Sherry Shahan

Using a timeline technique, this book gives glimpses into the lives of a fictional group of high schoolers throughout the socially and politically explosive year 1965. Each narrator, loosely based on the author and her own friends, tells her or his experience through mediums including short letters, journal entries and stream-of-consciousness musings. Interspersed throughout these narratives are nuggets of historical information — from brief biographical accounts of figures like Malcom X show more and Norman Morrison to selective fact sheets on Lysergic Acid Diethylamide and Napalm to summary retellings of such events as “Bloody Sunday” and the SDS march on Washington to excerpts from speeches given by President Johnson and Martin Luther King, Jr. and quotes from popular music as well as songs sung at boot camp. This book is essentially a mini-course on American history. In particular, it humanizes the American youth experience of the Vietnam war. In one vivid juxtaposition, readers learn about the Thanksgiving menu served to military brass on one page, followed by character Phil’s writing home about eating expired SPAM. Not all tame, though, there are bloody depictions of events from both the war and the civil unrest at home. The topic of abortion is also glossed over. Although aimed at teens, the content in this book is quite mature. In addition, the short chunks of text give the deceptive appearance of an easy read; instead, the book requires readers to make informed inferences to fully comprehend its suprisingly deep-treatment of content. Recommended for upper high school. It could be used in a collaborative unit between English and history teachers. Also a good study of point of view. show less

This interesting novel-in-verse describes life in 1965 for six suburban Los Angeles high school students. The three couples, Mickey and Ziggy, Cheryl and Don, and Nancy and Phil, struggle with what many young people today do: grades, drugs, and sex. Unfortunately, they must also deal with the tragedy that was the Vietnam War, as 1965 saw the most dramatic increase in troop deployments and draft consignments up to that time.

Both Mickey and Phil are drafted, Mickey into the Navy and Phil into show more the Marines. It is Phil, the Marine grunt, who witnesses the unspeakable actions of those on the ground in Vietnam, and it is only his correspondence with Cheryl that keeps his feet on the ground and his wits about him. Although Cheryl is not Phil's girlfriend, she has heard about the terrible difficulty Vietnam veterans have been having as they try to assimilate back into life in the states, and she has determined that Phil will return whole, in mind if not in body.

Dramatic tensions increase as Phil, lonely for his girlfriend Nancy and homesick as well, turns increasingly to Cheryl for comfort and news from home since Nancy won't write to him. She is so paralyzed by her fear of his death in Vietnam that she turns away, detaching herself emotionally from the boy she loves.

Ziggy responds to her boyfriend Mickey's absence in a similar way, although while Nancy immerses herself in work and school, Ziggy drops out of high school and turns to drugs and sex to soothe her.

Shahan tells the story through the characters, who take their poetic turns, but I thought the characterizations were a little flat. I really felt only for Phil who, of course, is experiencing the most dramatic pain. I didn't not like the other characters but I felt no connection. What I really liked about this book are the intrusions of historical fact: parts of speeches by LBJ and Martin Luther King, Jr., descriptions of the actions of the FBI and the formation of the National Day of Peace, and explanations of war terminology such as the Ho Chi Minh trail and the 34th parallel, for instance. I found these much more interesting, along with the many cultural references included, than the lives of the characters.

However, I do think older teens will be drawn into the story by the spector that was the Vietnam War, the antiestablishment culture that is just beginning to take root in 1965, and the role of music--the Beatles, the Stones, and Jefferson Airplane--in the lives of these teens.

Recommended for high school age, 15+, although I think juniors, with the historical context of Vietnam in place, would be most intrigued. show less

So if you’re a regular reader of my blog you know that I’m not the world’s biggest historical fiction fan. That said, I have a big love for near histories as well as novels in verse. And of course, a great story will always get me on board. Sherry Shahan‘s PURPLE DAZE is all of these things. The book spans the year of 1965 as a group of teenagers write in journals and exchange letters in a world that is changing — and quickly.

As the story opens, the whole group — Ziggy, Cheryl, show more Nancy, Don, Mickey, and Phil — live in the same L.A. neighborhood, and some of them go to school together. But Ziggy and Mickey’s relationship is on the rocks — not that his less-than-admirable opinion of her as “the kind of girl who puts out” is helping — and Phil is about to get drafted into the Marines, putting his girlfriend Nancy in a tailspin. Cheryl is the only one who writes him regular letters, while she keeps a private journal about her crumbling relationship with her best friend Ziggy, her blooming relationship with her mom, and her creepy neighbor next door. Mickey is about to take a big step of his own, sick of his dad’s drunken behavior, and Don is on the verge of making a big mistake in his relationship with Cheryl. But one thread binds them all: much-needed friendship in the face of fear, flux, and change.

The lives of these six teens are so interwoven. The author is irrelevent, because it is the poems these characters place in the pages that makes this novel special. They speak to each other and to the reader. Spliced between the characters’ stories are quotes and newsclips from political leaders and pop culture figures, keeping us up to date with the goings on of 1965. The novel is, in a word, unforgettable. In three words, it’s a beautiful experience. show less

This story is raw, honest, powerful, told from 6 points of view and taking place mostly in 1965. I was a teen during the time of this novel so am familiar with the music and themes. The characters lived in California where drugs were more prevalent. The author packs a lot of punch into an easy-to-read format, which isn't to say it would have been easy to write. The characters feel authentic. The mandatory draft, the Vietnam War, the drug culture, including parents, the angst and trials of show more teen years all are part of the story.

It's a timeless story, even though it's steeped in a historical period. Teens always struggle with romance and temptation and real life issues. Not all parents are the Cleavers and we all need love. The tone of the book seemed optimistic, upbeat, despite the tough spots most teens experience. The moments of anger didn't drag on.

The story could be educational for those who didn't live through this time, and for others who did but weren't involved in the drug culture or the war. There are clips of real quotes and events of the day sprinkled throughout. The story will zing for those who were young people in this era and who will understand all the various words and references. show less