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Loading... Field of Honorby D. L. Birchfield
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In D. L. Birchfield's Field of Honor, a secret underground civilization of Choctaws, deep beneath the Ouachita Mountains of southeastern Oklahoma, has evolved into a high-tech culture, supported by the labor of slaves kidnapped from the surface. Underground, long yellow rows of corn stand tall and ripe in immense, brightly lit greenhouses, and great games of stickball are played in the dark in huge stadiums with glowing balls. The twentieth century has been one long, golden summer for this underground Choctaw community, where nothing is more important than the ball games. Here Choctaw traditions are safe from the cultural genocide being waged in the world above. But crisis is about to strike the underground community, threatening its continued existence. Into this idyllic underground Choctaw world stumbles P. P. McDaniel, a half-blood Choctaw Marine Corps deserter from the Vietnam War who has the great misfortune of suffering from Stockholm Cowardice Syndrome Dysfunction. Reeling from culture shock and struggling for his own survival, McDaniel becomes entangled in political intrigue and an unlikely romance in this rich satire. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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It's important to note that Field of Honor is intended to be rather bizarre satire, because after realizing that, one can accept just about any weird, unrealistic thing that happens. And there are many weird, unrealistic things that happen from the beginning to the end of the book, so just sit back, suspend your disbelief, and enjoy the strange ride. I found Birchfield's satirical gibes at American politics, history, and culture totally hilarious, though I think giving them away would ruin the enjoyment of surprise. The Vietnam War, of course, comes under attack, as does the English language, North American colonialism, Anglo-American heritage, 20th-century presidents, Texans, and many, many other subjects. It's quite fun. At the same time, the novel also teaches a great deal about Choctaw culture and history, albeit in a very unique and unexpected way.
The only issue I had with Field of Honor was I would have liked it to be longer. McDaniel is becoming embroiled in the intrigues of this underground Choctaw group, but the book ends soon after without much closure. There's no resolution to what's going on with the Choctaws, even though some of the issues could have disastrous consequences for both them and others. It's a rather quick and unsatisfying conclusion to an otherwise very well-developed and engaging novel. ( )