Synopsis
Just before the 1991 Gulf War begins, sixteen-year-old Border Baker moves to a small town with his father, a Vietnam War draft resister.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 1997-04-01 | | Edition Description: | Reprint |
| Size | | Length: | 163 pages | | Height: | 7.3 in | | Width: | 4.3 in | | Thickness: | 0.8 in | | Weight: | 6.4 oz |
Publisher's Note
Living life to please himself in New Mexico, sixteen-year-old Border thinks nothing will change much when his draft-dodger father moves the family to Minnesota, where Border finds small-town life too intrusive for his liking. Reprint. K. PW. C.
Industry Reviews
A boy is harassed for being the son of a draft dodger in this "first rate" novel set at the start of the Gulf War; PW's starred review praised its "uncommon dimension" and incisive eloquence. Ages 12-up. (Apr.) o
Lopate
Gr 7-10 As the 1991 Persian Gulf War unfolds, 16-year-old Border Baker and his Vietnam War draft-resister father return to the man's small hometown of Red Cedar, MN. There, the teen encounters lingering hostility among townspeople who remember his father's antiwar actions and the shame felt by his now-deceased grandparents. Border gradually carves a niche for himself, befriending a teenage sister and brother who involve him in church-sponsored ``support the war'' care package and fundraising projects. When his father is publicly humiliated during a local war-memorial dedication, Border steps forward to defend him and receives the adulation and acceptance of the community. In this story about parent-child communication and teen independence and responsibility, characters and themes are not fully developed and questions remain. Border glides through events eschewing witty banter, sarcasm, and adolescent angst, and yet never solidly connects emotionally with other characters. The widespread, deeply divisive sentiment of Vietnam seems an aberration compared to Red Cedar's united community support of the Gulf War. YAs will be able to relate to the historical context of the more recent conflict, but they will not be sensitized to the trauma and tragedy of Vietnam. Border is an admirable but improbable, elusive hero whose self-sufficiency exceeds that of the characters around him. Gerry Larson, Durham Magnet Center, Durham, NC
Lopate
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