Captured by Alvin Townley - ADVISABLE

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.