libraryjill16 's review for:

Shooting the Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell

3.0

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Jamie Dexter's family is army all the way. Her father is the Colonel and he's raised his children to be proud of the army. But when her brother enlists and is sent to Viet Nam, the Colonel's attitude changes some and he tries to talk his son out of going. Jamie is baffled by this and thrilled that she will soon get letters detailing what real-life combat is like--after all they've had mock battles their whole lives. But the first letter Jamie receives isn't a letter at all, it's just a role of film. As more rolls come and Jamie develops them, she begins to understand that war isn't as romantic, exciting, and adventurous as she had always thought.

I loved how poignantly the book ended, switching to future tense to let us know the fate of TJ who ended up going MIA.