Summer's End

Summer's End by Audrey Couloumbis is a look at the Vietnam war and how it affected those who stayed behind.

During the summer of Grace's thirteenth birthday her family has a lot to think about. Her brother Collin has gotten his draft card. And he has burned his draft card. Her father throws Collin out of the house and cancels Grace's birthday.

Grace goes to her grandmother's farm to escape her parents arguments about Collin. There she realizes that this same discussion - whether to fight or object - is being discussed by most of the family. She has one cousin and one uncle in Vietnam and one cousin in Canada.

Couloumbis' look at this tough issue is a fresh approach - not looking at the men who had to make the decision - looking at the family members left behind.

Couloumbis, Audrey. (2005). Summer's End. New York: G.P. Putnam and Sons.