Great Story from a great time in American history!

Another book that I read over the holidays was one about the time during the Vietnam war.  This story is told through the eyes of an American soldier that is not well liked by his commanding officers, and they try their best to get him on the next ride to the war.  The book is called My Psychic War with Uncle Sam by E. Alexander Scianna.
This book is narrated by Dennis, a young army recruit who does not understand the Army or the war in Vietnam.  While he discusses his life in the barracks, waiting to hear if he will be in the next bunch of soldiers to be shipped out, he tells a story of helping distribute a newspaper that denounces the war and the trouble he gets in as a result.  As the story progresses, we learn of his friendship with Marcel, a fellow soldier who shares his opinions about the war and other political topics.  When he gets home, he tries to fit back in with his family, and watches his brother die of a drug overdose.  This story is not only interesting, but it tells a sort of inside story of Dennis and his life as a soldier who does not agree with the war.  It is insightful, and progresses at a steady pace without getting boring.
If you like stories told during this time period, or if you are a history buff, this would be a great read for you.  I like history a lot, and there are many facts throughout this story that can fascinate people of many different interests in history or American life in general.

Great story from the 70s, I loved it!

Over the holidays, I had a chance to read a book called Hippies in the Andes/Freedom Pure Freedom:  Sex, drugs and rock and roll in the Andes by Jeffrey Marcus Oshins.  At first, I was unsure about this one because I am not normally drawn to books about hippies, sex, or drugs, but I gave it chance anyway.  I am really glad I did, it went smoothly with no gaps of boredom in between, and the story was very interesting.  It is a true story about the author and two of his friends who decide to travel to Latin America and back in a time of civil unrest in many parts of the world.
This book was a great story about three young men who decided to travel to Latin America in the 70s.  While traveling, they encounter many people, some of who they stay with for a short time, and they have fun while doing it.  This is a great adventure story that actually happened, and these young men not only get there and back alive, they avoid any major trouble at all, oblivious to the danger that is all around them while they travel.
Some of the people that they meet or reconnect with is very fascinating, and they even stop and stay with some of them for a few days to get some rest and catch up.  I am glad that I read this book, and will be more open minded to a lot of books that I would not normally pick up because I read this one.