Shooting the Moon

Sticking to your convictions often takes courage and willpower. But sometimes, questioning what you believe and allowing room for doubt can take even more determination and requires a different kind of courage. How far are you willing to go to stand up for what you believe? And how much does it take before you're able to change your stance? This is the dilemma presented in SHOOTING THE MOON, a touching coming-of-age novel set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, by critically-acclaimed author Frances O'Roark Dowell. SHOOTING THE MOON is the story of 12-year-old Jamie Dexter, an Army brat who couldn't be prouder when her older brother TJ signs up for the armed forces and gets shipped off to Vietnam. As she waits for news from the front, she volunteers at the base's recreation center and befriends Private Hollister, a young soldier who helps her pass the time with games of gin rummy. Her father, whom she calls the Colonel, has brought the family up to believe that a life in the military is the key to living a life of success. Jamie wholly believes in the Colonel's philosophy until TJ begins sending her rolls of film from Vietnam. As she develops the photographs, a different picture of military life begins to emerge for her. Faced with the brutality of the war, Jamie comes to the conclusion that she needs to intervene when she learns that Private Hollister is about to be reassigned to Vietnam. Steeling her courage, Jamie prepares to confront her father, the one man she thinks stands between her new friend and the horrors her brother has revealed. In Jamie, Dowell has created a strong, believable young girl who shows both remarkable insight into the world around her and an almost melancholy naivety. It's almost heartbreaking to watch as Jamie, steadfast in her beliefs at the beginning of the book, slowly begins to see her opinions change and realize there is "more in heaven and earth." When someone else challenges our beliefs, it's hard enough. But when the questions are from within, it can be world-changing. At the same time, though, it's fulfilling to see her make the journey from taking everything as read to raising some serious questions about the war and the military. Her relationship with Hollister is sweet and provides a nice counterpoint to the turmoil she begins to feel at home. Although the very end feels a little too neat, it offers a beautiful coda to Jamie's journey and will leave readers satisfied. SHOOTING THE MOON will draw you in with its simplicity and astound you with its powerful story. Frances O'Roark Dowell's seemingly quiet book will make a memorable imprint on all who indulge. --- Reviewed by Brian Farrey

"Shooting the Moon" is middle grade fiction at its best: a setting that draws you in, a story that makes you think, characters that make you care, and a pace that keeps things interesting. One of the best books I've read in aught 8. The Vietnam war is in full swing and the Dexters are an army family through and through. Instead of "dad", the kids call their father "The Colonial". Like I said, through and through. 12 year old Jamie and her older brother TJ have been preparing for war their whole lives, waging strategic battle with army men for years. TJ, a recent high school graduate, decides to enlist. The strange thing is, The Colonial is not pleased. In fact, he is outright vocal in his opposition. When TJ is shipped overseas, he sends letters home for his parents and rolls of film for Jamie. What's contained in those photographs forces the youngest Dexter to rethink her gung-ho view of war. This one makes quick work of drawing you in and holding your interest. Dowell ("The Secret Language of Girls", "Chicken Boy", the "Phineas L. MacGuire" books) seamlessly mixes in flashbacks to tell the story from the perspective of Jamie. Her point of view changes over the course of the book, but the transition doesn't feel forced. A gradual and natural changing of opinion is a good thing to see in children's lit. "Shooting the Moon" is succinct, emotionally rich, and bound to find favor among the upper elementary readers who crack its cover.

On the recommendation of a kid lit blogger, I ordered a copy of this small, unpretentious book and had a read-through. It is wonderful! Jamie Dexter is a military brat whose father is a colonel and whose brother has enlisted to be sent to Vietnam. As the story progresses Jamie, who has been pro-war and battle-ready her whole life, begins to reconsider things as she sees her brother's photos from Vietnam. Instead of sending her letters to describe the war, he sends her his undeveloped film rolls to show her. No words, just photos. And in each roll, a photo of the moon. I feel that this book would work better with older elementary students, only because a coinciding study of Vietnam would be much easier to get into more deeply. The reading level is probably a bit lower than 5th grade, making it an ideal book for a book club who can handle more complex subject matter and high level mature discussions, but perhaps requires a shorter, less dense text. Great themes to explore here, and (at least for this reader, who never even had any siblings gone to war) strong emotional connections.

SHOOTING THE MOON is a deeply moving, gorgeously written novel about one military family's gradual disillusionment with the Vietnam War. It's the most realistic, searching kids' book I've read about that neglected period in American history. It's also a delicately nuanced family drama with unforgettable characters: the richly drawn heroine Jamie, who slowly develops an understanding not just about the war but about love and honor; her soldier brother who communicates by sending her undeveloped photos of Vietnam; her father the Colonel, a steadfast but surprisingly touching career Army man. Everything about this book is fresh and believable--and also poetic, resonant, and memorable. I think kids--and smart adults--will be reading this book for years to come. A real standout.

I've written about this before, but there's a flush of appreciation a reviewer experiences when they discover a great author that they've never read before. Even if that person has been around for years. In the case of Frances O'Roark Dowell, I'd read her first Phineas L. MacGuire book and I thought it was great. Still, I'd never gotten around to reading some of her better known works for older readers. I'd never picked up Dovey Coe or Chicken Boy or even The Secret Language of Girls. It just never came up. Still, I figure a person's got to start somewhere and so the book I decided to begin with her newest title, the historically minded "Shooting the Moon". A lot of people love Ms. Dowell and maybe they've become unable to tell one great book of hers from another. To those people I say this: This book is amazing. Top notch, wonderful, humorous, meaningful, with a pull and a hit in the gut that'll knock a readers' socks off. What we've got here is a title that has an excellent chance of engaging every reader that comes across it. And timely doesn't even begin to describe it. Jamie Dexter is a card shark, an army brat, and her father's daughter. She and her older brother TJ were raised to love the United States Army by their father, the Colonel, and as far as they're concerned the greatest thing in the entire world is getting a chance to fight and die for your country. Seems like the Colonel would be pleased as punch to have TJ enlist and go to Vietnam to fight instead of going to college, but oddly enough that doesn't seem to be the case. Still, off TJ goes and before he leaves Jamie asks him to write her letters about everything he sees and feels over there. Except that TJ doesn't do that. Instead he sends her rolls of black and white film he's taken over there with very precise instructions: "Jamie: No facilities here ... Please develop and send contact sheets." Of course, that means that Jamie has to learn how to develop film, and she does when she gets a chance. And through TJ's lens, Jamie sees more than just what it's like in Vietnam. She now hears the experiences of the soldiers that walk through the rec center where she works. She sees her father as a man and not a larger than life figure. And she begins to understand that sometimes things aren't as simple as you would like them to be. Reading my description of the book I know that you might be a little worried. It sounds like a book inclined to get preachy, doesn't it? I'm as anti-war as the best of them, but there's nothing worse than a work of fiction for kids that gets all holier-than-thou, proselytizing its views on war and how it's naughty. But Frances O'Roark Dowell isn't going to play that game. For one thing, she really is an army brat. For another, she's a good writer. This isn't a book that tells you what to believe. It's a book that starts with someone who thinks that they know what to think only to find that the world is a complicated place. It w