Children's Literature @ NYPL
Booktalking "Dogtag Summer" by Elizabeth Partridge
Her Vietnamese name sounds like the call of shorebirds, but they call her Tracy in America.
Vietnam was where she knew her mother's protection, and her father was an American soldier. One of her best friends in Vietnam, Stargazer, kept her company there. People gave him no peace about his name. However, the soldiers brutalized her in Vietnam, and the intrusive memories of that flood her brain.
In America, Tracy's adoptive parents cannot seem to converse without argument. Tracy's dad, a Vietnam vet, wants to withdrawal, and her mother refuses to leave him alone. The girl wishes that the conflict would cease.
The transplanted youth is assimilating to life in the United States. American food and culture are no longer foreign to her. She wants harmony in her house, and she misses her mother and Stargazer from Vietnam. Maybe in some way this new land will become home.
Dogtag Summer by Elizabeth Partridge, 2011
Read E-Books with SimplyE
With your library card, it's easier than ever to choose from more than 300,000 e-books on SimplyE, The New York Public Library's free e-reader app. Gain access to digital resources for all ages, including e-books, audiobooks, databases, and more.
If you don’t have an NYPL library card, New York State residents can apply for a digital card online or through SimplyE (available on the App Store or Google Play).
Need more help? Read our guide to using SimplyE.