Review by Tiggywinkles -- Something About Ann
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Tiggywinkles
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Review by Tiggywinkles -- Something About Ann
[Following is a volunteer review of "Something About Ann" by J. Everett Prewitt.]
The prologue of this book throws the audience immediately into the gory hell of a battle on the border of Vietnam and Cambodia in 1969. There is no attempt by the author to spare us from the reality of the ordeal. The violence inflicted on the human body and mind is described in raw detail as to the voiding of the stomach and bowel, the panic, the blood, and death. This is the readers' introduction to Something About Ann by J Everett Prewitt.
Beginning with a novella and followed by eleven short stories, Something About Ann provides us with small snapshots of the lives of six of these African American men after they have returned to civilian life. In the opening novella, we meet Clarence Bankston. Recently returned from the Vietnam war Clarence is a man trying to find peace in his life. A chance meeting with Ann helps him to do this as they develop a relationship built upon shared sadness. What at first seems to be a simple love story develops and reveals with well-measured literary restraint, a cruel irony played out upon the lovers, like “some god playing tricks” (location 1117). The short stories proceeding the novella explore the consequences of the Vietnam war for men who are trained killers and also the victims of war. For some, we learn of their struggles to attain a sense of peace and normality in their lives and the fragility of being able to sustain it. For others, we learn of the actions they take to preserve their survival as they eke out a living on the streets.
This book is well worth a read if you have a busy week ahead but still want to fit in a book that is both engaging and well written. The author has an easy to read style and has created a cast of believable characters. If you have an interest in the subject of warfare, then you may well enjoy this book, but I don't think it was the author's intent to capture the interest of this audience alone. One does not need to have in-depth historical knowledge about the complexities of the war in Vietnam to enjoy this book. Through the series of short stories, we are given windows into the lives of these six men and discover whether or not they succeed or fail at rebuilding them. The author cleverly weaves their experiences in and out of each other’s stories and explores themes that are pivotal to all human experience; friendship, learning, survival, love, grief, and fear. While all the short stories are satisfying to read, there are two chapters that stood out particularly for me. In "With One Exception" and "The Gift" we experience the author's ability to move a reader to feel empathy for characters who profoundly damaged by war and weighed down by deep sorrow are in turn uplifted by acts of simple kindness.
To the parents of young teenagers, there are a few points to be made aware of. There is a brief sex scene in the book, but the writing is in no way graphic or crude. There is also some use of profanity, but I would not say that swear words are used gratuitously. Episodes of racist bullying and the offensive slurs that usually accompany this type of abuse also occur in some of the stories. If you have any parental concerns about this type of content, then perhaps have a read of it yourself first.
In conclusion, I found no fault with this book, and therefore my rating must be 4 out 4 stars . I feel this rating is justly deserved not only because I found it to be a great read being both emotive and educational, but also for the professional editing which resulted in next to zero errors. What I liked most about this book was how well it portrayed the complex humanity of the individual characters as they re-constructed their lives after enduring horrific events. While the consequences of war are tragic, this book is at times hopeful and weighted more towards the characters' use of the lessons they have learned throughout their lives to continue living as normal a life as they are able.
******
Something About Ann
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
The prologue of this book throws the audience immediately into the gory hell of a battle on the border of Vietnam and Cambodia in 1969. There is no attempt by the author to spare us from the reality of the ordeal. The violence inflicted on the human body and mind is described in raw detail as to the voiding of the stomach and bowel, the panic, the blood, and death. This is the readers' introduction to Something About Ann by J Everett Prewitt.
Beginning with a novella and followed by eleven short stories, Something About Ann provides us with small snapshots of the lives of six of these African American men after they have returned to civilian life. In the opening novella, we meet Clarence Bankston. Recently returned from the Vietnam war Clarence is a man trying to find peace in his life. A chance meeting with Ann helps him to do this as they develop a relationship built upon shared sadness. What at first seems to be a simple love story develops and reveals with well-measured literary restraint, a cruel irony played out upon the lovers, like “some god playing tricks” (location 1117). The short stories proceeding the novella explore the consequences of the Vietnam war for men who are trained killers and also the victims of war. For some, we learn of their struggles to attain a sense of peace and normality in their lives and the fragility of being able to sustain it. For others, we learn of the actions they take to preserve their survival as they eke out a living on the streets.
This book is well worth a read if you have a busy week ahead but still want to fit in a book that is both engaging and well written. The author has an easy to read style and has created a cast of believable characters. If you have an interest in the subject of warfare, then you may well enjoy this book, but I don't think it was the author's intent to capture the interest of this audience alone. One does not need to have in-depth historical knowledge about the complexities of the war in Vietnam to enjoy this book. Through the series of short stories, we are given windows into the lives of these six men and discover whether or not they succeed or fail at rebuilding them. The author cleverly weaves their experiences in and out of each other’s stories and explores themes that are pivotal to all human experience; friendship, learning, survival, love, grief, and fear. While all the short stories are satisfying to read, there are two chapters that stood out particularly for me. In "With One Exception" and "The Gift" we experience the author's ability to move a reader to feel empathy for characters who profoundly damaged by war and weighed down by deep sorrow are in turn uplifted by acts of simple kindness.
To the parents of young teenagers, there are a few points to be made aware of. There is a brief sex scene in the book, but the writing is in no way graphic or crude. There is also some use of profanity, but I would not say that swear words are used gratuitously. Episodes of racist bullying and the offensive slurs that usually accompany this type of abuse also occur in some of the stories. If you have any parental concerns about this type of content, then perhaps have a read of it yourself first.
In conclusion, I found no fault with this book, and therefore my rating must be 4 out 4 stars . I feel this rating is justly deserved not only because I found it to be a great read being both emotive and educational, but also for the professional editing which resulted in next to zero errors. What I liked most about this book was how well it portrayed the complex humanity of the individual characters as they re-constructed their lives after enduring horrific events. While the consequences of war are tragic, this book is at times hopeful and weighted more towards the characters' use of the lessons they have learned throughout their lives to continue living as normal a life as they are able.
******
Something About Ann
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: At the Mouth of a Cannon by Kevin Annett
