From Publishers Weekly
Leading his platoon against the North Koreans in 1952, Lt. Donald Robertson wears a hachimaki , or samurai's headband, a symbol of acceptance of death. Plagued by the specter of a Korean woman, Robertson carries a terrible secret, a burden revealed only at the close of this solid, workmanlike first novel. Typical soldier types are portrayed, yet Hickey, who served in Korea, gives them individuality: brash Southerner Braxton Fowlkes, who breaks down under the strain of battle; Sam Dougherty, a hot-tempered ex-con; Tom Carver, a black sergeant exposed to racism in the ranks; and Bronx-born Sol Zuckerman, who sees Korea as a test of manhood which he is failing. The battle scenes, the camaraderie, the frustrating stalemates and nightmare of war are powerfully conveyed. Emblematic of the abyss between East and West is Choi Min-soo, a courteous, maxim-spouting South Korean soldier who aids Robertson although he regards Americans as a vastly inferior species--much as the GIs see the Koreans.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
YA-- Drawing upon personal experience as an infantryman in Korea, Hickey re-creates the anxiety that the new recruits felt as they joined a combat-hardened rifle company and attempted to find their places, do their jobs, and earn acceptance. He creates strong characters in Solomon Zuckerman, Choi Min-soo, Rok Katusa, and Donald Robertson, for whom the country's corrugation and the climactic extremes pose serious problems. As the 40th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War approaches, this dramatic novel stands as a moving tribute to the men and women who served their country in a far-off land. --Dolores M. Steinhauer, Jefferson Sci-Tech, Alexandria, VA
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
