Echo Company #01: Welcome to Vietnam

Michael Jennings, 18, has been inducted into the Army and sent to Vietnam. Although he doesn't understand this war, he believes that fighting beats fleeing to Canada. Assigned to Echo Company, situated near the DMZ, Michael adjusts to the personalities within his platoon--Snoopy, Finnegan and J.D. among them. But the oppressive heat and fetid smells, the torrential rains and unrelenting mosquitoes and the gaunt, despondent faces of the Vietnamese women and children all contribute to a pervasive homesickness. Michael can only hope that he'll return to Colorado alive. The first of a series, Emerson's novel vividly depicts frontline action. His graphic narrative is well written, and although his dialogue is often profane, it fits the setting. Basically an introspective loner, Michael is forced to change and grow, especially after witnessing the killing of a fellow soldier. The story is frequently horrifying; that it is based in fact makes it more so. Ages 12-up. (June)