Awards

• Commended for Yalsa Award for Excellence in Non-Fiction for Young Adults 2019

Overview

First came John Lennon. Then Marching for Freedom. Now National Book Award-finalist Elizabeth Partridge takes on the ultimate 60s topic: Vietnam. In March 1965 President Lyndon B. Johnson sent troops into Vietnam. 57,939 American soldiers would be killed and seventeen years would pass before this controversial chapter of American history concluded with the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 1982. The history of this era is complex; the cultural impact extraordinary. But it's the personal stories of eight people--six American soldiers, one American nurse, and one Vietnamese refugee--that form the heartbeat of Boots on the Ground. From dense jungles and terrifying firefights to chaotic medic rescues and evacuations, each individual's story reveals a different facet of the war and moves us forward in time. Alternating with these chapters are profiles of key American leaders and events, reminding us what was happening at home, including Kent State, Woodstock, and Watergate. This show-stopping book is Elizabeth Partridge at her finest.

Full Product Details

9780525531470

Table of Contents

Reviews

Praise for Boots on the Ground by Elizabeth Partridge: This indispensable volume brings a wise and humane lens to a confused and brutal conflict. --Horn Book, starred review A necessary, conscientious look at a factious time in American and world history. --Booklist, starred review A personal, moving foray into the Vietnam War and its impact...Partridge's narrative storytelling is incisive and masterfully woven together. - Kirkus, starred review What makes the book powerful beyond the historical facts, though, is how the war irrefutably changed the people who were there. -School Library Journal, starred review The tandem placement of well-written textbook-style information with soul-searing personal dramas makes this compulsively readable while putting events and terms often encountered episodically into context. -BCCB, starred review Skillfully interweaving original interviews and black-and-white photos with narrative, Partridge evokes the political controversy and intense emotions. -Publishers Weekly, starred review Praise for Marching for Freedom by Elizabeth Partridge: Elizabeth Partridge takes the path off its pedestal and shows how ordinary people, children among them, can sometimes tip the balance and help determine the outcome of events. . . . Drawing on archival photographs and interviews with marchers who were as young as 10 at the time, Partridge swiftly sets the stage for the political war of nerves that culminated in the walk from Selma to Montgomery. --The New York Times Book Review Effective and meaningful archival photographs, quotes, poems, and songs are woven throughout the narrative, giving readers a real sense of the children's mindset and experiences. --School Library Journal, starred review A perfect balance of energetic prose and well-selected, breath-taking photographs. --Kirkus Reviews, starred review A sharply focused historical narrative for a younger audience. . . . Partridge once again demonstrates why she is almost peerless in her photo selection. --The Horn Book, starred review The vivid text is filled with quotes collected from Partridge's personal interviews. . . . Every spread brings readers up close to the dramatic, often violent action. --Booklist, starred review A dramatic and a memorable statement. --VOYA, starred review

Author Information

Elizabeth Partridge graduated with a degree in women's studies from the University of California, Berkeley, and later studied traditional Chinese medicine. She was an acupuncturist for more than 20 years before closing her medical practice to write full time. Elizabeth is a National Book Award finalist, Prince Honor winner, and author of several nonfiction books for children, including Restless Spirit: The Life and Work of Dorothea Lange;This Land Was Made for You and Me: The Life and Songs of Woody Guthrie; John Lennon: All I Want is the Truth; and Marching for Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don't You Grow Weary. She lives in the San Francisco Bay area. Ray Porter is the multiple Earphones Award-winning and Audie-nominated narrator of audiobooks, such as The Second Life of Nick Mason. A veteran of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, he has also appeared in Argo, The Runaways, Sons of Anarchy, Justified, Almost Famous, and many other TV and film productions.

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