War Is: soldiers, survivors, and storytellers talk about war by Marc Aronson and Patty Campbell

*Starred Review* In his provocatively titled introduction, “People Like War,” Aronson writes: “If we ask people to fight for us—as we always have and always will—we owe them the respect of listening to them.” Though differing (passionately) about war’s inevitability, his coeditor, Campbell, feels likewise, and joins him in presenting a gathering of reminiscences, interviews, letters, published articles, and literary works that brilliantly convey war’s terrible appeal as well as its realities and lasting effects on those whose lives are personally touched by armed conflict. Contributions include Ernie Pyle’s eloquent account of wreckage on a D-Day beach, a Vietnam vet’s nightmarish memories of combat, jokey letters home by Campbell’s naive doughboy father, scathing accounts of sexual harassment in Iraq and elsewhere from several female ex-GIs, and a disturbing indictment of recruiting practices in today’s high schools. Anyone considering enlistment will find these pieces (not to mention the many titles provided in the ample but not indigestible lists of war fiction and nonfiction at the end) to be mesmerizing reading. With this collection, Aronson and Campbell have provided an uncommonly valuable source of hard information and perceptive insight. Grades 10-12. --John Peters --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Marc Aronson thinks war is inevitable. Patty Campbell thinks war is cruel, deceptive, and wrong. But both agree on one thing: that teens need to hear the truthful voices of those who have experienced war firsthand. The result is this dynamic selection of essays, memoirs, letters, and fiction from nearly than twenty contributors, both contemporary and historical — ranging from Christian Bauman's wrenching "Letter to a Young Enlistee" to Chris Hedges's unfl inching look at combat to Fumiko Miura's Nagasaki memoir, "A Survivor's Tale." Whether the speaker is Mark Twain, World War II correspondent Ernie Pyle, or a soldier writing a miliblog, these divergent pieces look war straight in the face — and provide an invaluable resource for teenagers today.

*both reviews pulled from Amazon.com*

Book Specs:

Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
Publisher: Candlewick (February 10, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0763642312
ISBN-13: 978-0763642310


This book was so very provocative. As I read the opening essay by one of the editors(Aronson) he made a point that I personally didn't agree with, initially. He says we humans like war, we crave war. I thought, he is so wrong, but after reading through the stories and letters and other things contained in this novel, I think I might have begun to agree with him.

This book is listed as being appropriate for grades 10 -12, I definetly agree! The only way I might use this book in a 9th grade class is if the maturity level of my sutdents called for it.

If you want to stretch your mind and are open to thinking about War in a new way, this is definetly the book for you!