and interesting. I could definitely live without the language.
War is... is a compilation of pieces about war written by actual soldiers, reporters, and authors. It covers the recruitment process, actual deployment, and the after effects of war through memoirs, fiction, plays, and news report...more
War is... is a compilation of pieces about war written by actual soldiers, reporters, and authors. It covers the recruitment process, actual deployment, and the after effects of war through memoirs, fiction, plays, and news report...more
This is a non-fiction book and a great one at that. It is a collection of stories compiled together about the realities of the military and war. It was compiled for the use of high school students who were thinking about joining the military to give them more of an idea of the military than their recruiters.
The only complaint I have about it is that it seems to lean toward the pessimistic side. I don't think it has an unbiased opinion, but it definitely gets straight to the reality of war. That...more
The only complaint I have about it is that it seems to lean toward the pessimistic side. I don't think it has an unbiased opinion, but it definitely gets straight to the reality of war. That...more
I didn't think that I was going to like this book very much because they placed two so opposing views into one book. However, it was actually very refreshing and thought provoking to read the different perspectives one right after the other. This book made me question and reevaluate a lot of the beliefs that I had just accepted without much thought about war and what brings men and countries into them. I think that everyone should read this book. They may not all like what it says, but I think t...more
This book is an anthology of short stories, interviews, songs, memoirs,and book excerpts that discuss the effects of war. It doesn't try and sway the reader to either support war or not support war but just gives the facts. One of the best readings in the book was about a soldier who served two tours in Vietnam. He also worked in the Vietcong's tunnels. Needless to say, it was a really intense to read and eye opening. It has various points of view. From current soldiers, former soldiers, chaplai...more
War Is, is a compiliation of different war stories from the different wars that have occured in history. From World War I, to World War II, to Vietnam and so forth, soldiers tell their stories. These stories are not sugar-coated, and are not meant for the faint-hearted.
I enjoyed these stories for the most part. However, I gave the book three stars because there was so much language. I'm not saying that it should have been taken out, because I believe people need to know what war is really like,...more
I enjoyed these stories for the most part. However, I gave the book three stars because there was so much language. I'm not saying that it should have been taken out, because I believe people need to know what war is really like,...more
A great collection of journals, letters, and articles about what war is like. Some are from past wars such as World War II or Vietnam, but there are quite a few perspectives on the Iraq war. The book is edited by two people, one very anti-war, one more moderate. I think they tried to offer an even-handed view of the war. It's very thought-provoking and sobering to think about what daily life is like in combat. This collection is focused on young adults, especially those being recruited in the ar...more
Though I did enjoy the book I can't really say that I liked it very much. Generally I don't enjoy non-fiction unless there is some sort of cohesive plot or point to the book, so in that point I didn't like War Is.... Yet I loved that the book took a 'hands off' point toward war, at least that I was what I felt. It was not trying to say that war was bad and that we should not fight wars. The book was simply trying to portray the different sides of war and educate people as to what war is, how it...more
I really liked this book, because when it comes to the army and military and things like that I don't know anything. It was interesting to read the different points of view and why some people support what we are doing and those who do not. I loved reading the letters, interviews, and personal stories that were shared, because it reminded me how real it is. This book only intensified my fear of war, and that i really really would never ever want to go, but i am so grateful for the wonderful men...more
This is a collection of writings and interviews on different perspectives of war. It has author's like Mark Twain's input, veterans points of views from different U.S. wars, and reporters who were there during the battle.
I thought this was an excellent biased yet unbiased view of war. I have to say biased because the author states right off the bat that he is anti war and yet all perspectives are addressed in this book. It gave me new insight especially on recruiters now days and it's good to kn...more
I thought this was an excellent biased yet unbiased view of war. I have to say biased because the author states right off the bat that he is anti war and yet all perspectives are addressed in this book. It gave me new insight especially on recruiters now days and it's good to kn...more
I really enjoyed this book, though it is far from fun to read. It just contains so much powerful information. I think the editors did a good job of balancing the differing views of what war actually is. I wouldn't give this to any teenager, especially not the younger ones, but I would definitely give it to a teen who is considering joining the military. I wouldn't want to use it to persuade them to a certain decision, just as a tool to help them understand what they are getting themselves into....more
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Patty Campbell has been a critic, author, teacher, and librarian in the field of young adult literature for over thirty years. Currently she writes "The Sand in the Oyster" for Horn Book magazine, a column on controversial issues in books for teens, and is a young adult editorial reviewer for Amazon.com online bookstore.
She is the author of six books, has served on the Board of Directors of both...more
More about Patty Campbell...
She is the author of six books, has served on the Board of Directors of both...more
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