Year of the Jungle

Often I try to avoid finding out what a book is about before I read it, so as to come to it without too many preconceptions. Usually that's a good mindset for reading a new book. But probably not for this one.

This is about the year Suzanne's father spend on duty in Viet Nam. He was there in '68. My dad was there in '69. Her dad sent her postcards. My dad sent us audio tapes. She noticed people trying not to look worried when she said where her father was, I was four and oblivious. She saw the news and became deeply concerned, whereas I don't recall watching anything about the war. Her father came home, eventually, but later than expected. As far as I know my dad came right back on schedule. We both got dolls. I didn't notice any changes show more in my dad, except that he was insistent we call him 'Sir," which I don't think we'd done before.

There's a tremendous amount of emotional resonance underneath all this. For some readers all that subtext will slide by, unnoticed. Others may find themselves swamped, but relieved that someone is talking about the thing that no one talks about. For me it was mostly just a "there but for the grace ..." moment, because I could have been Suzanne, and that would be dire.

It would be a really good idea for every public and school library to have a copy of this out, within easy reach, all the time, and for all the staff to know about it. The only other book I can think of with a similar storyline is Carl Hiassen's Scat, which should likewise be ubiquitous.

Library copy. show less

Wonderfully told tale from a young child’s point of view. The author’s father was in Vietnam for a year the year she was in 1st grade. And the story had me feeling angry all over again about Vietnam, and about unnecessary wars, and sad for those they affect. This is a fine story for children who have parents in the military and any children who have temporary separations from parents or other important people. Not for children who have experienced or will experience the death of a parent or other people important to them; this story is for temporary separations, not permanent ones. The illustrations really capture the emotions the girl is experiencing and the imagining she is doing. They’re terrific. But it’s the story told show more through a child’s eyes that is what really shines here. show less

Framed by the same line at the beginning and end of the book -- "my dad reads me poems by a man named Ogden Nash. My favorite is about a dragon named Custard, Even though he always feels afraid, he is really the bravest of all. And that's what makes him special."( unp.)--The Year of the Jungle captures the year in 1968 when author Suzanne Collins' father was in Vietnam. Readers have a completely different interpretation of that sentence at the end of the book rather than the beginning, as it reflects her father. Sue was too young to be afraid at first when he was gone; but adults' comments to her and her father's line in a postcard to pray for him taught her fear, which the illustrations imaginatively capture. A brilliant book that will show more resonate with any family member of a deployed service person. show less

Suzanne Collins recalls her childhood when her father went away for a year to serve in Vietnam during the war. It captures well the confusion, annoyance, anxiety and fear of a child whose parent is off doing something dangerous, but I wasn't really engaged by the pacing or fantasy sequences.

While useful for parents with kids in a similar situation, it may be a bit heavy for a broader audience of children.

Often I try to avoid finding out what a book is about before I read it, so as to come to it without too many preconceptions. Usually that's a good mindset for reading a new book. But probably not for this one.

This is about the year Suzanne's father spend on duty in Viet Nam. He was there in '68. My dad was there in '69. Her dad sent her postcards. My dad sent us audio tapes. She noticed people trying not to look worried when she said where her father was, I was four and oblivious. She saw the news and became deeply concerned, whereas I don't recall watching anything about the war. Her father came home, eventually, but later than expected. As far as I know my dad came right back on schedule. We both got dolls. I didn't notice any changes show more in my dad, except that he was insistent we call him 'Sir," which I don't think we'd done before.

There's a tremendous amount of emotional resonance underneath all this. For some readers all that subtext will slide by, unnoticed. Others may find themselves swamped, but relieved that someone is talking about the thing that no one talks about. For me it was mostly just a "there but for the grace ..." moment, because I could have been Suzanne, and that would be dire.

It would be a really good idea for every public and school library to have a copy of this out, within easy reach, all the time, and for all the staff to know about it. The only other book I can think of with a similar storyline is Carl Hiassen's Scat, which should likewise be ubiquitous.

Library copy. show less

Thanks for the recommendation Karla! I might have missed this otherwise. I love how the colorful, happy pics dissolve into scarier pictures as the main character's anxiety increases over her father's Vietnam deployment. And I see reflections of Hunger Games and Gregor the Overlander in this autobiographical story.

"Year of the Jungle" was probably the best depiction of how to explain any of the wars where families are deployed. I think it was an emotional book. I felt it had the 'oh yeah this is all fine' to the "it got bad" feelings. It gave me a feeling of despair from the mom and the dad, how much it was kept under wraps from children, and how important keeping in touch with your family means. I say that because when the dad came home Suzy felt as though her dad was home but HE was not home, he was still in the Jungle. A feeling/emotional battle that every service member feels to many levels of degree.