Captured by Alvin Townley, 256 pages. NON-FICTION Scholastic, 2019. $19.
Content: Language: PG-13 (22 swears); Mature Content: G; Violence:
PG-13.
BUYING ADVISORY: HS –
ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
In the beginning of the Vietnam conflict,
Jeremiah Denton’s plane was shot down and he was captured. As a prisoner of war, he was tortured and
left in solitary confinement over the course of seven and a half years. Jerry tried to maintain order and leadership
wherever he ended up in prison camps and he tried to maintain his sanity
although his internment felt unending.
Jerry’s story is noble, yet horrific. The torture and beatings go on and on, which
after a while makes for a slow read.
Jerry is an amazing person and I had no idea this type of experience
happened during the Vietnam War, but because of the violent beatings it should
probably stay in a high school with a more mature reader.
Reviewer, C. Peterson.