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No Surrender Soldier Christine Kohler Books

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No Surrender Soldier Christine Kohler Books

Helping our young people understand where they come from is tremendously important. Ms. Kohler tackles this task by relating a real life story from the point of view of the youngster who was intimately involved. We also learn about the soldier himself, and gain understanding about why letting go of the past is much easier to talk about than to actually accomplish. This is a marvelous story that links the Second World War to the Vietnam era, and reminds us that we all have struggles and adventures in our lives that define who we are. A great book for young and old alike.


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No Surrender Soldier Christine Kohler Books Reviews

I chose to read this book on Memorial Day not as a celebration of soldiers and their great sacrifices in war, but to see another's perspective of the effects of war on survivors. I was not disappointed! I really liked the part where Kiko was preparing to kill Seto and the justifications he was using to do so. I loved the fact that the humanity in him was victorious. This book reminded me of the movie "Paths of Glory" in portraying the human (as opposed to inhumane) element of war. I don't remember ever reading a short story about a boy becoming a man that had so many life-lessons and insight into the "human experience".
This remarkable little volume packs a whole treasure trove of factual information for a work of fiction. It accurately portrays the plight of the soldier, long forgotten in the hills of Guam. There is also an exquisite view into life on Guam in the early 70's. I arrived there some months after Seto had been repatriated, but remember the stories about him still circulating at the time. I especially liked the glimpses into family life of the Chamarro people. I got to know some during my time on the island but not quite this closely. I enjoyed it a great deal.
This is a fascinating historical novel based on a factual person, Seto (Shoichi) Yokoi, a Japanese soldier who did not surrender when the U.S. liberated Guam in 1944 and survived hidden on the island for 28 years. Set in 1972 during the Vietnam War, this novel alternates between the viewpoints of Seto and fifteen-year-old Kiko, a native boy dealing with all sorts of conflicts. The way their stories are woven together is masterful, and the setting is so lush and detailed, this reader feels she has actually visited Guam. Recommended for teen readers and older who would like to know about Guam or have an interest in World War 2, Vietnam, or survival.
No Surrender Soldier by Christine Kohler tells the true story of Seto Yokoi , a Japanese soldier who was stationed on Guam during World War II. When Americans liberated Guam in 1944, Seto never surrendered, instead spending the next 28 years hiding in the jungle. To help tell this fascinating story, the author takes us to 1970s Guam and introduces us to Kiko, a fictional teenager, who finds Seto living in what is practically his backyard. I love the way No Surrender Solider gives us details about Kiko’s way of life. He learns to slaughter a pig, for example, and discovers a landmine leftover from WW II buried in his yard. But just like a modern teenager, he still has to summon courage to talk to his crush, and he still gets frustrated with the adults in his life .Also, by immersing us in the Japanese solider’s head, we realize that we’re all basically the same—that no matter our backgrounds or cultures, we share the same hopes and fears. Throughout the story, Kiko and Seto Yokoi deal with their prejudices and anger in different ways, but ultimately No Surrender Soldier is a story of growth and forgiveness
In 1972 Guam, fifteen-year-old Kiko would prefer to spend his time playing baseball, hanging out with his friend Tomas, and working up the nerve to ask out beautiful Daphne. But Kiko is dealing with serious family problems his grandfather’s descent into dementia, his older brother’s tour of duty in Vietnam, and the rumors he starts to hear about his mother being raped during the Japanese occupation of Guam. When Kiko discovers a “straggler”--a Japanese soldier who never surrendered at war’s end--hiding in the jungle near his home, his anger comes to a head and he contemplates taking revenge on the man who symbolizes his family’s suffering.

Based on the strange but true tale of a Japanese soldier who hid out in the jungles of Guam for nearly three decades, Christine Kohler’s debut as a YA novelist is a real treat, a coming-of-age story told with skill and sensitivity. I really identified with the young male protagonist, and loved how Kohler wove his story together with the incredible story of the Japanese straggler’s life. I also appreciated how vividly Kohler described the customs in Kiko’s world slaughtering a pig with his grandfather and participating in a saint-day festival become elaborate rituals that bind Kiko to his family and community. Like the best historical fiction, No Surrender Soldier isn’t only set in history but about history how the past shapes us, clutches us, sometimes maims us. All three principal male characters in this novel--Kiko, his grandfather, and the Japanese straggler--are haunted by history in some way, fighting to escape traumatic pasts. The following passage powerfully illustrates Kiko’s struggle to come to grips with the reality and aftermath of war

"When the reporters wrote of war, it was those happy-ending stories that named people’s names in them. The kind of stories kids clipped and took to school for show-and-tell when they were little because they were proud their tatan and nana bihu [grandfathers and grandmothers] were heroes.

But not bad stuff. Not stories about murders, and people getting their heads chopped off, and people with body parts blown up by grenades the Japanese threw at unarmed [citizens]. Those people were all dead. No one reported their names. Not the textbooks, not the newspapers. Not unless they came out alive or a hero."

The blending of family history with world history--and the choice of a boy on the verge of adulthood to bring these historical strands together--make this novel emotionally resonant and morally satisfying. I'm thrilled to discover this new voice in YA fiction, and I look forward to more stories of conflict and courage from her!
Helping our young people understand where they come from is tremendously important. Ms. Kohler tackles this task by relating a real life story from the point of view of the youngster who was intimately involved. We also learn about the soldier himself, and gain understanding about why letting go of the past is much easier to talk about than to actually accomplish. This is a marvelous story that links the Second World War to the Vietnam era, and reminds us that we all have struggles and adventures in our lives that define who we are. A great book for young and old alike.