The Road Home

Echo Company #5

by Ellen Emerson White

Lieutenant Rebecca Phillips had come to Vietnam to heal and give comfort, but found that nearly impossible. The war had torn her family apart and she wanted to know why. But there were no answers for her in Vietnam--only more questions.

When Rebecca returns to the U.S., her war still isn't over. For only when she's home is she able to confront the horrific realities she experienced during her tour of duty. To piece her life back together, Rebecca travels across the country in search of hope, of forgiveness...of the road home.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Fiction, Romance, War, New Adult

469 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

This talented writer attended Tufts University (and published her first book, Friends for Life, while a senior there) and currently lives in New York City. Ms. White grew up in Narragansett, Rhode Island. Many of her novels feature characters who reside in or around Boston and are fans of the Boston Red Sox (as is Ms. White). In addition to novels, Ms. White has published several biographies. She also writes under the pseudonym Zack Emerson (taking the name Zack from the name of her shepherd dog) and under the pseudonym Nicholas Edwards (Santa Paws series).

Reviews

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all-time top comfort reads. I know. Minutely researched Vietnam War novel=comfort read? What can I say? My favorite characters tend to endure mountains of suffering before attaining (hopefully) a modicum of happiness. Lt. Rebecca Phillips is no exception. A Radcliffe-educated nurse, Rebecca comes from stalwart, intellectual New England stock. She's the last person anyone expects to enlist in the Army and voluntarily get herself shipped off to Vietnam. But after the boy she loves is killed in the war and the brother she idolizes flees to Canada to escape the draft, Rebecca has to do something to deal with the pain and confusion that suddenly is her life. The War, unsurprisingly, turns out to be a million times worse than her worst nightmare, and gets progressively awful until Rebecca finds herself racing for her life through the jungle on a broken ankle, having been shot down in a helicopter she never should have been on in the first place. Yeah. White doesn't pull any punches and Rebecca goes through hell and back again before she finds herself home once more, utterly unable to deal with the ramifications of The War and the friends she gained and lost there. And Michael is at the top of the list. Michael Jennings--the bad-tempered private Rebecca meets while MIA in the bush. The second half of the novel follows Rebecca's stilted attempts to reconnect with her family and Michael. To somehow fit together the pieces of her two lives: Before and After The War. It's a tour de force, in my opinion. White's prose and dialogue are as rapid-fire as ever and my pulse races every time I read it. Rebecca and Michael are such wonderfully strong, tangible characters. They deserve every scrap of happiness they can get.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 5 out of 5]

2023 Review

So Goodreads, you're telling me that I haven't read this in 11 YEARS?

The last time I wrote this, I was 3 years into my military career. Now, I am seven years out of it. I experienced nothing of what Rebecca saw during my time in the Marines, but this book still rips me apart and cobbles me back together.

It's so good.

And, in keeping with the below review, I still haven't read the first four books in the series.

2012 Review
There are just so damned few fiction military books, YA or adult, written by female veterans that I've clung to the very few that I can find--particularly amazing ones like this.

Long time coming, particularly since I haven't read it in six years, but this is probably one of my most favorite books in the world.

And I haven't read the other four books in the Echo Company series.

What?

Yes.

This can absolutely be read as a stand alone. Maybe there's more nuance that I'm missing, but honestly I don't want to fall in love with any of the characters after seeing what happens to them in this book.

Each time I re-read it, I get more from this book. The first time I read this was in sixth grade, when I was finally allowed read the "Big Kids" books in my K-8 school library. This was before the YA genre had busted out, so the books were basically "issues" books or had sexual content and/or swearing or other themes. Needless to say, this was one of the first books I read that had swearing not sex though--that was The Horse Whisperer in fourth grade--although I had no fucking clue what sex was back then. Woohoo late bloomers!

When in the military I identified more and more with Rebecca. I completely got what she was going through, even if I hadn't experienced hardly anything like what she had. I'm sure now that I'm out it'll hit even harder the next read (and honestly I'll probably ID with the Major)--which is probably why I have taken my sweet time for a reread.

This is a brutal, honest, and frustrating book about Vietnam from a woman's point of view--and one of the very few books (YA or otherwise) that try to accurately portray warfare and homecoming from a female servicemember's point of view. I'm not talking about all those damned military romance books. Those do not count with the kinds of books I'm talking about.

Yes, there's a love story in this, but it's not mushy or sweet or contrived. Both characters are deeply hurt--physically, emotionally and mentally--and both feel alienated and alone.

This is a book about finding yourself and your sense of home after you have changed beyond recognition.

It's about coming home.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read a book that I enjoyed this much in a long time. I say enjoyed, but really it was more like being swept away on the emotional hurricane that is Lt. Rebecca Phillips. The Road Home made me bust out laughing, had me on the edge of my seat with fear and dread, and even made me cry a few times. I hardly ever cry over a book but this one had such an emotional impact I couldn't help but feel every moment of heartbreak, turmoil and even happiness in Rebecca's story.

After losing the love of her life/childhood sweetheart to the Vietnam war and her beloved brother who flees to Canada to escape the draft, Ivy Leaguer Rebecca Phillips impulsively joins as a nurse and is assigned one year of active duty in Vietnam. Still hurting from her profound loss and estrangement from her family, Rebecca is forced to daily face the challenges of the emergency room where she and her co-workers try to save the men (boys really) who have been bombed, shot at, set on fire, or just gotten sick from the various diseases lurking in the jungle. If that weren't enough to mess with someone's head, after impulsively jumping in a helicopter (which she should never have gotten on in the first place) and being shot down over the jungle, Rebecca spends several days MIA in the jungle fleeing for her life until she stumbles upon a squad of American soldiers. Among the soldiers is Michael, a surly grunt, whose letters become a lifeline to Rebecca after her return to the hospital. Michael is so real to me - his fears and glimpses of hopes are all contained in his letters and just like Rebecca couldn't wait to read his latest. Upon her return from Vietnam, Rebecca comes home to find herself, her family and friends all changed beyond recognition. Her struggle to find her place is the World after being a part of such brutality and pain is what makes Rebecca's story so breathtaking.

White's characters were so solid. Of course I loved Michael but one of my favorites is the cerebral Major, one of the head nurses at the field hospital. Her perfectness is legendary but so is her leniency with Rebecca. I most enjoyed their night time conversations - often requiring major mental gymnastics - where Major Doyle brought such depth and honesty to Rebecca's questions.

I really don't know much about the Vietnam war. It seems to me they sort of glossed over that section in history (it was bad and lots of people died. the end). I knew there was plenty of controversy and that veterans were not treated with respect but I really didn't understand how it all fit together until I read this powerful book. Rebecca's story is full of loss and utter depression but her journey for a chance at happiness and hope was just so real to me.

On a side note, I did feel like I had stumbled into the book mid-series and kept wondering if I was missing something. Turns out I was right. Ellen Emerson White (writing as Zack Emerson) wrote a series of four books called The Echo Company which follows Michael's company. It turns out White felt like she had to finish Rebecca's story (which begins in these books) and thus wrote The Road Home as a sort of conclusion. They are pretty hard to find, but I am hoping to get my hands on what will surely prove to be excellent reading.

[Anne Osterlund · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rebecca has been in Vietnam long enough to acquire nightmares, a bullet hole in her shoulder, and an affinity for chugging alcohol. She is also fully aware of the hazards of making friends. Though somehow she has become chosen recipient of almost daily letters from a grouchy, stubborn private named Michael. Who walks point in the jungle and who she has to constantly worry will be flown into her ER tent during the next round of casualties. And who has taken to signing his letters with the word, “Love(!)”

Then one day, the inevitable happens. (No, I’m not going to tell you what). And the question is no longer whether Rebecca will figure out how to sign her own letters or if she will survive Vietnam without being entirely destroyed. But whether she will ever have the strength to return home.

Sigh. So I am now going back to re-label all my four-star ratings for the books in this series as five stars. Let me see if I can explain why. I first read this book in 1995. And I really liked it. In the bio, at the very back of the book, was a brief reference to an earlier series, featuring the main character. I’m not sure why--though I think it had something to do with the goofy cover of the first book in the series and the fact that the author used a male pen name while writing it--but at the time I assumed the earlier Echo Company books were a mid-grade series for boys. It didn’t matter, anyway, because I couldn’t get ahold of them.

Years later, the first book became available through used bookstores on Amazon, but why buy only the first book? More recently the entire list became available and the cost for the first one dropped to affordable. So I took the plunge. And instantly fell in love with Michael’s snarky narrative voice. The book was clearly YA. And was one of my favorite reads of last year. Yes, I eventually splurged on all three of the following books. Loved every one of them. And flew through every one.

By themselves, they are a blast, though less than a complete story.

It had been so long since I read The Road Home that while I remembered the basic elements of Rebecca’s—and Michael’s—journeys, I could not recall many of the details, and I was not at all certain where it picked up in their lives.

Even if I had read The Road Home recently, however, there is no doubt that this was an entirely different experience. Because while Scholastic clearly marketed this book as a stand-alone, it is genuinely the end of the series. The events, the characters, and all the drama within the book come directly out of the previous four. Can you read this book alone and enjoy it? I am obvious proof that you can. But you are also missing out.

Because I can now say that this is one of the most satisfying series I have read in a long time. Michael and Rebecca are so real! The books are full of pain and drama and a sense of humor. And when read in order, from start to finish, the story is better than extremely good. It’s absolutely fabulous.

HIGHLY recommended.

[Melody · Rating 5 out of 5]

11/2025 STET

8/2013 I had to come back to this and re-read it after reading the four Zack Emerson Echo Company books. I love it more, now that I've read them. I'm flummoxed as to why it's not packaged as part of the Echo Company series, and have been engaged in some fairly robust debates as to whether it truly IS part of the series. When I read it first, I thought it could stand alone. Now that I've read the Echo Company books, I think it's much more satisfying, more complete. The backstory is there, and things which are alluded to in this book are whole and have depth and breadth and, well, mass.

A phenomenal series with a spectacular cap, that's how I'm thinking of them.

7/2013 I was a little girl when we finally got out of Vietnam. I remember going outside and banging pots and pans together, my mother crying. And so many people I loved just missed being there, through luck. My starter husband had a really high number. My uncle went to Germany. My dad got out just in time. My true love kept Cape Cod safe. And there are people I love who didn't just miss being there. People who still flinch when a Chinook flies over. People who just don't talk about it.

So. This book, which starts in country and stays tightly focused on the war throughout, was tremendously affecting for me. It's also very well-written. The characters are so, so real, and one roots hard for them to be okay. So hard, in fact, that one finds one's self up all night, holding the book in a death grip, reading in a tiny pool of light. Well, maybe that's only me. I didn't get much more than 3 chapters in before I ordered the first 4 Echo Company books through Inter-Library Loan.

By turns brutal and tender and introspective and broken. Incredibly well-done.

[Melissa McShane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review contains spoilers I couldn't put behind brackets because they come so early in the book and affect so much of what happens later. If you haven't read it, and you intend to, (and you should), stop now. Fair warning.

The Echo Company series has been building toward this final volume, and it is a phenomenal ending. I don't know if I'd say that no war story is complete without an account of what happens when the war is over, when the soldier goes marching home, but it's certainly the case here.

The book is divided into two sections, "The War" and "The World," and we're back to Rebecca's perspective in the Evac. hospital. Given how until the very end of Stand Down the series has focused on the fighting, this seems like a strange choice, but it becomes immediately clear that the author intends to show that war is just as devastating for the ones patching up those wounded and dying kids as it is for their patients. The events are post-Tet and the hospital is overwhelmed by wave after wave of injured soldiers, to the point that Rebecca (still wounded after the events of 'Tis the Season) is popping painkillers and stimulants to a dangerous extent. The descriptions of the ER are devastating; there's one line about a pile of amputated limbs in one corner, left there because no one could be spared to take them away. Rebecca, who still hasn't told anyone what really happened in the jungle on Christmas Day, has friends, but not close ones; she's developing an unexpected relationship with Major Doyle, chief of the nurses; and she has her correspondence with Michael to hang onto. He's a better correspondent than she is, writing nearly every day, and thanks to his letters he remains a strong presence in the first part of the novel. It's fun, and a little heartbreaking, to see Rebecca falling in love almost against her will, and for about the first quarter of the book, White is setting up her players for what comes next.

And what comes next is both terrible and completely expected: the major is the one who tells Rebecca that Michael is there, that his leg has been amputated, and even though I knew Echo Company couldn't escape this unscathed, White did a clever and nasty thing by killing off a couple of the men before this. It was a horrible shock even though part of me expected it, made more horrible by the fact that my beloved Sergeant Hanson was nearly killed by the same explosion. And Rebecca is now in the position of knowing better how to deal with that kind of injury as a nurse but not as a girlfriend, if that's even what she is, with Michael pushing her away and eventually saying a final goodbye. It's brutal and heartrending and perfect.

But the war isn't over for Rebecca, and she has several months left before she can return to the World and finish her tour of duty stateside. Her relationship with the major continues to develop, and I think I like their prickly friendship better than any of the other ones (except, of course, Michael). The major, who doesn't act like a therapist, nevertheless does more for healing Rebecca's spiritual wounds than a team of psychiatrists could. White glosses over the time between the major's leaving and Rebecca's final days in Vietnam, which works really well because what matters now is her being back in the World.

Throughout the series, that's how the soldiers and the nurses refer to home--Vietnam is its own place that is so alien it's almost not real, and I think for many of the grunts that accounts for how they behave there. That's not to excuse the brutality Snoopy refers to when he visits Rebecca on his way back the World (and can I just say that Snoopy, of all people, should not have had to witness the things those men did? He puts up a good front, but he's a gentle soul, and I wanted to weep for him when he tells Rebecca what little he's able to say about those days, including that Michael and Sergeant Hanson would have stopped them) but it's easy to imagine men feeling so detached that they could begin to think that the rules were different in the war.

At any rate, Rebecca's return to the World begins on the airplane, where a man puts up a fuss about having to sit next to a veteran, and I think for any young reader, raised in a time where even people who despise our wars can talk about respecting the soldiers who fight them, this is going to be a nasty surprise. I'm not old enough to have any memories of how polarizing the Vietnam War was, but I've read enough to know that veterans of that war weren't welcomed home with cheers and apple pie. It's infuriating to read how Rebecca (and later Michael) are treated, and when the stewardess on that flight asks her to change seats--and shows her to first class--it was a greater relief than it would otherwise have been.

In our era, Rebecca and Michael would both have been diagnosed with PTSD. In their time, Rebecca only knows that she no longer fits in. What she's seen is so horrific she can't bring herself to burden her friends and family with it. Her parents are understanding, as best they can be, but even they seem just to be waiting for her to get over it. The family dynamic is complicated and gives the story strength: her brother fled to Canada to avoid the draft, her father convinced her not to become a doctor on the grounds that it was too hard for a woman (he explains this later, and White's talent is such that his explanation is satisfying, even if I don't agree with it), her mother is trying to keep the family together and make up for everyone's shortcomings. And then there's Rebecca, whose old friends either don't understand her or hate her, struggling alone with only the major's letters to remind her that she isn't the only one. That the major seems to be fitting into "civilian" life doesn't make Rebecca feel worse; I think to Rebecca it's the promise that this isn't going to last forever. And I think it's at the heart of why Rebecca, having gone to visit her first, sets out across the country, looking for Michael.

This last part of the novel is hard for me to describe. On the one hand, it parallels the sort of awkward trying-to-connect we saw in Stand Down, but now there's a real barrier that's far harder to get past than the simpler issue of boy meeting girl. Michael is crippled, and his first reaction to seeing Rebecca show up at his house is to tell her in very cruel terms to go away. Personally, I thought Rebecca should have understood why he couldn't bear to see her, but she's so well established a character that it fit perfectly with who she is. And it was hopeful that Michael had told his family about her. But the way in which they finally come together is so beautiful I don't think I can do it justice. Maybe, at the end, this is just Happily For Now--they come from such different places in the World--but I like to think that what they need from each other is more important than the differences between them.

When a war is so despised by so many, civilian life for its veterans becomes a continuation of that war, complicating the already difficult task of returning to a life they no longer fit. This series began with the very simple story of one young man fighting a war he hated, but what makes it remarkable is how each successive story has built on the one before, gradually creating a picture of the horrors of war that culminates here. Ending the story not in Vietnam, but in the United States, makes those horrors even more real by showing how they follow Rebecca and Michael home. This book is aptly titled, it may well be my favorite book of the year, and I highly recommend this series.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well. I first read The Road Home right after reading The Grapes of Wrath, and both books illuminated their time periods in the same way for me. This book is unflinching and brilliantly evocative and fiercely resilient. It's shattering and wonderful and despairing and ultimately hopeful. It's a very difficult read - but it's worth it.

What to look for when you do read this: "You like Dennis" and "All my dates are with Richard" and every single moment with the cerebral major. Ellen Emerson White, in this book, manages to communicate how very smart smart people can be, and how many - well - "intuitive leaps" they make in everyday conversation with other smart people. She does it with sparing detail, by sketching outlines and dropping hints and letting readers piece the background together.

There's a book I don't like very much that I'm about to quote, because there are times that Austen is so precise that she is transcendent: "If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more." One day I may be able to review this properly. For now, The Road Home joins Jellicoe Road and The King of Attolia as books so much more than the sum of their parts that I can't point to what makes them so powerful. I can only wave my hands, flailing, and say, "Read this book."

[Chachic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted here.

I don't usually go for books set during war time. More so for this one because it's about the Vietnam war, a time in history which I know nothing about. However, if a book comes highly recommended by someone I trust, I can't help but give it a try. Plus, Angie sent a copy already so the least I could do was read the book, right? :) The Road Home has two sections: the first part deals with Rebecca working as a nurse in Vietnam and the second part is about her coming back home to the States. I thought The Road Home was a standalone novel but looking at Ellen Emerson White's website, it looks like she wrote a series called The Echo Company which focuses on a certain soldier's experiences in Vietnam and Rebecca comes into the picture in the latter books. This is probably why when I was reading The Road Home, I felt like I came into the middle of the series.

As the story starts, Rebecca is working in an American hospital in Vietnam. She's a Radcliffe-educated nurse straight out of college and she signed up mainly because of issues with her family. It sort of felt like things already happened to Rebecca and the book is dealing with the aftereffects of those events but I didn't really mind. Rebecca's helicopter was shot down in the jungle and she was MIA for a couple of days until she meets a squad of American soldiers and one of them, Michael, becomes a close friend. Based on hints throughout the novel, Rebecca used to be a cheerful and lively girl and everything changed when she was lost in the jungle. Mostly she runs on autopilot as she tries to save lives when she doesn't even understand the point of it all. During her remaining time in Vietnam, we see her struggle to connect with other people: the Chief Nurse Major Doyle, Michael and even her mother and father through letters.

The Road Home is more than just Rebecca's story of coming back from Vietnam. It's about coming to terms with everything that she encountered while she was there and trying to understand how she's going to go on living when so many people died. Rebecca lost touch with herself when she went off to join the Army and this novel is about her finding herself again. The characters are believable and real - from their experiences during the war to how lost they were after they came back. It's an understatement that it's difficult to overcome the horrors of war. Your heart will break several times over while you're reading this one but I think it's worth reading. The last few chapters are my favorite part of the novel, when Rebecca decides to go on a road trip. Plus the ending? *sigh* It's perfect for the story. So again, I thank Angie for encouraging me to read a book that I normally wouldn't have picked up. I never thought I'd find comfort in a novel about war. I'm baffled that the book is out of print because it deserves to be read by more people.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm judging this one for the YA/MG Battle, so no thoughts for you! (Yet.)

This was really good.

Sometimes I want to call a book "realistic" and I stop short because I don't know. The Vietnam War was before I was born and I don't really know much about it. But it made believe it was exactly like this.

And I like the end. It was the right amount of hopeful. They're still screwed up, but they'll be okay.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book. It is my all-time favorite. I read it pretty much every year since reading it for the first time over 15 years ago. It is terrific and has something for everyone. Even though I've read it about over a dozen times (and can quote whole sections!), I always find something new. It's smart, funny, and exciting, and yet manages to eloquently portray an era in American history that was politically and culturally loaded.

[Soobie has fog in her brain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five stars are not enough. The Road Home deserves at least six... And you guys know how stingy I am when it comes to giving stars to the books I've read.

I finished it one week ago, but I couldn't get myself to write a review. Truth is, I've been re-reading the last one hundred pages or so for the past week. Not the first part set in Vietnam; not the one dealing with Rebecca's PTSD. Just the part where there's a bit of hope.

I cried so much during book three; I cried a bit less during book four; I bawled my eyes out during book five. It seemed the more Rebecca was drinking and spiraling down the rabbit hole, the more I cried. I cried for her lost innocence, for the infamous way she was treated back home, for the pain she was feeling living in a place that didn't know what to do with her damaged self. Or was I crying for myself?

I've bottled up emotions for years now - even a friend wondered how I could be so cool and detached all the time - and maybe the only way for them to come out was to cry for Rebecca and Michael. And maybe The Road Home was just the right book at the right time.

But if I say this, it may seem the book is less deserving of his six stars, which is not true. It's truly amazing and well-researched, and I could feel the author really wanted to tell Rebecca's story. She wanted to show how a brave and funny girl turned into a ghost because of the Vietnam War. What war does to normal people. Neither Rebecca nor Michael are warmongering baby killers: they are just kids. But once they're over there, the only thing they can do is do their job. This takes a toll on all of them, and they had no idea how steep the price would be.

This is the best book I've read in years. Really. Give it a chance!

[Holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ha! I bet none of you would've predicted that I would be reading a book about Vietnam - including myself. But this out-of-print YA historical novel turned out to be a hidden gem and well-worth tracking down.

Lieutenant Rebecca Phillips' life as a nurse in Vietnam is unimaginable. Not only has she treated hundreds of dying men, but she has watched her only two friends die, endured the battlefront firsthand while MIA, and struggled with her own gunshot wound and other injuries. While Rebecca's mostly able to ignore the 24/7 physical pain, it's the emotional scars that don't seem to heal. In the hospital, where her skill and exactness as a nurse are sorely needed and free time is almost non-existent, it's easy to bottle those wounds. Life also happens to be brutally simple and mindless when you're popping pills and staying highly caffeinated as you auto-pilot from body to body, task to task for up to 20 hours at a time. However, the emergency room isn't devoid of hope, either. Rebecca still has her letters from Michael Jennings, the at times grouchy, cocky grunt whose squad she met while lost in the Vietnamese jungle. But when Michael is admitted to the hospital seriously injured and her year of in-country service is up, Rebecca's practically forced to leave, and home isn't a place she can hide from her guilt-ridden, damaged soul much longer.

That The Road Home was so well-written and gripping exceeded my expectations. Reading about war through the perspective of a nurse rather than a soldier was very refreshing, but just as horrific and painful. There are no words for having to experience so much suffering that you can no longer look at a soldier as a human being. There are no words for killing another and witnessing your friends endure the toughest of hardships. Rebecca's felt so much that she's numb, and it's so hard to be party to her self-destruction. Though I'm in no position to understand, I still found myself telling her to speak, tell, let someone - anyone - know her true feelings. It was almost frustrating at times. But inches from rock bottom, when Rebecca decides to take a one-person road trip across the country and she learns that going through hell and back wasn't without some consolation- she has beyond redeemed herself. And that conclusion? So rewarding, rewarding, rewarding for the reader. I felt the watery-eye kind of happiness.

I also loved Ellen Emerson White's writing style: so effortlessly smart and fluid. This is so simple, but I liked how she interspersed letters with at times line-by-line thoughts and commentary from the character reading the letter. I particularly liked how smoothly Rebecca's words and thoughts ran together - what she was saying and what she was actually feeling in the same moment was so important to the story. Also, White's characters are pure gold. From the mains - Rebecca, Michael, Major Doyle - to the sides - Snoopy, Finnegan, and Rebecca's parents - all are fully-fleshed out people with real strengths, weaknesses, and personality quirks. I will definitely be reading any of the other Rebecca books I can manage to get my hands on.

[Alex Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread August 2023

Took me less than a year to reread this. Utterly fantastic, can't say enough wonderful things. It makes me cry so much and I adore it beyond reason. I still think this is more of an adult book than YA.

***

I mean what can I say except this was fantastic. Definitely one of my top books of all time. Sobbed through the whole thing. It's so sad. But also some people are so nice. And I could just die right now. The whole time reading it I kept thinking that this is my only chance to read this for the first time (there will be many rereads) and now I'm so sad it's over.

Positives: The book is well researched (to my untrained eye). Rebecca is a wonderful main character. All the relationships have so much depth and nuance. It's tragically sad in both big ways and small ways. I cried because of tragedy; I cried because of happiness; I cried because of the smallest things that hurt my soul. I'm not really sure I ever stopped crying. The writing is amazing. She does such a fantastic job capturing trauma in all the small ways it manifests, as well as the large. It feels real. It hurts my soul.

Critiques: Could've used more Snoopy. It ended.

Read this. Is this a better book than Long May She Reign? Jury's still out, but this a top book for me. I can't recommend this enough. I can't recommend the whole Echo Company series enough. I can't recommend Ellen Emerson White enough. Read it.

(Tagged YA? That seems to be the general consensus, but the protagonist is 22 and just got home from war. I'd put this closer to new adult, if that was a thing.)

[Lady Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised that my library had this book. It is a very good YA book set during the Vietnam war. That being said, it was surprisingly gritty for being a YA book. Although not necessarily surprisingly gritty for the subject matter.

The characters were well developed and the plot line quite realistic. I would be interested in reading more from this author but I don't think my library has anything more.

[Hallie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review (of sorts) will follow, when I'm sure I won't do something stupid that causes me to lose what I've written. (*This* stupidity was forgetting to go to a new tab to find an image of the Memphis VA hospital - which I will now add.)

[Catty-cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lately , in most books ,if the girl has not been raped or tortured she is not interesting, so it was very refreshing to have an heroine suffering from something she did instead of being done to her.
The only reason it's not a 5 star it's because it is a very painful book to read and on top of that they spoil any book read after :( .

[Kate Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is going on the "to be reread" pile. I LOVED it. LOVED. I wish there was another book in the series after this one, because this was one of those books where I just did not want to let the characters go.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meg Powers, Army Nurse!

Such a good story, even clunky writing couldn't ruin it. Thoughtful and smart and compelling. Absolutely recommended for fans of Ellen Emerson White.

[Janssen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this book was fabulous: http://everydayreading.blogspot.com/2...

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

astounding. FO REALZ.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is marked Children’s Military Fiction on Amazon, a category I frankly didn’t know existed and is an oxymoron if ever I’ve heard one, and I spent the first 20% being deeply confused by this classification. There is nothing simple or childlike about this book. Not the writing, not the characters, certainly not the content. It is a book about adults (young though they are), written by an adult, containing adult themes. Perhaps aimed at young adults, but children? I don’t buy it.

Then it occurred to me that perhaps this is exactly what we should be giving children to read. After all, if it shocks the little buggers enough, they’ll remember it along with whatever other childhood trauma they accumulate, and we might manage to raise a generation vehemently opposed to war. Russia/Ukraine is solid evidence that this is probably still a very good idea. Humanity seems to forget the scars of war at least once a generation (and often more frequently).

And what horrors this book contains. It’s told from the point of view of Rebecca, an ER nurse in Vietnam during the war in 1967/68, and the things she describes about her daily routine could curdle milk. I’m talking bloody limbs piled in corners of the hospital because everyone is too busy to move them, maggoty wounds, mutilated and dying young men in agony, etc. And when she leaves the ER, she goes back to her soaked mattress (everything is usually wet) and 3am rocket attacks. She lives in absolute hell on earth. On top of that, she’s struggling to recover from a harrowing episode that I gather was related in an earlier book (oh the hazards of starting at the end of a series.)

I immediately liked Rebecca’s narration. It grabbed me right away and I could not put it down. She was so relatable and the humor she somehow found in the face of unimaginable situations (despite claiming to have lost it at the very start) made her all the more admirable. I thought the content was incredibly thoughtfully and empathetically portrayed, and it felt at times like the author had been there. I would not be surprised to discover White was a nurse or doctor in addition to her writing.

The other characters were also incredibly well written, with Major Doyle a particular standout. Her relationship with Rebecca was delightfully nuanced and so enjoyable to watch. The letters from Michael were excellent as well, and I was interested enough in his character and story that I’ll probably end up reading at least some of the other books in the series as well.

The title is apt. The road home is a long one; for Rebecca, but also for all the others that made it out alive. This book is an excellent reminder that whatever benefits the government gives veterans, they are not enough. Not nearly enough. Rebecca’s story is heartwrenching (I cried several times) and by no means the most tragic.

Would recommend to everyone, particularly people who enjoy military fiction like Guns of the Dawn (very similar vein though not historical) or Valor's Choice, and it’s definitely got my vote to be #1 in Children’s Military Fiction, rather than #42 as it stands now.

[Amy M · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want to read an outstanding book about Vietnam and the struggles of returning veterans, this is it. The descriptions of an ER in a field hospital and life as a triage nurse are vivid and sometimes difficult to read. The struggles faced by vets when they returned to The World were well written and heartbreaking. This book is so much better than the current "must read" about women serving in Vietnam.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've spent some time in my "adult" life searching for information and stories about the Vietnam-American War in hopes of understanding more about my Dad's experiences as a Marine. I've wanted to know more so that I can more fully comprehend my Dad's reluctance to speak about his experiences and I believe that the more I know, the more I can know without opening up his war wounds. Up until about a month ago, I had found one source that really helped me start to understand what it was like to be an American fighting in Vietnam. That was Tim O'Brien's, "The Things They Carried." Fantastic novel!

Thanks to a blog focusing on teen novels, I discovered Ellen Emerson White's book "The Road Home." This amazing book tells the story of Rebecca Phillips, a medivac nurse in Vietnam. The book is in three parts: in the hospital in Vietnam (shockingly horrific, unbelievable, and true!), when she arrives home and stays with her mom and dad, and then a road trip she takes to help herself heal. It is hard to describe without reading and friends, I ask at least one of you to read it so we can talk about it. It is so rare to find a book depicting a woman in the middle of a war. The paralyzation she felt when she got home to Massachusetts was palpable. My insides ached for her. As she drove west to Colorado in search of a boyfriend from "in country", I felt everything she felt.

[Trina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't quite a review, more about my experience with this book...

When I was a teenager, I read this series of YA books (Echo Company) about Vietnam that focused on a boy who joined up right after high school and wound up in an infantry unit in the jungle. The situations were relatively realistic, characters died, the food was bad, etc.

There were four books in the series and I kept looking for the next one for years afterwards, eventually, I put it out of my head, figuring that the author just hadn't wanted to write them anymore or didn't get a new contract.

A few weeks ago, I looked up the author and found that she had been writing under a pseudonym and had written a fifth book, albeit one that focused on a different character. I ordered it from the library and I'm almost finished with it.

I am pleased that the characters found their closure.

It's funny though -- I hadn't reread the series since I was in high school and I still found myself crying over a couple of the characters who were killed and/or injured. I guess that's one of the signs of a good book -- the characters might not stick in your brains, but they stick in your heart.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been a few years since I read this book and I know my memory isn't good. However, I remember enough about this book to know just how much of an impact it had on me.
The author didn't make things hapoy, cheerful and hopeful. Instead, what I would imagine a realistic picture was portrayed about a brutal war and the impact it has on people directly involved. Emerson took, what I believe were often the forgot heroes-the woman as often war literature and media focuses on men involved.
Because of this, the emotions she painted hit a person harder and are even more realistic. She chose not to cover up responses with what society would deem appropriate.
This is a wonderfully written book that opens the readers eyes and I truly think this is a must read for pre-teens who are able to handle this on up. The only regret I have is not reading or even knowing there were four other books in this series before this one as I think if I had been able to read the series in order, this book would have been even better.

[Kasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up because a few YA blog I read had mentioned it as being one of the most romantic YA books. I was pretty sure I read it as a kid (I was a big fan of Ellen Emerson White and I liked army nurse stories for some reason... probably for the gore), but I only had vague memories of the story. It explores one woman's experience of the Vietnam War, her time there as an army nurse in an ER unit and the challenges she faces when she comes home. It is a really interesting perspective on the war, and it makes me wish there was more good historical fiction out there focusing on recent American history.

The story has some flaws, as it seems rather long and the story drags a bit in the middle and several characters could have used more development, but I'd recommend it. And that YA review blog was right, it is romantic... and in a realistic way that works much more for me than the overwrought depicted in many books aimed at teens.

[SraPanadera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book years ago and then around 2005 began looking for the Echo Company books. They were very difficult to find initially and very expensive. They also looked like books for middle school boys, so I wasn't too excited to pay so much for a beat-up paperback. Then I re-read The Road Home and re-read it again and started looking for Echo Company again. This time they were easier to find and less expensive (though not terribly cheap either). I took the chance and am so very glad I did. All the books are at least YA (with different packaging, TRH could almost pass for adult) and though I didn't like them quite as much, Echo Company books provide great back story for TRH. TRH is one of the best books out there (there are others, but this ranks very near the top, if not at the top) about females in Vietnam. Very good story about what Vietnam did to people and how the strong ones went about trying to put themselves (and each other) back together.

[Shelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read this book so many times that I can open it to any page and be instantly immersed in the story. A great look at a young woman's experiences in and after the Vietnam War.

5/14: Now that I've read the first 4, all I can say is, Mike is such a motherfucker for what he does to Snoopy. The kid used to read his letters because he didn't have any!!!! I can forgive almost anything except for a slight to Snoopy. That always upset me, but now it's 100x times more.

Also, this is really a brilliant, wonderful story about growing up and dealing with war and trauma and being so very brave and vulnerable and not letting it steal your life. Rebecca is one of my favorite heroines because she's so real and flawed and hurt and smart and sarcastic and wonderful.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/11 - Just bought my third copy, I need to stop loaning these out (replacements are getting harder and harder to find on-line)

I think LONG MAY SHE REIGN has edged out THE ROAD HOME as my favorite Ellen Emerson White book. Compared to Malibu Bobby, Michael is on the mean edge of "grouchy." There is still such a beautiful redemption to both Rebecca and Mike's journeys. You don't get the impression that things are going to be easy, but they're certainly going to be interesting.

3/12/12 - Every time I revisit this book, I find myself skimming more of Rebecca's conversations with Major Doyle (and wincing a little bit more at how much of a grouch Michael is). Still, there is something so cathartic about making it to the end.

12/7/20: I needed a good cry.

[Hoolie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why am I reading a YA book about Vietnam the closing night of 2016? Besides it being some of the finest writing I've read this year? Hmmm. Well, I like nihilism. Hm, what else?

America's history and politics had never felt that up close and personal. Much too busy caring about what's for dinner, spf and text chains. That's Changed. This series is said to be YA. You gotta be kidding me. Those are some hardcore readers. It's intimidating to read writers who have war experience, combat nurse lingo or plain ol' lived though the muck cred. But at the end of the day, Echo Company's stories are most powerful bc of a guy trying to make a girl write back, or make a buddy laugh and feel recognized for it. Humanity! Highly recommend the whole series (this is the conclusion).