Synopsis
The first American POW to be held in North Vietnam describes his life since the end of the war and how he has come to terms with his ordeal
Reviews
Writing with Schreiner ( Mayday! Mayday! ), former Navy pilot Alvarez reports on his 1973 return to the U . S . after eight years in a North Vietnamese prison camp. The same patriotism and sense of duty that informed Chained Eagle , his account of his POW experience, is evident here as he observes the division in this country between those who supported and opposed the war and poignantly reports on "a time of troubles" closer to home. Alvarez's wife divorced him while he was away, his sister joined the peace movement and he became politically separated from his staunchly Democratic family as his military and POW experiences transformed him into a conservative who would vote for Ronald Reagan in 1980 and serve his administration in Veteran Affairs before setting up as a business consultant in 1987. While noting that "my own healing has not been complete," Alvarez exhibits a refreshing optimism that makes this book a pleasure to read.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
What it was like to return to civilian life after eight and a half years as a POW, told blandly by Alvarez (Chained Eagle, YA, 1989--not reviewed), with help from Schreiner (A Place Called Princeton, 1984, etc.). Alvarez was the first US flyer shot down in Vietnam, and on his return in 1973 he was welcomed as so many Vietnam vets were- -finding himself alone (his wife divorced him during his captivity), living behind ``a plexiglass emotional shield'' in a country so divided that he was at odds with his mother and antiwar activist sister. His tale here is one of reconstruction and success, lacking the intensity, drama, and terror of most veterans' memoirs because Alvarez seems first and foremost a tough, levelheaded man, a survivor who was recognized in prison as a leader and a source of strength. An engineer by training, later an attorney, he took his role as an officer and his code of conduct with ultimate seriousness, he says, and was sustained by them. (He notes that POWs as a group did well in readjusting to civilian life.) The profound disruption and deep reassessments one expects are not here; nor is Alvarez's Hispanic heritage a prevailing concern. Far more prominent are his natural gravitation to high circles of power and his long relationship with President and Nancy Reagan and their associates. With his obvious capabilities, conservative bent, and practicality, Alvarez shrugs off misunderstandings (including a funny one with agent Swifty Lazar) and gets on with his life, first as deputy director of the Peace Corps, then in a similar position in the Veterans Administration, then as a Beltway entrepreneur. What we don't get is any close scrutiny of the how and why of Vietnam and its deeper effects on either veterans or this country. Lifeless prose in a memoir that also lacks the excitement, drive, and focus of self-discovery. (Photographs--not seen.) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
This memoir by Alvarez follows (and perfectly complements) Chained Eagle ( LJ 11/1/89). It details his experiences after repatriation from a North Vietnamese POW prison, as well as recounting his youth and the events that built the character which found strength to endure those eight-and-a-half years. He describes how he readjusted to civilian life after his retirement from the Navy and became first an administrator in the Peace Corps, and then Deputy Director of the Veteran's Administration. But worse times were coming, and ultimately this is his thesis: that by adopting a set of values one never abandons, the stresses of life become manageable. He and other POWs insist their experiences convinced them of that. As inspirational reading this is refreshingly undoctrinal; as memoir it entertains as well as his first book.
- Mel D. Lane, Sacramento, Cal.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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