Book 2012: Surfing Vietnam

Surfing Vietnam by James A. Hockings

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


The writing and the story line were good and interesing enough, just not entirely within my style and genre norm, hence the 2 stars. However, the book was interesting and I'd be interested to know people's feelings about this book who served or protested or simply lived during the Vietnam war. But, the story isn't just about one boys experience of the draft and avoiding the draft, it's also a story of love and love lost and the dirt and grit of life and Hockings did a fine job putting it all together.
A couple standout quotes:
"Danny had tated love, and would never be the same, even if love tasted sour this fall." (location 764)
"In the din of the bar and in the haze of a thousand cigarettes, this man had created an oasis of calm reflection that somehow pulled in a crowd." (location 2481)
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A few other notes: I finished this right before arriving in Vietnam and seeing the story as told from that side of the equation and ultimately served as the main motivating factor for reading this story, to put Vietnam into a more complete or historical/travel destination perspective and for that, it was a valuable read.

(Typed having recently finished an instant Caramel Macchiatto from a silver thermos)