Special Forces: Unconventional Warfare by Chris Lynch - NO

Special Forces: Unconventional Warfare by Chris Lynch, 166 pages. Scholastic, 2018. $18

Language: PG (0 swears); Mature Content: PG; Violence: PG-13.

BUYING ADVISORY: MS - NO  

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Danny always had a violent streak and it would come out most often with his brothers. After constant fights at home and constant fights at school, Danny found himself in trouble with the law. The judge gave him the option to enlist and he did just that, serving in the Studies and Observation Group during the Vietnam War. Danny enjoyed most of his experience but had a hard time grappling with killing innocent people and animals.  

For me this book focused on the very worst reasons to get involved in military service - the desire to fight and kill. The characters were constantly violent with each other and in the way they talked about their enemy. War was used as an outlet for killing legally, with this ideology even stated explicitly by one of the characters.  

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher