When Ithaca Books went out of business, on their last day they gave away the remains of their stock to nonprofits. I took many books on behalf of BookCrossing; some are at the OBCZ at Letters Cafe, and some I'm wild releasing. Although I can't personally read and comment on all (or even most) of them, I hope that finding them will inspire people to make their own journal entries, and share books with other readers. -- Vasha

From Publishers Weekly
The breezy, lighthearted tone of this debut novel immediately captures the reader's attention, but its guilelessness conceals a sophisticated, multifaceted evocation of the consequences of the Vietnam War, played out in the small town of Sweet Valley, Ark. What Cherry and her best friend, Baby, assume will be an ordinary summer before their senior year at college in 1969 veers abruptly off-course when a childhood friend, Carlene, is found beaten and drowned in the local lake. Everyday life lurches, then ambles on: at night, Cherry and Baby earn pocket money by peeling onions at the pickle plant, where Cherry meets Tripp, a Vietnam veteran who hails from Berkeley and who introduces her to all that name implies. Cherry develops a healthy doubt about the fire-and-brimstone faith in which she was raised ("It was scary how good I was getting at sin"). She also gradually comes to understand the way Carlene's murder has shaken the town, a place already shocked by the return from Vietnam of irrevocably altered hometown boys and haunted by those who didn't come back, like Carlene's ex-boyfriend, Jerry. Viewpoints intricately intermingled give voice to the thoughts, emotions and many secrets of a variety of compelling characters, through depictions of Baby and her family, the only Filipinos in Sweet Valley; through flashbacks to Carlene's tumultuous childhood; through letters that Carlene and Jerry exchanged during the war. These many perspectives reveal one secret after another, and only the reader is privy to the network of enigmatic deceptions as a whole. Cherry's irresistible voice balances the story: each time the horrors of Vietnam (or of Sweet Valley's underbelly) invade, Cherry's vivacity fends them off, although her own path is rocky. In the end, the author makes her characters take the tough road, and her accomplished, bittersweet novel proves that they are hardy, resilient, and complex enough for a journey that readers will enjoy every step of the way.

Copyright date: 2000.

Took from Letters Cafe, looking forward to reading it this summer. ^___^

This was one of the best books I've read in awhile, I really enjoyed it. It follows the lives of about 5 kids from a small town in Arkansas during the Vietnam War, and the effects that the war has on them. The girls are growing up, and the boys are facing the tragedy of a war which they fought for. The ending is such a surprise, too. I just really appreciated the book all around. =)

I would like my mom to read it, but she has a few books on her list, so if anyone wants it, they can message me...if not, i may hold onto it for a bit before releasing it to the wild.

I'm editing this on 12/30/09 to say that both my sister and my father read this book, although they didn't seem to rave about it the way I did when I read it. I'm still going to keep it, possibly in my permanent collection because it's one of my favorite books ever. ^__^

Left in the free little library box outside of Chestnut Hill Library