Captured

February 1, 2019

Gr 9 Up-The author of several award-winning titles for adults has written a riveting tale for younger readers. On Sunday, July 18, 1965, navy pilot Jeremiah Denton took off from the aircraft carrier Independence on a bombing mission over North Vietnam. The mission was never completed, as Denton and his bombardier/navigator, Bill Tschudy, were shot down, captured, and transported directly to Hanoi. Since the United States had not declared war, the North Vietnamese claimed they did not have to abide by the Geneva Convention concerning the treatment of prisoners of war (POWs). They administered beatings, held captives in inhumane solitary confinements, and provided inadequate food rations. Denton, Tschudy, and most all other POWs were held at the Hanoi Hilton and Alcatraz at various times during their imprisonment. Since Denton was the highest ranking American captive, it was his responsibility to lead and encourage the more than 400 prisoners. The description of the solitary confinement and torture of the POWs is not for the faint of heart. Denton and his fellow POWs were released in February 1973 after almost eight years of captivity. Black-and-white photos are sprinkled throughout. Back matter contains an excellent epilogue and bibliography. Sensitive and young readers and those who have claustrophobia may find the content unsettling. VERDICT This excellent description of this episode of U.S. history should be among first purchases.-Eldon Younce, Anthony Public Library, KS

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2019
An imprisoned American naval officer remains steadfast throughout his captivity in North Vietnam.Shot down during a routine bombing run in 1965, naval aviator and white Alabama native Cmdr. Jeremiah "Jerry" Denton finds himself fighting on a completely unexpected front. Despite the persistence of his North Vietnamese captors, Denton clings to the American military's Code of Conduct for captured service members. He and other senior officers hold strong against an onslaught of physical and psychological torture, organizing a growing number of POWs to maintain a sense of unity and morale. This incredible tale of endurance, which Townley explores at greater length in his adult title Defiant (2014), stands alone for avid readers of war stories. More critical readers, though, may look elsewhere for a more complex view of the conflict and its survivors. The author's habit of noting race only in relation to the very few nonwhite prisoners mentioned, along with a tendency to attribute inconsistently stilted English dialogue to the Vietnamese interrogators, will trouble some. One randomly placed text feature on the POW-MIA movement by families at home and a few odd explanatory references distract from the narrative, which teeters at points from textbook to hagiography. Still, the inclusion of photos and maps will help keep genre fans reading.Appealing to war-story aficionados, this fulsome telling feels thin. (maps, bibliography, endnotes, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

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February 15, 2019
Grades 7-10 This harrowing and inspiring account follows U.S. naval aviator Jeremiah Denton's incarceration as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam from July 1965 to February 1973. One of the first 12 POWs captured during the war, Denton endured severe torture and starvation. At one point, he was imprisoned for 554 days in solitary confinement, often in leg shackles with his hand shackled behind him. He broke under torture, yet while being televised saying North Vietnamese propaganda, still managed to blink the word torture in Morse code. Forbidden to speak, the POWs communicated and even played chess with each other using a secret tapping code. After being extricated from North Vietnam in February 1973, Denton was the first POW to publicly speak upon arriving in the Philippines. This book focuses on Denton's POW years and only briefly mentions his life pre- and post-captivity. Back matter includes a bibliography, endnotes, an index (not seen), photos, and maps. Denton's patriotism, courage, and unquenchable spirit to survive shines through in this engrossing account.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)