Jeremiah A. Denton, Jr.: Vietnam War Hero

(a biography, Alabama Roots Series) by Anne Chancey Dalton (ISBN#978-1-59421-078-5)

I was grew up watching the Vietnam War on TV. It was the first war televised to the world. Maybe it is because it was on television or maybe it was because it was an “unpopular” war but I haven’t read about many Vietnam War heroes. I knew some of them. Family, friends who were drafted or enlisted and went to fight because of a belief in our country’s ideals just as young men and women did in previous wars, just as they are now.

This is a book written for middle school students. Mrs. Dalton does a great job of presenting the many facets of Adm. Denton, giving us a snapshot background of the family and life who, along with the Naval Academy, shaped him into the man that survived over seven years as a POW. Mrs. Dalton hit the right balance in her descriptions of his ordeal. I also liked that she answered my usual question of “What happened next?” by giving another snapshot of Adm Denton’s life after his release. The best endorsement I can give is that I am sending this book on to my grandchildren to read.