The Varsity - Brown, A. Lee
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World War II was the most lethal event in human history, which explains why its history has been so often explored in film and literature. THE VARSITY, however, deals with one of its least known narratives: the contributions of America's underage warriors. Today, it is estimated one-hundred thousand adolescents, ages 12 to 16, forfeited the sweetness of their youth to combat the ruthless ambitions of the Axis powers. The novel's two main characters, Bruce Harrison and Manny da Silva, leave high school to enlist illegally. Entering the kill zones, they face not only the terror of mortal combat…mehr

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Produktbeschreibung
World War II was the most lethal event in human history, which explains why its history has been so often explored in film and literature. THE VARSITY, however, deals with one of its least known narratives: the contributions of America's underage warriors. Today, it is estimated one-hundred thousand adolescents, ages 12 to 16, forfeited the sweetness of their youth to combat the ruthless ambitions of the Axis powers. The novel's two main characters, Bruce Harrison and Manny da Silva, leave high school to enlist illegally. Entering the kill zones, they face not only the terror of mortal combat but severe penalties should their true ages be discovered. To meet these challenges they adopt the core values of a warrior's ethic: soldiering on. At war's end, Bruce and Manny, return to their former high school to earn diplomas only to face new conflicts from a hostile PTA, jealous seniors, and insensitive teachers. To avoid the banalities of senior year hi jinx, the two GIs become co-captains of a perennially losing varsity squad and transform it into a championship team. THE VARSITY is more than just another war story as it explores love beyond romance, touches upon shell shock, and asks if there are any core military values with application in peace time. Lastly, it has been meticulously researched for historical accuracy, and its characters represent amalgams of genuine underage veterans of WW II interviewed by the author.
Autorenporträt
Lee Brown was born in Texas and raised in Point Loma, California---one-hundred yards from the Pacific Ocean. Fascinated by the sea's allure, his first job out of high school was with Scripps Institute of Oceanography. In 1961, he became a marine safety officer with the San Diego Lifeguard Service; a job held for a decade. During that time, Lee married Kathy while completing an AB degree in English Literature and an MA in political science. In the late 1960s, they moved to Minneapolis where Lee pursued a doctorate at the University of Minnesota with emphasis in political philosophy. But it wasn't in the cards. Exhausted by graduate school as America disassembled over Vietnam, income scant and a child on the way, Lee accepted a tenure track position at Grossmont College and returned to the San Diego area. Over the next thirty years, Brown taught as a visiting professor at several institutions both at home and overseas. Shortly after receiving an "Outstanding Educator of America" award, he was chosen as a Fulbright Scholar to the Oxford complex. Circling back to Grossmont College, he began an intensive period of writing resulting in journal articles, scientific papers, and a major text book (RULES & CONFLICT) by Prentice-Hall on international instability. In 1980, the family moved to Austin, Texas where Kathy completed her doctorate in medical genetics while Lee completed his Ph.D. in water resources and hydrology. Returning to San Diego, Brown became the Dean of Physical, Mathematical, and Behavioral Sciences; while Kathy joined Scripps Clinic as a medical geneticist. In the mid-1990s, the couple retired and moved to the northern Rockies of Idaho. At first, Lee served as the Executive Director of the Environmental Resources Center in Ketchum, later opting to be a field hydrologist for The Nature Conservancy and Idaho Water Engineering. In streams and rivers during the day, he began experimenting with writing fiction at night. After eighteen years in the Sawtooth Mountains, they returned to southern California to be closer to family and especially grandkids. Lee and Kathy now live in Lake San Marcos.