Death Coming Up the Hill

Reviewed by: Bernie Alie - Kennebunk Free Library, Kennebunk, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: November 28, 2014

Review

The Vietnam War takes its toll on Ashe's family with his parents on either side of the political divide. Although Ashe is able to see both sides of his parents' conflict, his loyalty remains with his mother, despite her betrayal. Angela's brother is missing in action. The two find solace with each other amidst the wars pervading their lives.

Crowe uses haiku to parse the story down to its core, and thereby finding a way to honor 16,592 U.S. GI dead, the number who died in 1968. The haiku format is an ambitious undertaking but some emotions are minimized because of it. Despite the syllable count of five-seven-five, the haikus connect to form sentences to tell the story. Sometimes, this jars the flow. High school teachers will find multiple uses for cross-discipline studies. Social studies and history will read the text at one level, while literature and creative writing classes can compare the use of haiku with prose writing and the difficulty of remaining true to the form. Struggling readers may welcome the expanse of white space.

An author note discusses the haiku inspiration as well as word choice difficulties. However, an error in his notes may cause confusion with the text. Some details ring more true for the current Iraq War. Chapter headings include a date and death count for the week, based on author research. A creative introduction to the turbulence of the era, Ashe likens the conflict at home with the increasing turmoil in the country.

Overall Book Score: very good