Review by Peggy Kjelgaard, PhD, Board President, WCDH

Boot: A Sorta Novel of Vietnam by author Charles L. Templeton is a dynamic story about the Vietnam war as seen through the eyes of a marine. It follows the soldier’s experiences from pre-enlistment to returning home. The journey for the reader is somewhat like the authors description of a helicopter’s up and down movement during a descent into a hot zone—"like being on a roller coaster, going from being weightless one moment to feeling like you weigh a thousand pounds the next.” The reader feels the heaviness of harrowing rescue missions as well as the weightlessness of incidents that are light-hearted and at times, even humorous. But, the most captivating part of the story is how the author vividly depicts the relationships between the soldiers.

Many things make Boot a good read. The “marine talk” makes it feel real. The analogies are poignantly entertaining—a personal favorite. The names of all the colorful characters are the perfect solution for helping the reader keep everyone straight. The dialogue keeps the story moving at a perfect pace. The intensity of the rescues keep you on edge and then some far-out tale will have you laughing aloud. Finally, and most importantly, the serious undertones that play out are done exceptionally well, such as fears (of dying and living), racism, and politics.

Author Charles Templeton does an outstanding job of sharing a very difficult time in our nation’s history with clever depictions of reality. He uses personal experience and a hint of humor to write a great novel. I highly recommend this book.