Great news!
The Echo Company books by Ellen Emerson White are available to buy!
White wrote these books back in the early 1990s, under the name Zach Emerson.
The
Echo Company books are set during the Vietnam War, told from the point of view of a young soldier, Michael Jennings. A follow up book,
The Road Home, is about a young nurse Michael meets and is about both Rebecca's time in Vietnam and her homecoming. I wrote a pretty in-depth look at these four books, as well as a couple others that refer to the characters in these books, in my 2007 post,
Ellen Emerson White: Vietnam.
At the moment they are only available as ebooks from Amazon.
The titles, in order:
Welcome to Vietnam (Echo Company Book 1)
Hill 568 (Echo Company Book 2)
'Tis the Season (Echo Company Book 3)
Stand Down (Echo Company Book 4)
The Road Home (Echo Company)
As I said back in 2007, "
It's real. It's death and dying and blood. And Ellen Emerson White doesn't shy away from any of it. And what she has done is take you into the experience; just as Michael (and the reader) has the lull of "ok, this isn't so bad after all, I can make it" BAM. No. It's not OK. It is that bad. This is one of the few war novels I have read that respects the soldiers and their experiences; that doesn't play politics about the issue of war. And is brutally honest about the soldier's experiences."
And about
The Road Home, "
By exploring the Vietnam War thru the POV of a female, and of a nurse, there is the horrors of war combined with the healing of medicine; the mixed emotions of saving the lives of soldiers, only to have the soldiers go out, risk their lives again, or to kill. And the details, of triage, of deciding who lives and dies, who gets morphine and who doesn't, who dies alone or dies with lies of "it's going to be OK. Rebecca goes from naive and hopeful to scared, afraid, bitter."
Trust me: you will love this series. And since it is historical fiction, you won't have to worry about anything seeming "dated."
If you haven't read any Ellen Emerson White before? Go, read.
And if you have read Ellen Emerson White, what's your favorite book?
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© Elizabeth Burns of
A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
In November 2008, we selected Ellen Emerson White's novel Long May She Reign to represent that month's theme, Persistence. If you love thoughtful stories you can really sink your teeth into and you have yet to read Ellen's series of books about Meg Powers, the daughter of the President of the United States, immediately proceed to your local library or bookstore and pick them up! Make sure to read them in order:
- The President's Daughter
- White House Autumn
- Long Live the Queen
- Long May She Reign
While you're preparing to read (or re-read) those 4 books, here are 7 personal factoids that Ellen shared with us, to share with you:
1) I can play the saxophone. Prefer tenor to alto.
2) I used to work in a factory making computers and burglar alarms, and am surprisingly good with complicated tools and machinery
3) Can't stand seafood in any form, to the point of not even really liking those goldfish crackers
4) I waste much too much time mired in writers' block and deep uncertainty
5) I secretly love almost all of Shelley Long's movies
6) I think Dispatches and The Things They Carried are possibly the two best books to come out of the Vietnam War
7) I meant to be a lawyer and work in the Manhattan DA's office, but I guess I forgot, somewhere along the way.
Bonus: readergirlz roundtable: Long May She Reign by Ellen Emerson White
The rgz Street Team is a group of teens who bring YA reviews to our blog, led by Postergirl Miss Erin. Find out more.
Today, Olivia reviews The President's Daughter series by Ellen Emerson White, which has been a readergirlz featured series!
"Though the relationship between a famous mother and her teenage daughter seems to be a common theme in many young adult fiction novels, the President’s Daughter series by Ellen Emerson White provides a refreshing take on this situation.
"The four novels in the series focus on Meg Powers, who is a 16-year-old high school student in Massachusetts at the beginning of the first book. Meg’s relatively normal life is completely transformed after her senator mother successfully campaigns to become the next president of the United States, and Meg and her family move into the White House to begin their new life.
"But though some teenagers might embrace the fame that comes from being the president’s daughter, Meg resists the attention and has difficulty with the acclimation. And while Meg seems to admire her mother’s grace, she secretly takes issue with some of her mother’s decisions and desires a stronger connection with her.
"While the first two books of the series (The President’s Daughter and White House Autumn) are engaging, a more intense and gripping storyline develops in the third boo
By:
The Class of 2k8,
on 6/19/2008
Blog:
2k8: Class Notes
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There are so many books I love that it’s hard to pick just ten. But here goes, my 10 very favorite books are… :
FIFTEEN Beverly Cleary. This book is my number one inspiration for being a writer. I love how she uses quirky details, like the family cat being named “Sir Pss” that tell you so much about that family. I love her humor and how she handles painful things with a combination of lightness and the respect that they deserve. To me she is the master.
DAIRY QUEEN Catherine Gilbert Murdock. This one is all about the voice. It’s a terrific story and after spending time reading this book I feel like I know DJ and want to call her up to see what’s new in her life and if that bum Brian has gotten his act together yet.
THE COLOR PURPLE Alice Walker. This is one of the most powerful and moving stores. Ever
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE J.D Salinger. This book blows me away every time I read it. It’s the most searing and accurate portrayal of grief I’ve ever read and on top of that it manages to be wicked funny- no easy feat.
LONG MAY SHE REIGN Ellen Emerson White. I love all of EEW’s books- her humor rocks, I love her strong girl characters and her stories keep me on the edge of my seat til I hit the last page and want more. But this one gets the most love here today because it is the newest.
TWILIGHT series Stephenie Meyer. I love those vampires! And Bella! And the wolves! Count me on team Edward and I can’t wait for the finale!
THEY NEVER CAME HOME Lois Duncan. It’s hard to pick just one Lois Duncan but when pressed I go with this one. I’ve read it about a million times and I still get chills when we find out what really happened to Dan and Larry.
TYRELL Coe Booth. My friend Coe wrote this one and it blows me away. The voice is amazing and the story beautifully told.
GUYAHOLIC Carolyn Mackler. I love Carolyn Mackler and this one made me cry happy tears.
CUT Patricia McCormick. Beautiful, poignant and spare, this is one powerful read.
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Great list, Daphne. Agree with you that Beverly Cleary is the master and Catcher in the Rye is timeless - still holds up as one of the best YA reads ever. :)
We have some favorite books in common!