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Battle Fatigue
Book by Kurlansky, Mark
256 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2011
5 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Mark Kurlansky
69 books1,993 followersMark Kurlansky is an American journalist and author who has written a number of books of fiction and nonfiction. His 1997 book, Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World (1997), was an international bestseller and was translated into more than fifteen languages. His book Nonviolence: Twenty-five Lessons From the History of a Dangerous Idea (2006) was the nonfiction winner of the 2007 Dayton Literary Peace Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 15, 2011
This story is not what I expected it to be but I was not at all disappointed. Through his protagonist, Kurlansky offers readers an insightful and provocative look at the difficult choices young people had to make during the Vietnam-war area. What do you do when you love your country but your conscience cannot allow you to fight in an unjust war?
May 31, 2015
I've never read a fiction work by Kurlansky before, and since this one is a young adult (or even middle-grade?) novel, it was much different than Salt: A World History, for instance.
The overall story of a boy growing up as a baby boomer, faced with the aftermath of WWII in his parents' generation and with the Vietnam War in his own, is absolutely a story worth telling. The themes of pacifism are completely unsurprising, but equally important. I just didn't find it to be that compelling, and the writing was much simpler than a lot of YA literature I've read.
The overall story of a boy growing up as a baby boomer, faced with the aftermath of WWII in his parents' generation and with the Vietnam War in his own, is absolutely a story worth telling. The themes of pacifism are completely unsurprising, but equally important. I just didn't find it to be that compelling, and the writing was much simpler than a lot of YA literature I've read.
October 30, 2019
In the book it talks about a young boy named Joel and how he wants to get drafted for war, or be in the World Series. The thing about that is that he is way too young for either of those. Even though i haven't finished the book yet it has a good setting and great story so far. I liked how they used their imagination when they were pretending to be soldiers. and being the Germans versus Japan. I did not like how none of the parents or adults want to talk about what happened while they were fighting. This caused Joel to be curious.
July 7, 2022
Its... fine. It just feels fine, overall. There are a few minor sections I really liked that really felt like Kurlansky was finally getting at something, or Joel would ask some interesting questions, or were funny. There is a horse girl named Sarah. But for the most part, I felt kinda eh about it. A lot of it sort of felt like bullet point explanations, which is fine but not a style I'm in to. Not the worst book ever, but not a favourite.
August 1, 2020
A very close accounting of what it was like to grow up in the US in the 1950's - 60's. It is a middle school/high school book but I bought it for my grown granddaughter so she can know some of what it felt like for my generation growing up. Just an excellent book.
October 23, 2017
More about why people go to war rather than a war itself. Good read to make people think though and not difficult to read.
September 16, 2021
Great book
June 10, 2012
I love the idea of this book. It is an effort to help young adults think about what it would mean to join the military and to let them know that there are other choices they can make. It suggests that war might not be such a good thing.
The book is written in the first person and follows the life of Joel Bloom from the age of seven through his decision to move to Canada rather than killing Vietnamese. Mark Kurlansky has written many nonfiction books. This is his first YA book. It portrays some of the ways youngsters and young adults think about war and violence.
Early in the book during Joel’s grade school years it seemed a little corny as you could tell it was an adult writing as a young child might think and talk. But some of the youthful logic is hard to deny.
Later in the book when Joel thinks about being drafted, the story is better crafted as coming from a young adult.
Joel talks about baseball, girls, being afraid of the end of the world, his friends, President Kennedy and Robert Kennedy being assassinated, girls, bomb shelters, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, baseball, girls, the draft and the other current events and changes experienced by a teenager.
You know that this is historical fiction and that there is no longer a draft. Vietnam is part of history. Joel recognized early on, with the news from Walter Cronkite, that this is “his war” just as WWII was his father’s war. When he is fifteen years old he knows he will have to register for the draft in two and a half years.
This YA book was published in 2011. What does Vietnam have to do with young adults in the early 21st Century? No one will be drafted in our all volunteer military. So this book is more theoretical in the current day using history to pose questions that young people have to think about in this day when war for the U.S. has been focused on the Middle East and Asia with potential and actual trouble spots throughout the world.
Will young adults actually read this book? Is Vietnam relevant? The book is not available in my Lynchburg, Virginia public library as of June 2012.
For me this book is a flashback to the months I was facing the draft and thinking about Canada. As a result it has a good deal of emotional content for me. Joel’s college years when he was deferred from the draft and was active in the antiwar movement are, for me, the most interesting part of the book as he interacts with others about the use of violence as a tactic to protest the war.
This would have been a great book in the 1960s and 1970s. It could have made a difference for young men who were making what were the most important decisions of their lives about going to war. Or not.
Hopefully it still reaches some young people who are considering military service or at least helps some understand an aspect of life that they don’t have to face in the absence of a draft. One day there will be no more living Vietnam veterans, just as the number of WWII veterans is currently dwindling down to zero. Maybe this book will illuminate a part of history that must not be forgotten. Four stars for that effort.
The book is written in the first person and follows the life of Joel Bloom from the age of seven through his decision to move to Canada rather than killing Vietnamese. Mark Kurlansky has written many nonfiction books. This is his first YA book. It portrays some of the ways youngsters and young adults think about war and violence.
Early in the book during Joel’s grade school years it seemed a little corny as you could tell it was an adult writing as a young child might think and talk. But some of the youthful logic is hard to deny.
What is it all for? We fought the Germans and the Japanese because they were evil. But as soon as we beat them, they were our friends. So couldn’t we just skip ahead to that point? Couldn’t we say, right now, “The Communists are our friends,” and skip the part about the nuclear war?
Later in the book when Joel thinks about being drafted, the story is better crafted as coming from a young adult.
Joel talks about baseball, girls, being afraid of the end of the world, his friends, President Kennedy and Robert Kennedy being assassinated, girls, bomb shelters, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, baseball, girls, the draft and the other current events and changes experienced by a teenager.
You know that this is historical fiction and that there is no longer a draft. Vietnam is part of history. Joel recognized early on, with the news from Walter Cronkite, that this is “his war” just as WWII was his father’s war. When he is fifteen years old he knows he will have to register for the draft in two and a half years.
This YA book was published in 2011. What does Vietnam have to do with young adults in the early 21st Century? No one will be drafted in our all volunteer military. So this book is more theoretical in the current day using history to pose questions that young people have to think about in this day when war for the U.S. has been focused on the Middle East and Asia with potential and actual trouble spots throughout the world.
Will young adults actually read this book? Is Vietnam relevant? The book is not available in my Lynchburg, Virginia public library as of June 2012.
For me this book is a flashback to the months I was facing the draft and thinking about Canada. As a result it has a good deal of emotional content for me. Joel’s college years when he was deferred from the draft and was active in the antiwar movement are, for me, the most interesting part of the book as he interacts with others about the use of violence as a tactic to protest the war.
Rocco always had complete faith in his athletic ability. He thought that with his powerful left arm he could throw the grenade in time, but it was too late. I don’t want to read how badly he got it, whether it was an instant, or how many men he saved. He is dead. What else is there? All fifty thousand of them had their stories. The Detroit Tigers lost a great left-handed pitcher. Who knows what else was lost with these fifty thousand men. When is this going to stop? This was not Rocco’s destiny.
This would have been a great book in the 1960s and 1970s. It could have made a difference for young men who were making what were the most important decisions of their lives about going to war. Or not.
Hopefully it still reaches some young people who are considering military service or at least helps some understand an aspect of life that they don’t have to face in the absence of a draft. One day there will be no more living Vietnam veterans, just as the number of WWII veterans is currently dwindling down to zero. Maybe this book will illuminate a part of history that must not be forgotten. Four stars for that effort.
January 9, 2013
I thoroughly enjoyed Battle Fatigue. The historical time period is one I can relate to, and the book reads quickly and held my interest.
Joel and his friends are growing up in the years after WWII. Nearly every "Dad" in town is a war veteran. However, they have little on which to base their pretend war play, since most of these vets aren't talking. Joel says his dad has malaria from the war. But the reader knows those sweats and nightmares aren't caused by any mosquito.
As Joel enters his teen years, the Vietnam conflict is just beginning, and it is interesting to see everyone try to make sense of what is going on. There is a lot of confusion, and of course miscommunication on the part of the government and media, so that no one understands. As Joel graduates from high school and decides to attend college, he must also decide what to do about the draft. Can he really go to war and kill people? Joel sees what has happened to some of his friends who fought in Vietnam, and he doesn't like what they've become.
My father is a WWII veteran. I was a small child when my two brothers got very high draft numbers. I remember the tension in my house during that time. I remember my brothers' friends going to Vietnam. So, reading Battle Fatigue explained a lot of the feelings of that time to me from the perspective as an adult. As a child, I didn't understand much of the politics. I remember my brother saying he'd go to Canada if he got drafted, but I don't know if he really would have. Needless to say, I found Battle Fatigue very relatable.
I love historical fiction, and this story is rich with details of the 1960s and 70s. We go through Kennedy's election and assassination, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Civil Rights movement and King's assassination, Johnson's entry into Vietnam, and Nixon's election. Joel becomes part of the anti-war protests. Joel loves baseball, so famous baseball legends are mentioned throughout the story.
The characters, besides Joel, are not very individualized. I got confused when old friends were mentioned later in the book. I would have to think, "Now, which one was that?" since they all seemed to mesh together.
The setting and Joel's inner dialog and struggle with his decision are what make Battle Fatigue stand out. I would not hesitate to point boys who are interested in this time period to Battle Fatigue. However, this isn't a book with a lot of action or war scenes. It's about the inner struggle of one teen boy who has to make a very difficult decision. Battle Fatigue is quick and easy to read, but would only appeal to a certain niche of teen readers.
Joel and his friends are growing up in the years after WWII. Nearly every "Dad" in town is a war veteran. However, they have little on which to base their pretend war play, since most of these vets aren't talking. Joel says his dad has malaria from the war. But the reader knows those sweats and nightmares aren't caused by any mosquito.
As Joel enters his teen years, the Vietnam conflict is just beginning, and it is interesting to see everyone try to make sense of what is going on. There is a lot of confusion, and of course miscommunication on the part of the government and media, so that no one understands. As Joel graduates from high school and decides to attend college, he must also decide what to do about the draft. Can he really go to war and kill people? Joel sees what has happened to some of his friends who fought in Vietnam, and he doesn't like what they've become.
My father is a WWII veteran. I was a small child when my two brothers got very high draft numbers. I remember the tension in my house during that time. I remember my brothers' friends going to Vietnam. So, reading Battle Fatigue explained a lot of the feelings of that time to me from the perspective as an adult. As a child, I didn't understand much of the politics. I remember my brother saying he'd go to Canada if he got drafted, but I don't know if he really would have. Needless to say, I found Battle Fatigue very relatable.
I love historical fiction, and this story is rich with details of the 1960s and 70s. We go through Kennedy's election and assassination, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Civil Rights movement and King's assassination, Johnson's entry into Vietnam, and Nixon's election. Joel becomes part of the anti-war protests. Joel loves baseball, so famous baseball legends are mentioned throughout the story.
The characters, besides Joel, are not very individualized. I got confused when old friends were mentioned later in the book. I would have to think, "Now, which one was that?" since they all seemed to mesh together.
The setting and Joel's inner dialog and struggle with his decision are what make Battle Fatigue stand out. I would not hesitate to point boys who are interested in this time period to Battle Fatigue. However, this isn't a book with a lot of action or war scenes. It's about the inner struggle of one teen boy who has to make a very difficult decision. Battle Fatigue is quick and easy to read, but would only appeal to a certain niche of teen readers.
March 13, 2012
Guest Review by Shelly
“I know that because I am a boy I will go to war. I don’t know who I will fight. It will come probably when I turn 18. It’s just what happens.”
This is the story of Joel Bloom’s life and everything that leads up to the Vietnam War, his War as he calls it. Joel has always grown up with war in the background as his Dad fought in World War 2 although he never talks about it and his Uncle is clearly traumatised by what he saw. Joel and his friends “play” war all the time with the artefacts that their dad’s have bought back and none of them want to be the Germans! But it is also a story about baseball. We follow Joel’s obsession with the Dodgers and the World Series. It also follows Joel as he tries to decide whether he will fight for his country or become a draft dodger and therefore let his whole family down.
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. With Joel as the narrator to his own story it really brings you into that time in America. You get to see everything through his eyes as he grows into the man who has the biggest decision to make. He sees what war has done to his family and although he knows that nearly every boy in his town will go to war he doesn’t think he will be able to go through with it when it comes to his time. You feel his struggle as he just doesn’t believe in the Vietnam War and wonders why he has to sacrifice himself. But this isn’t just about war it is also about baseball and that is where I thought I would struggle as I know nothing about it at all. However, I got totally immersed into Joel’s obsession and would look forward to those passages.
I kept forgetting that this was a YA book as it was written as if it was an adult book and that is not in any way a put down. A thoroughly enjoyable book that I would highly recommend.
“I know that because I am a boy I will go to war. I don’t know who I will fight. It will come probably when I turn 18. It’s just what happens.”
This is the story of Joel Bloom’s life and everything that leads up to the Vietnam War, his War as he calls it. Joel has always grown up with war in the background as his Dad fought in World War 2 although he never talks about it and his Uncle is clearly traumatised by what he saw. Joel and his friends “play” war all the time with the artefacts that their dad’s have bought back and none of them want to be the Germans! But it is also a story about baseball. We follow Joel’s obsession with the Dodgers and the World Series. It also follows Joel as he tries to decide whether he will fight for his country or become a draft dodger and therefore let his whole family down.
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. With Joel as the narrator to his own story it really brings you into that time in America. You get to see everything through his eyes as he grows into the man who has the biggest decision to make. He sees what war has done to his family and although he knows that nearly every boy in his town will go to war he doesn’t think he will be able to go through with it when it comes to his time. You feel his struggle as he just doesn’t believe in the Vietnam War and wonders why he has to sacrifice himself. But this isn’t just about war it is also about baseball and that is where I thought I would struggle as I know nothing about it at all. However, I got totally immersed into Joel’s obsession and would look forward to those passages.
I kept forgetting that this was a YA book as it was written as if it was an adult book and that is not in any way a put down. A thoroughly enjoyable book that I would highly recommend.
June 4, 2012
This is a book I must own. The main character, Joel, and his friends were my age and Viet Nam was our generation's war. I have friends wiht names on the Vietnam Wall in DC, friends who fought and returned in varying conditions and have made varying levels of peace with their experience, friends who did not have to choose because of medical deferments or good lottery numbers. I also have friends who went to Canada. I know noone who did that lightly "draft dodgers" always made me squirm. We are a country which values doing what you believe is ethical rather than blindly following. In the book Joel gradually discovers that though Viet Nam is his war, he cannot go over their and kill Vietnamese people when it makes no sense ot him and seems based on liesl He grew upa jewish boy who saw the concentration camp tatoo on the wrist of the lady who sold him bagels. He was raised to never stand silent in face of wrong doong like so many of the German people did, and so he cannot go fight in Viet Nam. joel seems very real to me, as do his friends. I think this book gives a true portrait of courage which is easily overlooked or misslabeled.
November 10, 2013
There are some books that strike you right in the conscience. These are the books that make you think and maybe ponder your value system just a little bit. When I opened up Battle Fatigue by Mark Kurlansky, I think I was expecting draft dodgers and maybe a teenager reluctantly going to war. I think I was expecting a book that is surface more than it is deep. Straight up, I was wrong. Kurlansky’s Battle Fatigue is a well-written young adult gem that examines war, pacifism, and what it is like when your upbringing is permeated by your father’s battles, especially when all of the dads in the neighborhood are from the greatest generation. It’s a story of growing up in the Cold War and then graduating to the Vietnam War. Honestly, I was not quite expecting Battle Fatigue to have such force, but, it totally does my friends, it totally does.
Read the rest of my review here
Note: Review will post/go live on January 29, 2014.
Read the rest of my review here
Note: Review will post/go live on January 29, 2014.
January 17, 2012
This book is set during the Vietnam War. A kid named Joel Bloom and his group of friends have always dreamed of either serving in the military or leading the Dodgers to the World Series. Now the Vietnam War is in full swing, and Joel and his friends are at the age where they can be enrolled in the military. But Joel knows that if he joins, it could really impact his family and friends. So at this time, Joel decides to move to Canada to stay away from the chaotic war going on.
August 19, 2012
This was an interesting perspective on draft dodging. It gave me an insight into events that happened before I was born. I especially liked how the narration changed as the narrator aged over the course of the book. That can't be easy to do -- to start out writing in an 8-year-old voice and finish up in an adult voice. Mixed in with some sad events in the book were some parts that were pretty funny.
January 4, 2013
I read this about the same time I read Everybody Sees the Ants and forgot to add it. It didn't stick with me very well so I obviously didn't have strong feelings about it. I did like that the story followed Joel and his friends from a very young age to maturity, including the consequences/results of his decisions.
Want to read
September 6, 2011Historical fiction--war books. delves into the complexities of the rights/wrongs of war (vietnam/WWII)
November 23, 2011
Great voice. Great memoir. I liked how the book was set and how it dealt with the inner voice.
November 25, 2012
A quick read about the tough choices facing many guys who turned 18 years old during the Vietnam War. I thank my lucky stars that my draft number was a high one.
May 14, 2013
didnt finish had to return but ist was good
August 13, 2016
good book, intresting
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews