From Publishers Weekly
Opposition to war is as old as war itself but, writes Gottlieb, a Southern California bookseller, who collected these oral histories, resistance to the draft during the Vietnam War was also fueled by 1960s moral and political consciousness and the failure of government to make credible the Communist menace. While many draft evaders sought refuge abroad or went to prison, 172,000 draftees, citing pacifists and religious convictions, served periods of alternative service. Draft dodgers also employed a variety of ingenious scams, from flunking or falsifying physical and mental tests and records (often in connivance with physicians) to feigning drug addiction or homosexuality, or by prolonging their academic studies. Draft evaders of that era might find the book nostalgic, but other readers will wonder at its point, especially since few of the contributors have interesting observations to make.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
During the late 1960s, nothing concerned the young American male more than the Selective Service--the draft. Thousands of these young men, draft dodgers, took any means to avoid compulsory military service. Some left the country, many turned to conscientious objector (CO) status, while others feigned physical or psy chological problems to avoid the draft "legally." This volume is their story in interview form, as compiled by Gottlieb over a two-year period in southern California. Contributors run from actor Chevy Chase to mostly obscure men. While many had legitimate moral objec tions to an unjust war in Southeast Asia, others opposed military service or admittedly were afraid. Although there is no literary merit here, some testimonies will stir strong emotion in readers, especially anyone who ever served in the military. If the truth hurts, then this book carries quite an impact. Nevertheless, it is an important volume. Scholars will still want to turn to Chance and Circumstance : The Draft , the War and the Vietnam Generation (LJ 4/1/78). Highly recommended. For one CO's tale, see John Balaban's Remembering Heaven's Face: A Moral Witness in Vietnam, LJ 5/15/91.--Ed.
- Boyd Childress, Auburn Univ. Lib., Ala.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Boyd Childress, Auburn Univ. Lib., Ala.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
