This is the memoir of Harry R Van Dyck, one of the nearly twelve thousand men who were thrust into hastily organised Civilian Public Service (CPS) camps during World War Two. Van Dyck, whose Mennonite heritage was the foundation of his conscientious objector status, spent nearly four years in the CPS. He experienced the numerous scenes of adventure, drama, and humour that made up daily life in the camps for a heterogeneous collection of men whose only common bond was their "exercise of conscience". This memoir examines the principles, motives, and dilemmas of the pacifist, out of step with a society intensely engaged in a popular war, raising issues that are of concern to all who are interested in peace in our time. The COs story is not without significance; Van Dyck's compelling narrative captures the ambience of this unique time and place and illuminates an important portion of American history.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
YA-- A close examination of the integrity, rational, and problems of the pacifists who ``marched to a different drummer'' when the United States was engaged in a popular war. Van Dyck, a Mennonite who refused to enter military service during World War II, recounts his four years in a hastily organized Civilian Public Service (CPS) camp. Readers experience the daily life in a camp for a heterogeneous collection of men whose only common bond was their ``exercise of conscience.'' Writing in a comfortable narrative form, Van Dyck discusses the public resentment, his fellow pacifists who renounced their beliefs and joined the armed forces, and the government snafus that kept some conscientious objectors in the camps for years. The theme of this book will raise controversial discussion.
Mike Printz, Librarian, Topeka West High School, Topeka, KS
Copyright 1990 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
There is little literature extant concerning the conscientious objector (CO) experience during World War II. Van Dyck, a Mennonite and retired University of North Texas sociology professor, relates his personal account as one of the 12,000 COs who served in the Civilian Public Service (CPS), a community service force. The level of government support provided CPS camp enrollees hardly provided basic subsistence. At camps, physical force was seldom used against COs. There was little sex, and boredom sometimes predominated. The author tells of the routines he performed at Hawthornden State Mental Hospital near Cleveland, and the reader gains insight into the COs pacifism and the negative attitudes of people toward them. Libraries needing to fill gaps in their World War II holdings or desiring something about COs should consider this.
- Scott Johnson, Meridian Community Coll. Lib., Miss.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Scott Johnson, Meridian Community Coll. Lib., Miss.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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