Rock 'n' Roll Soldier

September 1, 2009
Gr 9 Up-Drafted to fight in the Vietnam War, Kohler got the chance to pursue his desire to make music when he was asked by his captain to put together a rock band. He recruited three other soldiers, found inexpensive instruments in the local town, and set about practicing and then playing for fellow combatants in the 127th Military Police Company. Soon, he became more serious and tried to get the Electrical Banana gigs in all the clubs in Qui Nhon and beyond. From his eye-opening perspective, Kohler draws in readers with some gut-wrenching accounts of warfare, lightening the mood with references to bands, songs, and his love of music. This memoir reads like an action-packed novel and pairs well with Walter Dean Myers's "Fallen Angels" (Scholastic, 1998). It could provide an outstanding cross-curriculum tie-in between social studies and English."Dylan Thomarie, Johnstown High School, NY"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2009
Grades 9-12 Thewar memoir gets a unique spin with Kohlers recollection of his time playing rock and roll in the Vietnamjungle. The 19-year-old Kohler arrives in Qui Nhon in 1967 as part of a new military-police company, but hismind is onthe record deal his bandhad to turn down when he received his draft notice. Word of his talent gets around, though, and soon Kohler and three fellow privates are buying instruments from local merchants and rehearsing covers of everyone from Hermans Hermits to the Velvet Underground.Their bandthe Electrical Bananaquickly becomes the in-demandentertainment for nearby companies, and Kohler is determined to play every gig, even when it means traveling unarmed through VC territory. As scenes of panic and carnage alternate with the wild cheering of weary soldiers, the theme hits you in the gut: the restorative power of music is real, and no band, no matter how famous, could havebeen any more important than the Electrical Banana. A sober but ultimately inspiring read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)