Official Review: American Emerald by David Snow

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MrsCatInTheHat
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Official Review: American Emerald by David Snow

Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "American Emerald" by David Snow.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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David Snow’s American Emerald is a modern coming of age story about a young Irishman who has decided that his destiny is to go to the United States and join the U.S. Army. Snow takes his readers to the heart of Ireland, the heat of southern Georgia, the mountains of Colorado and Afghanistan, as well as the sands of Iraq. In each place, one feels that one is there with young Dan Flynn, watching him grow up.

When we first meet Dan, he is counting the days until he leaves Donegal, Ireland for Fort Benning, Georgia. He is having his lasts visits with friends and family. The family pub and hotel are the heart of village. Mam and Dad have a hard time believing their son is leaving, and they are trying to make the most of their time with him. During his last week there, their hotel is home to two American sisters, Sandy and Jo. Sandy and Dan are quickly enamored with each other, spending most of their time together. Most think it’s his last fling before the army, but Dan and Sandy think they’re in love. Sandy heads back to Texas and Dan goes to Fort Benning. Watching what happens with their relationship brings unexpected surprises.

Boot camp begins with full immersion into Army life. Keeping in touch with Sandy and his parents is difficult. Dan quickly makes friends with two men, Jelly and Coffee. Training gets easier with time. Dan is discovered to be a natural on the shooting range, but can that really be why he is getting very special treatment? What’s up with the plane tickets to Vail for Christmas? No one else in his unit is having an officer hand them tickets to anywhere. Who is watching out for Dan? Training ends, Dan’s options are not what he expected for the future. His skills are being noticed by the powers that be, who let him know that when he gets back from Afghanistan, he’ll be really going places if he plays his cards right.

Jelly, Coffee, and Dan are closer than ever and are quick to become bunkmates upon arrival in Afghanistan. Dan quickly meets Major Bob Redmond and is tasked with accompanying him on what will be Dan’s first mission. Dan finds combat terrifying and horrifying as they engage in battle, losing men, including a close buddy. Dan’s own injuries, both mental and physical, help him to fully recognize his love for Sandy. Recuperation and the future become the focus as the story reveals its conclusion. Discovery of who has been promoting his skills is astonishing to Dan, but not so much to the reader.

American Emerald truly shows a boy becoming a man. The vivid imagery makes one feel like they are walking on the beaches of Ireland, running up hills in boot camp and facing battle with comrades. I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. However, I would not recommend this story to someone battling PTSD, as some of the battle imagery might bring back difficult memories for them.

******
American Emerald
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Post by SpiderDreamer1 »

This sounds like an interesting book, certainly. How realistic is the PTSD treated? I know that tends to be a very tricky, difficult subject to cover in art.
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Post by gali »

Not my cup of tea, but I am glad you enjoyed it.
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Post by bookowlie »

Great review! The premise sounds very unique - a man who wants to move to the US to join the Army. I am going to take a second look at this one.
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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

SpiderDreamer1 wrote:This sounds like an interesting book, certainly. How realistic is the PTSD treated? I know that tends to be a very tricky, difficult subject to cover in art.

I would agree that PTSD is difficult to address, even more so in real life than in fiction because of the lives impacted. In "American Emerald", Dan is showing signs of PTSD, his family recognizes it but it doesn't go further than the family trying to help, and his wife wondering if more help is needed. Now that I think about it, it would have been nice if the book gave resources in an appendix for people who want to seek help.

-- 27 Dec 2016, 12:34 --
bookowlie wrote:Great review! The premise sounds very unique - a man who wants to move to the US to join the Army. I am going to take a second look at this one.

I found the premise interesting. I didn't know a person could do that, join the US Army while still living overseas. He moved to the US when he started boot camp. I have to wonder if that is actually possible. On to another research question.
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Post by SpiderDreamer1 »

Yeah, I think those are generally good to include if you're going to tackle such a tricky subject.
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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

SpiderDreamer1 wrote:Yeah, I think those are generally good to include if you're going to tackle such a tricky subject.

I would concur as some readers might recognize the symptoms in someone they know. It would give them a starting point for references. However, as my review stated, I don't recommend this book to people with PTSD. I think it would be difficult for them at points. While much of the story is not set in battle, the parts that are tend to be quite intense.
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Post by Silvermoon »

This sounds like an amazing book, between the Irish Coast and Afghanistan. Jelly and Coffee seem like interesting characters, and I am interested finding out who is helping Dan behind the scenes. Great job with the review!
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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

Silvermoon wrote:This sounds like an amazing book, between the Irish Coast and Afghanistan. Jelly and Coffee seem like interesting characters, and I am interested finding out who is helping Dan behind the scenes. Great job with the review!
Snow did an excellent job describing the topography of both Ireland and Afghanistan. I could really envision being there. If you do read it, please come back and post as to whether or not you figured out who was helping Dan. I thought I knew but with the twists, it was surprising.
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Post by Wasif Ahmed »

Great review! Not exactly my kind of read but I would congratulate the author for getting such a great rating. :D
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Post by BestReviews »

What an engrossing review. Cheers to all our military men and women out there. I highly recommend this book.


Nice review.
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Post by kandscreeley »

That's a great rating. Sounds like a pretty good book. I love that the imagery is so vivid to help us to really feel like we are there. Thanks!
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Post by MrsCatInTheHat »

kandscreeley wrote:That's a great rating. Sounds like a pretty good book. I love that the imagery is so vivid to help us to really feel like we are there. Thanks!
It's amazing when an author can really make us feel like we're there with the characters!
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