Parsons, Alexander. In the shadows of the sun, a novel.PARSONS Parsons, city (1990 pop. 11,924), Labette co., SE Kans.; inc. 1871. It is a shipping point for dairy products, grain, and livestock. Manufactures include ammunition, wire and paper products, plastics, and appliances. , Alexander. In the shadows of the sun, a novel. Random House, Anchor. 262p. bibliog, c2005. 1-4000-7715-X. $13.95. SA Set alternately in the Philippines and New Mexico New Mexico, state in the SW United States. At its northwestern corner are the so-called Four Corners, where Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah meet at right angles; New Mexico is also bordered by Oklahoma (NE), Texas (E, S), and Mexico (S). from 1941 to 1945, this novel tells of the effect of WW II on the farm families of two brothers, Ross and Bayliss. Jack, the 17-year-old son of one of the brothers, enlists in the Army against the wishes of his father and is sent to the Philippines shortly before Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor, land-locked harbor, on the southern coast of Oahu island, Hawaii, W of Honolulu; one of the largest and best natural harbors in the E Pacific Ocean. In the vicinity are many U.S. military installations, including the chief U.S. . There he is captured by the Japanese and becomes part of the Bataan Death March Bataan Death March (April 1942) Forced march of 70,000 U.S. and Filipino prisoners of war (World War II) captured by the Japanese in the Philippines. From the southern end of the Bataan Peninsula, the starving and ill-treated prisoners were force-marched 63 mi (101 km) to a . Meanwhile, his family's farm is taken by the federal government to be used as a testing ground Noun 1. testing ground - a region resembling a laboratory inasmuch as it offers opportunities for observation and practice and experimentation; "the new nation is a testing ground for socioeconomic theories"; "Pakistan is a laboratory for studying the use of American for the development of the atomic bomb atomic bomb or A-bomb, weapon deriving its explosive force from the release of atomic energy through the fission (splitting) of heavy nuclei (see nuclear energy). The first atomic bomb was produced at the Los Alamos, N.Mex. . This causes upheaval in the families of the two brothers, who are forced to move. How they all cope, through protest or submission, is one part of the story, as the brothers' marriages and relationships change and one is sent to jail. Meanwhile, Jack's awful life as a POW, his reported death and his return to an irrevocably changed family, bring the novel to its brutal and gritty conclusion. The novel is true in its character development and factual in its historical accuracy, as evidenced by its extensive bibliography, unusual for a work of fiction. The impact of the war is seen through the eyes of the characters, but the author is also describing the end of the pre-nuclear era of American history. Nola Theiss, Sanibel, FL S--Recommended for senior high school students. A--Recommend for advanced students and adults. This code will help librarians and teachers working in high schools where there are honors and advanced placement students. This also will help KLIATT's usefulness in public libraries. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion