Book Review #4 Heroes Don't Run, A Novel of the Pacific War

I got this picture at: thebookdepository.com

          Heroes Don't Run, A Novel of the Pacific War, by Harry Mazer, is a novel about a boy named Adam Pelko. Adam was 14 years old when the Japanese took his father's life in Pearl Harbor. The Japanese took his father's life, and ever since then, he has wanted to join the military and avenge his father's death. Three years later, Adam goes to visit his grandfather, an injured World War I veteran, hoping that he would sign his U.S. Marines enlistment papers. At first he would not do it, but being a veteran he gave in. So off Adam went to boot camp, making friendships that continued all the way to Okinawa, which was where the battle was going to take place. There, he made other friends, and soon became a battle hardened marine. Only when an explosion killed one of his friends and left him with shrapnel in his leg, would he return to the states. There he returned to his awaiting mother back in Bakersfield, where he lived before any of this happened.
          The theme in this book is honor. This is because, the reason Adam joined the marines was because he wanted to honor his father and his death. I found that in chapter five inside his letter he wrote to his mother. Also, his grandfather signed his enlistment papers because he honored his grandson's feelings and judgement. That's why the theme in this book is honor.
          I loved this book! In history for World War II, you typically don't hear as much about the Pacific Theater as much as the European Theater, but this book really shed some light on the Pacific Theater, and how brutal it was.
          Being a war novel, I was very impressed on how much it depended on romance and friendship to keep it's readers drawn in. Having said this, I recommend this book to anyone. It was amazing.
          Later, as I was looking through the back of the book, I discorvered a list of two other books by Harry Mazer. Courious, I looked into them and found out that this one and the other two are in a series about Adam Pelko, and the war. This book is actually the third one. The first one is titled , "A Boy at War, A Novel of Pearl Harbor". Bits and peices of that book are mentioned in this one. So, if you decide to read them, start on,"A Boy at War, A Novel of Pearl Harbor".

         

This book is the first in the series

I got this picture at: http://www.paperbackswap.com/Boy-War-Harry-Mazer/book/043935207X/