The Road Home

Twenty-one-year-old nurse Rebecca Phillips has fled a wealthy Bostonian upbringing fraught with issues and essentially exchanged it for a different type of hell --- a field hospital for wounded American soldiers in Vietnam. She works 16-hour days in the chaos of horrific amputations, burns and other casualties, and must often make the call between life and death...something that continues to haunt her day after day. In a very short time, her co-workers cease to be merely people working with her toward a common goal. Rebecca finds a source of inspiration and friendship in her seemingly perfect direct supervisor, Major Maggie Doyle, and comic relief in Wolf and Spike, two young pilots. At the same time, Rebecca's bonds make her feel the pain all the more intensely when she learns more about the difficult past that led Major Doyle to the Army, and when tragedy befalls Wolf and Spike -- and herself. But with tragedy often comes some joy, however small and imperceptible it may at first seem. In the most unlikely circumstances, Rebecca meets Michael Jennings, a 19-year-old private who seems instantly infatuated with her. She grudgingly agrees to exchange addresses, and before long, Michael's heartfelt accounts of his thoughts, dreams and daily experiences in the jungle have made her fall in love with him. When tragedy again strikes, separating Rebecca and Michael not long before her yearlong tour is up, she feels as though she cannot go on. The past year of grief, horror, physical and emotional pain finally combine in a way where Rebecca believes she cannot fit into regular American life ever again. It's at her lowest that Rebecca shows just how strong she can be, and how while she could not control so many other things in her life, she can shape her own destiny.

One day, about a year ago I, a young seventh grader was browsing in the young adult section and couldn't find any new interesting books or ones I wanted to read that I hadn't already read, so I picked up The Road Home Since that day I have read this book about a million times. I had my dad buy a used copy from a far off state, and every time we go one a trip I bring it along. I love this book and I don't believe that I once lived without it. Rebecca, the heroine, is a young nurse who went to Vietnam and served her country. This book has an anti-war theme, but it defends the veterans and exposes their persecution. Possibly the most enjoyable part for me was to read someone's writing whose humor so perfectly matched mine. I love it.I believe that while some swear words and other may be unappropriate for too young of readers, this book is perfect for anyone aged twelve to aged 120. This book combines the key elements, in my mind, of history, adventure, wit, humor, and romance. I've read this book so many times that I've almost memorized it. Please try it and tell your friends. This book is too good to be thrown out of libraries. Read it!!!

I read this about a year ago. I am very interested in reading historical fiction, particularly concerning the Vietnam War. I read this book before any others in the Echo Company series, simply because it was the only one at the book store, and I just happened to pick it up. I think that it is a good continuation of the series, and, while I would have liked to learn more about what happened to certain characters when they got back to "the world", I think that this book does a good job of finishing everything up. As a teen who generally dislikes the formulaic teen novels that crowd the shelves of bookstores, I think that this is a great book. I only wish that more people would read it.

I picked this book off a table of "remaindered" books some months ago, and just finished reading it. What a pity that such a good book should be resigned to the "nobody bought these" category. I suspect one problem is the "young adult" lable on the book. This is certainly not a book for children; most "young adults" are either reading mass market paperbacks or classics for school; and most adults assume a "young adult" book is geared for a young reader. This is an insightful and moving story of the destructive nature of war, both physically and mentally. The first half of the book takes place in a Nam ER room, moves as fast as the popular tv series ER, and is even more gruesome. This environment creates a hothouse of physical and emotional destruction this is almost unbearable. The second half of the novel explores ER nurse Rebecca's return to the States and her attempt to re-adjust to a "normal" life, a transition tale that is no less moving or interesting than the first half. There's a certain amount of "Born on the 4th of July" angst here, but the book is an insightful, entertaining, and moving tale that deserves more recognition by an adult audience. Which is not to say young adults wouldn't appreciate it. Really, it's a book for the 15+ set, with an emphasis on the +.

I read this book two years ago and I liked it enough to not only remember it but to sit down and write a review for it. The Road Home is typically billed as a children's book; it isn't, not by a long shot. No matter how old you are, you'd have to be made of stone not to be affected by this book. Ellen White tells a story of the war in Vietnam as it was. She doesn't mince words and she doesn't turn the war into something wonderful and glory-filled. War is nothing short of hell, and you'll know that when you finish this book. After I read this, I had a new, deep respect for the soldiers that fought in Vietnam. I thought that every politician in the world needed to read this book - then maybe they would think twice about sending soldiers to war. Read this book. It deserves to be read.