Overview
Astronauts have taken the very first steps on the moon, yet Brady Callahan feels anything but hopeful. Her brother, an army private, is missing in Vietnam and she's stuck at home in Minnesota, worrying about him and not knowing how to make a difference.
Two newcomers in her life will help her find her path, though. There's the outspoken, charismatic Sally, who becomes entangled in a dangerous underground rebellion. Sally challenges Brady's practical nature and pulls her out of her shell enough to act on her attraction toward Mark, a young Vietnam vet who is as quiet and sensible as Sally is brash and risk-seeking. Through these relationships, Brady will find a way to feel at home in the storm of her troubled times&150to feel hopeful and to claim some happiness for herself.
An absorbing picture of the complicated Vietnam War era, Too Big a Storm is also a moving portrait of the healing power of family and friends, and of one exceptional young woman's self-discovery.
Synopsis
Astronauts have taken the very first steps on the moon, yet Brady Callahan feels anything but hopeful. Her brother, an army private, is missing in Vietnam and she's stuck at home in Minnesota, worrying about him and not knowing how to make a difference.
Two newcomers in her life will help her find her path, though. There's the outspoken, charismatic Sally, who becomes entangled in a dangerous underground rebellion. Sally challenges Brady's practical nature and pulls her out of her shell enough to act on her attraction toward Mark, a young Vietnam vet who is as quiet and sensible as Sally is brash and risk-seeking. Through these relationships, Brady will find a way to feel at home in the storm of her troubled times&150to feel hopeful and to claim some happiness for herself.
An absorbing picture of the complicated Vietnam War era, Too Big a Storm is also a moving portrait of the healing power of family and friends, and of one exceptional young woman's self-discovery.
Claire Rosser - KLIATT
Coming of age in 1969 in America had to be "too big a storm" for most young people. 18-year-old Brady's older brother has gone off to Vietnam to fight, reluctantly and angrily. Now he is missing in action, and the FBI is prowling around family and friends, believing he is a deserter publishing anti-war material in Saigon. Brady has two new friends: a brother and sister, Paul and Sally, who are turning to drugs and anti-war politics. They have wealthy parents who are nice people but tied to huge corporations connected to the war. Sally, in particular, feels their money is dirty and wants to give it away to the anti-war causes she believes in: one of the causes turns into a crime at the local university, and Sally goes underground with the FBI looking for her. Brady has the support of her exceptional mother and the love of her little brothers. She is working at a neighborhood community center run by a priest who is involved in underground antiwar activities. Brady falls in love (and has an affair) with a young man, Mark, just returned from fighting in Vietnam, now intent on getting an education. Everyone hates the war, including Mark, but the extent to which one should protest the war divides them—especially Paul and Sally and their parents. Qualey recreates the passion and confusion of the late 1960s, and the characters she creates to tell the story are intelligent, compassionate people trying hard to behave morally. The war trumps all other considerations, but Brady and the others also see that love and support from family and friends are the only feasible way to help them survive this storm. YAs reading this story today may get some understanding of why their elders are still soconsumed by the Vietnam War and how it changed America. KLIATT Codes: S—Recommended for senior high school students. 2004, Penguin, Dial, 246p., Ages 15 to 18.
Editorials
Children's Literature
The 1960's were a tumultuous time in American history. The combination of an unpopular war in Vietnam, racial upheaval, technological change, and a widening generation gap all came together to create a time period when virtually every commonly held social value was challenged. In this era one young woman, Brady Callahan, struggles to understand what is happening around her. Brady's brother, who is missing in Vietnam, is suspected by the FBI of being a deserter. Brady's family is under suspicion of aiding and abetting her brother and this creates a great deal of stress. While on a vacation, Brady meets a very radical young woman named Sally. Eventually Brady and Sally meet again when the Callahan's return to their home in Minneapolis. Sally is an extremist who has been part of an underground organization suspected of carrying out bombings. Brady also meets a veteran who helps her understand what the war in Southeast Asia means. In the end, Brady—who enters the story as a very straitlaced adolescent—leaves it with several new dimensions. Written in a fast-paced manner, Too Big A Storm captures the wild feel of the late 1960's. Details such as the war debate and the buildup of enthusiasm for the first walk on the moon all ring true. While there are some character flaws within this novel, they are more than made up for by Brady and the other central figures in the story. 2004, Dial, Ages 14 up.—Greg M. Romaneck
KLIATT
Coming of age in 1969 in America had to be "too big a storm" for most young people. 18-year-old Brady's older brother has gone off to Vietnam to fight, reluctantly and angrily. Now he is missing in action, and the FBI is prowling around family and friends, believing he is a deserter publishing anti-war material in Saigon. Brady has two new friends: a brother and sister, Paul and Sally, who are turning to drugs and anti-war politics. They have wealthy parents who are nice people but tied to huge corporations connected to the war. Sally, in particular, feels their money is dirty and wants to give it away to the anti-war causes she believes in: one of the causes turns into a crime at the local university, and Sally goes underground with the FBI looking for her. Brady has the support of her exceptional mother and the love of her little brothers. She is working at a neighborhood community center run by a priest who is involved in underground antiwar activities. Brady falls in love (and has an affair) with a young man, Mark, just returned from fighting in Vietnam, now intent on getting an education. Everyone hates the war, including Mark, but the extent to which one should protest the war divides them—especially Paul and Sally and their parents. Qualey recreates the passion and confusion of the late 1960s, and the characters she creates to tell the story are intelligent, compassionate people trying hard to behave morally. The war trumps all other considerations, but Brady and the others also see that love and support from family and friends are the only feasible way to help them survive this storm. YAs reading this story today may get some understanding of why their elders are still soconsumed by the Vietnam War and how it changed America. KLIATT Codes: S—Recommended for senior high school students. 2004, Penguin, Dial, 246p., Ages 15 to 18.—Claire Rosser