Back Home

by Dan L. Walker

The sequel to Secondhand Summer continues Sam Barger's story with the homecoming of his older brother, now wounded from war, and the struggle for the two to understand and find each other again. "Walker expertly explores how families live in the world at large, and how the ties that bind can be sorely tested by events far from home [. . .] Walker is one of those young adult novel authors writing for adults as well as kids. Intended or not, Back Home is a commentary on our times as well. It's a reminder that battle fatigue comes from more than just warfare. It comes from living in a society at odds with itself."
-- Anchorage Daily News " Back Home will appeal to young adult readers, those interested in an Alaskan setting, and fans of bildungsroman stories. Recommended."
-- Historical Novel Society "His big brother's return from Vietnam with wounds both physical and psychological shakes up a 16-year-old Alaskan's familiar world of girls, guns, and clueless grown-ups. . . occasionally powerful mix of family drama, late-'60s culture clashes, and wilderness adventure."
-- Kirkus Reviews It's 1968, and like any other junior in high school, Sam Barger's just trying to get by in classes and find a part-time job at the local pizza parlor, maybe chat up the pretty girl who also works there. But when his Marine Corps brother Joe comes back from the Vietnam War, life at home changes. By day Joe struggles with alcoholism and by night he battles night terrors. Sam just wants normalcy again but doesn’t know how to close the rift between the brothers, especially once he questions their country's involvement overseas. Set in Southcentral Alaska in the 1960s, Back Home is a heartfelt story about the brothers and their struggles to come and understand each other. The book reveals the lasting effects of war on young people and draws parallels between a pivotal moment in history then to the contemporary wars and struggles today.

198 pages, Hardcover

Published April 5, 2021

About the author

Dan Walker is a homesteaders’ son who grew up to become a teacher and a writer. He spent most of his life in Alaska but went to college in Idaho and spent a year in Texas one summer. Dan has over thirty years in education and was named Teacher of the Year for Alaska in 1999. Today, Dan shares life on a lake near Seward Alaska with his college sweetheart and muse, Madelyn. His debut novel, Secondhand Summer, was released in June 2016.
His second book, a memoir, was released in 2018.
The sequel to Secondhand Summer, BACK HOME, was released in April.

Reviews

[Laura Witham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a follow-up to Dan Walker's first book, Secondhand Summer. It is 1968 and Sam's brother, Joe, returns from the Vietnam War wounded and suffering from PTSD. Sam and Joe both have very different opinions of the war and their clashes tend to be explosive a majority of the time, but through their arguing, their views are really not that different from one another, though they don't realize it. This book is geared more toward the adult audience as it contains strong language and suggestive situations, but it was all very relevant to the story and was so well written. I'm only giving this book four stars even though it is very much a five-star book because the ending left much to be desired. I feel like there was so much that was left to be wrapped up and I would have liked to see a more thorough ending. Overall though, the body of the story was solid and riveting. Like his first book, I could not put this down! I don't know if this author is planning on writing anymore about his Sam Barger character, but if he does, I know there is a great story to be told! Until then, I will keep my eyes open and my fingers crossed for another installment!

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sam Barger is a teenager who just wants a job, fix his dad’s old truck and have a girlfriend. But it is 1968 and Sam’s old brother joins the Marines to fight in Vietnam. The girl he has his eye on gets him involved in protesting against the war and things begin to change for him. When his brother comes back, he is not the same and Sam wonders whether their relationship would ever by the same. War changes everyone.

I enjoyed the story, liked the premise and how things played out. What I didn’t like it as though the story wasn’t finished. I expected more of a conclusion. Is that for another book, or are we as readers supposed to wonder where Sam and his brother end up. This is why I give it three stars and not more.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The narrative is so gripping that I read way past my bedtime when it got to a point of no return from a gruesome situation. I anticipated it but still it surprised me how it happened. I have live through those times, the 1960s when the Vietnam War was tearing communities apart, the place, Anchorage, Alaska where I went to the very high school depicted in the story, and I know the author, Dan L. Walker. What I didn't know is how excellent a story-teller he is. And part of that excellence stems from his ability to capture the tumultuous, edgy dynamic that exists within families under stress, here between brothers becoming men.

[Juanita · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: Back Home by Dan L. Walker. 3.5*

This is another Early Reviewer’s book I received to read and review. The book was well written and had good developed characters. The story is based on the relationship of two brothers. Sam Barger was the younger brother and still in school just wanted a normal life, a part time job, and maybe a girlfriend. He was still living at home with his mother and older brother Joe Barger in Alaska. Then the older brother joined the Marine Corps and was active in the Vietnam War. These two brothers were completely different from each other and had their own opinions. Joe was more forward and open than Sam which hindered Sam’s confidence and held him back from speaking up to his brother.

When Joe came back from the war he wasn’t the same person he was when he left. He seemed to be cocky and had an attitude that the world around him owed him….The brothers became bitter towards each other. Sam had always looked up to his brother, (even though he had a hard time showing it), but now they were bitter towards each other.

Finally Sam had enough and decided to go to his family’s cabin further in Alaska where he grew up. It wasn’t long before his brother Joe showed up at the cabin. Joe decided to take Sam hunting he had promise Joe for years that he would. Read on and see what happened in the Alaska woods. I enjoyed the book but I felt there should have been more to the ending.

[Lynn Lovegreen]

Sam's older brother is home from Vietnam, but things are not back to normal. Joe is drinking and having nightmares. When Sam says he's against the war, and falls for a peacenik, life gets even more complicated. Can he reconcile with his big brother and find his own voice?

Walker does a brilliant job capturing the time period and the inner life of teenage boys. Highly recommended for anyone interested in US or Alaska history and YA fans.

[Jacob · Rating 1 out of 5]

The premise was interesting, but the whole time I kept waiting for the book to be done. And the typos. So many typos.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back Home by Dan L Walker

Set in 1968 South Central Alaska, Sam Barger wants to have a normal life. Find a job, fix up his old car maybe even a girlfriend. His brother Joe goes off to Vietnam to fight a War most people do not understand. When Sam speaks up against it, his life begins to change. Then his Brother comes home, he has changed, drinking a lot of alcohol, nightmares from what he has been through. Sam wants life to go back to normal, but that may not be a possibility.

A fanatic (emotional) story about two brothers with different opinions. There is a Brotherly bond that may be broken due to Joe's choice to join the Troops in Vietnam. Their lives are forever changed, yet they long for some form of normalcy. The struggle to reconnect is real and what each brother goes through is true to life. Overall I enjoyed Back Home and strongly recommend to Young Adult and Adult readers as well.