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A Million Shades of Gray
A boy and his elephant escape into the jungle when the Viet Cong attack his village immediately after the Vietnam war.
216 pages, Hardcover
First published September 8, 2009
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782 people want to read
About the author
Cynthia Kadohata
26 books587 followersCynthia Kadohata is a Japanese American writer known for her insightful coming-of-age stories about Asian American women. Her first published short story appeared in The New Yorker in 1986. As she spent her early childhood in the American South, the author set both her first adult novel and her first novel for children in Southern states. The former became a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and the latter--her first children's book, entitled Kira-Kira--won the 2005 Newbery Medal.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 237 reviews
August 29, 2015
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
I have been going through the reviews to see if anybody read between the lines as I did, and from the few I've read it doesn't seem like it. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but this is what I've noticed:
Tomas = Foreign Interference
Y'Tin - South or North Vietnam
Y'Juen - South or North Vietnam
The relationship between the three change drastically as they travel through the jungle. Y'Juen and Y'Tin grew up together, best friends, etc. They even escape the village with each others help. When they meet Tomas, who is older than both of them and Y'Tin's teacher, they are suddenly split into two teams. Y'Juen and Tomas become a 'we', as Y'Tin puts it, and it takes all of Y'Tin's self control not rise to their goading. The life-long friendship between Y'Tin and Y'Juen draws to an abrupt close - similar, it would seem, to the relationship between South Vietnam and North Vietnam did, when foreign meddling (the 'Tomas' here) placed them at loggerheads.
As Y'Tin's father says, his choice to help the Americans 'crossed a line' and he can't go back on it. That is, the north and south, once whole, crossed a line when they went to war with each other. Thankfully, in the case of Vietnam, they've fared much better than most countries that have been divided and made enemy to each other by foreign instigators - they're one again, but they crossed a line, and reading this book has actually made me interested in the relations between the North and South now that the war is well behind them - is the brotherhood they may have once had now lost forever?
These have been entirely my own observations from reading the story. If it was the writer's intention to subtly create these parallels then she has done so quite brilliantly.
As for the character Y'Tin - he is written as more of an objective observer than an actual child-victim of war. This further convinces me that this book serves better as a commentary on war than a story of war.
I would have gladly given this book five stars but a line in the closing pages irked me:
Erm... no. I'm sorry, the only way you 'honour' a relationship is by keeping the promise you made to them. There is no way to sugarcoat betrayal.
Fun Fact: The way I came across this book is a bit of a story: I was discussing with a friend what would she think that other, undeservedly popular book with 'shades of grey' in the title was about if she didn't already know. "A story about elephants," was one of the answers. Later, I came across this book. I told her about it and we had a good laugh. Then I saw it at the Library, and I borrowed it for kicks. Turned out to be quite an interesting story.
I have been going through the reviews to see if anybody read between the lines as I did, and from the few I've read it doesn't seem like it. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it, but this is what I've noticed:
Tomas = Foreign Interference
Y'Tin - South or North Vietnam
Y'Juen - South or North Vietnam
The relationship between the three change drastically as they travel through the jungle. Y'Juen and Y'Tin grew up together, best friends, etc. They even escape the village with each others help. When they meet Tomas, who is older than both of them and Y'Tin's teacher, they are suddenly split into two teams. Y'Juen and Tomas become a 'we', as Y'Tin puts it, and it takes all of Y'Tin's self control not rise to their goading. The life-long friendship between Y'Tin and Y'Juen draws to an abrupt close - similar, it would seem, to the relationship between South Vietnam and North Vietnam did, when foreign meddling (the 'Tomas' here) placed them at loggerheads.
As Y'Tin's father says, his choice to help the Americans 'crossed a line' and he can't go back on it. That is, the north and south, once whole, crossed a line when they went to war with each other. Thankfully, in the case of Vietnam, they've fared much better than most countries that have been divided and made enemy to each other by foreign instigators - they're one again, but they crossed a line, and reading this book has actually made me interested in the relations between the North and South now that the war is well behind them - is the brotherhood they may have once had now lost forever?
These have been entirely my own observations from reading the story. If it was the writer's intention to subtly create these parallels then she has done so quite brilliantly.
As for the character Y'Tin - he is written as more of an objective observer than an actual child-victim of war. This further convinces me that this book serves better as a commentary on war than a story of war.
I would have gladly given this book five stars but a line in the closing pages irked me:
In the novel, the characters often comment on the promise the Americans made with the Dega: to return and help with the war if the North Vietnamese violated the Paris Peace Accords. Sadly the promise the was never fulfilled... The US Special Forces did honour their relation-ship with the Dega in another way....
Erm... no. I'm sorry, the only way you 'honour' a relationship is by keeping the promise you made to them. There is no way to sugarcoat betrayal.
Fun Fact: The way I came across this book is a bit of a story: I was discussing with a friend what would she think that other, undeservedly popular book with 'shades of grey' in the title was about if she didn't already know. "A story about elephants," was one of the answers. Later, I came across this book. I told her about it and we had a good laugh. Then I saw it at the Library, and I borrowed it for kicks. Turned out to be quite an interesting story.
February 8, 2018
Subtracted a star for that meh ending.
Read
January 21, 2022great! i loved it.
October 18, 2010
This book was so bad on so many levels that I don't even know where to start.
The story revolves around a Rhade boy named Y'Tin, who lives in the Vietnamese jungle in the mid 1970s. He is obsessed with elephants and his only desire is to be an elephant handler. Unfortunately, the war disrupts the quiet in his peaceful village, which is targeted because they had previously played host to American soldiers.
The plot was trying to cover so many different things--family, community, war, childhood, elephants, tribal life--that none of those aspects was covered in sufficent detail. The book reads like an endless stream of tangents and non-sequiturs.
The main character, Y'Tin, had an unrealistic ability to be skilled at everything. He was an elephant handler/huntsman/tracker/escape artist who barely slept or ate, and aside from a few cuts and bruises, never took any real damage. Now, remember when, as a child, you'd play with friends and they'd pick up their doll or action figure and declare, "This is [insert name]. He can fly, walk on lava, swim underwater forever and has magical skin that deflects bullets" and then you'd be annoyed because that would make the game both unfair and boring? That is how I felt about the kid in this story.
Also, for all the effort that was spent trying to cram several different topics into such a short book, it bored me at a level I have not experienced since I read "The Scarlet Letter." It was incredibly repetitive, and if you read a sentence aloud from the book, I wouldn't even be able to tell you which part of the story it was from.
Finally, what was up with the ending? Y'Tin reaches the refugee camp, (that would have been a good place to end) then leaves to rescue his friend and returns successful, (that also would have been a good place to end) and then rediscovers his elephant and her new baby (which also would have been a good ending place.) Instead of just wrapping it up at any of these places, the story had Y'Tin wandering off into the jungle and hanging out with his elephant for a week, doing nothing. Then he decides to go to Thailand, the end. Wait--what?
If anyone really enjoyed this book and hates me just a little bit more now, sorry 'bout that.
The story revolves around a Rhade boy named Y'Tin, who lives in the Vietnamese jungle in the mid 1970s. He is obsessed with elephants and his only desire is to be an elephant handler. Unfortunately, the war disrupts the quiet in his peaceful village, which is targeted because they had previously played host to American soldiers.
The plot was trying to cover so many different things--family, community, war, childhood, elephants, tribal life--that none of those aspects was covered in sufficent detail. The book reads like an endless stream of tangents and non-sequiturs.
The main character, Y'Tin, had an unrealistic ability to be skilled at everything. He was an elephant handler/huntsman/tracker/escape artist who barely slept or ate, and aside from a few cuts and bruises, never took any real damage. Now, remember when, as a child, you'd play with friends and they'd pick up their doll or action figure and declare, "This is [insert name]. He can fly, walk on lava, swim underwater forever and has magical skin that deflects bullets" and then you'd be annoyed because that would make the game both unfair and boring? That is how I felt about the kid in this story.
Also, for all the effort that was spent trying to cram several different topics into such a short book, it bored me at a level I have not experienced since I read "The Scarlet Letter." It was incredibly repetitive, and if you read a sentence aloud from the book, I wouldn't even be able to tell you which part of the story it was from.
Finally, what was up with the ending? Y'Tin reaches the refugee camp, (that would have been a good place to end) then leaves to rescue his friend and returns successful, (that also would have been a good place to end) and then rediscovers his elephant and her new baby (which also would have been a good ending place.) Instead of just wrapping it up at any of these places, the story had Y'Tin wandering off into the jungle and hanging out with his elephant for a week, doing nothing. Then he decides to go to Thailand, the end. Wait--what?
If anyone really enjoyed this book and hates me just a little bit more now, sorry 'bout that.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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October 21, 2022Disappointed in this one. DNF’d; just couldn’t get into it.
June 24, 2025
3.5 ⭐️
such a good book, many emotions, realistic fiction, war, survival. i just didn't like how its also SO SAD that Y'Tin has to 😭
such a good book, many emotions, realistic fiction, war, survival. i just didn't like how its also SO SAD that Y'Tin has to 😭
May 17, 2012
*SPOILER ALERT*
A Million Shades of Gray by Cynthia Kadohata is the touching story of an elephant handler, Y’Tin’s life during the Vietnam war.
For young Y’Tin, war was all that ever happened. There had been a war raging during his entire life. Even so, the war had always seemed far away from his peaceful village in South Vietnam. All until one frightful day when Y’Tin, his friends and village are captured by the North Vietnamese. Y’Tin is separated from his beloved elephant, Lady, and his family. He is treated brutally and mercilessly, until the day of his escape. But instead of getting better, things just start going downhill. Will Y’Tin survive the Vietnam war and get reunited with his family and friends?
I didn’t find this book very interesting. The characters’ personalities were very well described, but their appearances were not very clear. My favorite characters were Lady and Y’Tin’s father. I liked Lady because she changed throughout the story and added some exciting and interesting scenes to the plot which set up some complicating events. I liked Y’Tin’s father as he was mysterious and a little guarded which made me want to know more about him. His personality was described very well and throughout the story, I got to know him like a friend.
Two scenes which I enjoyed were the scenes of Y’Tin’s capture and escape. I enjoyed the capture because it was surprising and shocking. I could understand and feel everything which Y’Tin was feeling. The scene was well described and I could follow everything which was happening. I liked the scene of the escape as it was intoxicating and gripping. I could picture exactly where and what was happening. to Y’Tin. While reading it, i felt tense and full of anxiety.
I think that this book was okay. The scenes and characters were well described. I would recommend this book to children from eleven to thirteen years of age, and everyone who enjoys reading books about history or war. I rate this book three out of five stars.
A Million Shades of Gray by Cynthia Kadohata is the touching story of an elephant handler, Y’Tin’s life during the Vietnam war.
For young Y’Tin, war was all that ever happened. There had been a war raging during his entire life. Even so, the war had always seemed far away from his peaceful village in South Vietnam. All until one frightful day when Y’Tin, his friends and village are captured by the North Vietnamese. Y’Tin is separated from his beloved elephant, Lady, and his family. He is treated brutally and mercilessly, until the day of his escape. But instead of getting better, things just start going downhill. Will Y’Tin survive the Vietnam war and get reunited with his family and friends?
I didn’t find this book very interesting. The characters’ personalities were very well described, but their appearances were not very clear. My favorite characters were Lady and Y’Tin’s father. I liked Lady because she changed throughout the story and added some exciting and interesting scenes to the plot which set up some complicating events. I liked Y’Tin’s father as he was mysterious and a little guarded which made me want to know more about him. His personality was described very well and throughout the story, I got to know him like a friend.
Two scenes which I enjoyed were the scenes of Y’Tin’s capture and escape. I enjoyed the capture because it was surprising and shocking. I could understand and feel everything which Y’Tin was feeling. The scene was well described and I could follow everything which was happening. I liked the scene of the escape as it was intoxicating and gripping. I could picture exactly where and what was happening. to Y’Tin. While reading it, i felt tense and full of anxiety.
I think that this book was okay. The scenes and characters were well described. I would recommend this book to children from eleven to thirteen years of age, and everyone who enjoys reading books about history or war. I rate this book three out of five stars.
February 11, 2010
I was really excited to read this book for two reasons: it was written by a Newbery Award winner and it centers around a young adolescent boy in rural Vietnam immediately following the Vietnam War. However, I do not think either of those qualities of the book lived up to my expectations.
The plot and character development are scant--even for a novel of only 200 pages. I really wanted to connect with Y'Tin, the main character. I wanted to feel his anger and resentment toward the American soldiers who left his village in such a vulnerable situation; his anxiety and fear of the impending North Vietnamese invasion that would force him to abandon his village, his family and his beloved elephant, Lady, and flee into the jungle; his perplexity and confusion at being ostracized by his closest friends and abandoned by Lady. But Kadohata never fully fleshes out these emotions. It was if this novel was pushed through a brief publication schedule with little or no thought to editing--as the egregious errors in spelling of characters' names can attest.
Kadohata also had a chance to make a pointed statement about the American involvement in Vietnam--a subject that modern YA readers, including myself, undoubtedly know little about--but she tiptoes around it. I still don't know her stance on the subject... just as I don't know who Y'Tin truly was as a character or what the message of this book was.
The plot and character development are scant--even for a novel of only 200 pages. I really wanted to connect with Y'Tin, the main character. I wanted to feel his anger and resentment toward the American soldiers who left his village in such a vulnerable situation; his anxiety and fear of the impending North Vietnamese invasion that would force him to abandon his village, his family and his beloved elephant, Lady, and flee into the jungle; his perplexity and confusion at being ostracized by his closest friends and abandoned by Lady. But Kadohata never fully fleshes out these emotions. It was if this novel was pushed through a brief publication schedule with little or no thought to editing--as the egregious errors in spelling of characters' names can attest.
Kadohata also had a chance to make a pointed statement about the American involvement in Vietnam--a subject that modern YA readers, including myself, undoubtedly know little about--but she tiptoes around it. I still don't know her stance on the subject... just as I don't know who Y'Tin truly was as a character or what the message of this book was.
January 23, 2020
A Million Shades of Gray takes place in in 1973 after the American troops pulled out of South Vietnam. The book is about a thirteen-year-old boy named Y’Tin and his elephant Lady. Y’Tin is very proud of being an excellent tracker and the youngest elephant handler in his village. Y’Tin’s life is turned upside down when the North Vietnamese forces attack his village. Everyone is forced to flee into the jungle. Will Y’Tin be able to find his family and his beloved elephant?
My favorite quote from the book is when Y’Tin is hiding in the jungle after half of his village was killed. “The next morning he woke up before sunrise. The green shades of the jungle seemed gray in the dim light. A million shades of gray, just like the hide of an elephant. His heart filled with relief that he had made it through the night.” (Kadohata, p. 131)
I selected this as my favorite quote because there is a lot going on in the description. At first I was excited to find the title of the book woven into the description. On the one hand the description of the jungle made me feel cold and alone but likening it to the hide of an elephant that brought so much joy to Y’Tin made me feel hopeful.
I would recommend this book to a classmate with the warning that this book is mostly about the impact that war has on Y’Tin’s village. I love elephants and was hoping for a book more about the relationship between Y’Tin and his elephant. I was also disappointed with the way the book ended.
My favorite quote from the book is when Y’Tin is hiding in the jungle after half of his village was killed. “The next morning he woke up before sunrise. The green shades of the jungle seemed gray in the dim light. A million shades of gray, just like the hide of an elephant. His heart filled with relief that he had made it through the night.” (Kadohata, p. 131)
I selected this as my favorite quote because there is a lot going on in the description. At first I was excited to find the title of the book woven into the description. On the one hand the description of the jungle made me feel cold and alone but likening it to the hide of an elephant that brought so much joy to Y’Tin made me feel hopeful.
I would recommend this book to a classmate with the warning that this book is mostly about the impact that war has on Y’Tin’s village. I love elephants and was hoping for a book more about the relationship between Y’Tin and his elephant. I was also disappointed with the way the book ended.
May 19, 2021
This is a young adult book so the language is quick and easy to read. I was interested in the story because I do not know much about the period of the war in Viet Nam. I learned some about the times and the customs of that era. However, I feel that it was continually mentioned that the Americans left the fight before the war was finished. This apparently is the author's opinion and I would have preferred to leave her political views out of this book of fiction.
November 9, 2024
I love the title and cover of this book. It's written from the perspective of a boy whose village helped the Americans in the Vietnam war and who must flee into the jungle when the Viet Cong attack his village in retaliation. The first half is very good and has so much potential, but the ending felt incomplete.
February 9, 2024
Absolutely stunning story. Not a long read but an excellent one.
November 15, 2012
My book was in the fiction genre.
The book A Million Shades Of gray is about a young Vietnamese kid named y,tin, who loves training elephants. y,tin live during the Vietnam war. he lived in a village in south Vietnam so the war was always far away from him, until one day when the Vietcong attacked his village and separated him from his family and elephant. y,tin is treated horrible until he escapes in to the jungle with his elephant. he might have escaped but his family is still there. In the end y,tin meets up with his family after surviving in the jungle.
I don't think that i would recommend this book to anyone, it was alright but not my favorite book
The reason i gave my book 2 stars is because the story was boring and you didn't get to know the characters very well.
My 3 favorite quotes are "I will love Lady no matter what" i like this quote because it shows the connection between the boy and elephant.
"The Jingle Changes a man" i picked this one because it show the hardship y,tin when through in the jungle.
"Dad i missed you so much" shows the bound between him and his father.
Text to Text: how did lady help y'tin survive in the jungle
Text to self: how would you react if this happen to you
Text To World: What emotions would you be felling if this happen to youA Million Shades of Gray
The book A Million Shades Of gray is about a young Vietnamese kid named y,tin, who loves training elephants. y,tin live during the Vietnam war. he lived in a village in south Vietnam so the war was always far away from him, until one day when the Vietcong attacked his village and separated him from his family and elephant. y,tin is treated horrible until he escapes in to the jungle with his elephant. he might have escaped but his family is still there. In the end y,tin meets up with his family after surviving in the jungle.
I don't think that i would recommend this book to anyone, it was alright but not my favorite book
The reason i gave my book 2 stars is because the story was boring and you didn't get to know the characters very well.
My 3 favorite quotes are "I will love Lady no matter what" i like this quote because it shows the connection between the boy and elephant.
"The Jingle Changes a man" i picked this one because it show the hardship y,tin when through in the jungle.
"Dad i missed you so much" shows the bound between him and his father.
Text to Text: how did lady help y'tin survive in the jungle
Text to self: how would you react if this happen to you
Text To World: What emotions would you be felling if this happen to youA Million Shades of Gray
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2017
I recently read a book "A Million Shades of Gray" by Cynthia Kadohata. The genre of this book is historical fiction and it was 224 pages. This book is about a boy named Y-Tin trying to find his way through the time of the Vietnam War in Vietnam with his elephants. I thought this book was very powerful because it showed me how much I take for granted every day. I would rate this book 8. My favorite character was Y-Tin because he was very brave during tough times in his life. One problem he encountered was fighting to stay alive. My favorite part of the book was the ending. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a page turner.
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December 5, 2012Kadohata, Cynthia. (2010). A Million Shades of Gray. New York: Simon and Schuster/Atheneum. 216 pp. ISBN 978-1-4169-1883-7 (Hard Cover); $16.99.
Y’Tin dreams of training elephants but this is Viet Nam and his father has been abandoned by the American Special forces with whom he worked. The Dega people and elephants face massacre by the Vietcong so Y’Tin and Lady, the elephant, begin a long and dangerous journey to Thailand.
Kadohata explores Viet Nam with her book Cracker: The Best Dog in Viet Nam. This book, however, is much more effective and interesting. It explores a part of the Viet Nam War that we do not see in print and it asks readers difficult and important questions: How did the United States convince tribal people to help them? Why did the United States abandon the Dega people who had helped them? It also is filled with well-researched historical facts about World War II and the Dega people. Young readers who do not care about historical fiction will appreciate the jungle adventure, infused with elephant, and keep turning the pages without stopping. Purchase this one for middle school and even elementary school libraries.
Y’Tin dreams of training elephants but this is Viet Nam and his father has been abandoned by the American Special forces with whom he worked. The Dega people and elephants face massacre by the Vietcong so Y’Tin and Lady, the elephant, begin a long and dangerous journey to Thailand.
Kadohata explores Viet Nam with her book Cracker: The Best Dog in Viet Nam. This book, however, is much more effective and interesting. It explores a part of the Viet Nam War that we do not see in print and it asks readers difficult and important questions: How did the United States convince tribal people to help them? Why did the United States abandon the Dega people who had helped them? It also is filled with well-researched historical facts about World War II and the Dega people. Young readers who do not care about historical fiction will appreciate the jungle adventure, infused with elephant, and keep turning the pages without stopping. Purchase this one for middle school and even elementary school libraries.
February 26, 2019
06 December 2009 A MILLION SHADES OF GRAY by Cynthia Kadohata, Atheneum, January 2010, 224p., ISBN: 978-1-4169-1883-7
"Mother, mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today"
-- Vietnam War era song by Marvin Gaye
"He lay on his back as the first mtu appeared in the sky, sparkling shyly. The war was coming just like the mtu came, barely sparkling at first and then glowing stronger and stronger. And then as darkness came, all you could see were the mtu. He listened to the leaves in the jungle rustling with the wind. He loved the sound suddenly. He loved the wind on his face. He loved lying on the ground quietly. Tomas, Y'Siu, and Y'Tin liked to lie on the ground near the elephants because it felt risky but also comforting. The elephants could step on them -- but they wouldn't. That was elephants for you."
Over the past month, I've been working on a research project requiring the retrieval of vast quantities of information -- bibliographic; biographic; educational philosophy and state standards-related stuff; cultural trivia; song lyrics; and more. I am totally in my glory because being knowledgeable of, comfortable with, and practiced at tapping into the vast array of Internet and online database tools,and online word processing tools, available in the twenty-first century means being able to achieve in a few moments what a dozen years ago would have required months of time and travel and reading. Much of what I'm accomplishing in a just few keystrokes simply would not have been possible to accomplish in the past. It gives me such a rush -- on a daily basis -- to be able to ride the waves of these radical, world-changing, technological advances.
I took a bus trip in to Manhattan the other day. Much of the route we traveled consisted of six-, eight-, and ten- lane highways that did not exist in any form when I was a young child here on Long Island in the early Sixties. Back then, I grew up flying kites in cow pastures that turned to housing developments almost two generations ago. It is this sort of progress that I have to accept as being the way of our world. I mean, the population boom that instigated those roads and the millions of new homes that have been built on Long Island and everywhere else in my lifetime are the result of you and I -- along with billions of other people -- being born worldwide.
"We have met the enemy and he is us." -- Pogo
The downside of the manner in which the world has radically evolved over the course of my lifetime is that the very ability of the planet to support life is now being threatened. While the true degree and growth of that threat may be open to debate, there is no question that the world's largest and most glorious mammals have been on the firing line, relentlessly falling victim to the insatiable global pressures of human population growth and the related agricultural development and resource exploitation.
And so it is, that upon reading A MILLION SHADES OF GRAY, a hauntingly brutal piece of historical fiction set in Vietnam in the mid-Seventies, it is not only the slaughter of hundreds of mountain tribal people that leaves me aching. It is, even more so, the unknown fate of the three elephants that we come to know so intimately -- along with their three young keepers -- that has me sitting here wondering what else I could/should be doing to belatedly help mitigate the damage, if it is not already far too late.
You tell me what kind of half-assed, second-rate planet this will be when elephants and rhinoceroses, whales and polar bears, lions and snow leopards, have all gone the way of the dinosaurs?
When we first meet him, Y'Tin is eleven, hoping to become the youngest elephant trainer that his isolated mountain tribe has ever had. It is 1973 and his people do not yet know it, but the Americans are on the verge of signing the Paris Accords and leaving. This is a problem for the tribe because Y'Tin's father is among a number of men there to have repeatedly undertaken military-related missions for the Americans. In the long run, once the Americans are gone and the North inexorably moves south, there will be a deadly price to pay. After the opening chapters, the story moves to 1975, when that price is on the verge of being exacted and Y'Ting has achieved his dream.
"We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate"
Y'Tin ends up moving back and forth between bearing witness to and barely escaping the atrocities that come to pass, and being on the run in the jungle with the other two boys while training and caring for Lady, the elephant out of the domesticated trio with whom he has been entrusted.
I am happy that the story ends with boy and the elephant both still alive. But that is of small comfort as I search sites for information on Asian elephants. Some estimate that in 1900 there were more than a million Asian elephants in the wild. That number is now down below 40,000, including a few dozen left in the wild in Vietnam.
"Y'Tin ran right toward Lady. When Lady spotted him, she trotted over, picked him up with her trunk, threw him to the ground, and bonked him on the head. Then her trunk swayed back and forth the way it did when she was happy."
A MILLION SHADES OF GRAY is an important tale in its telling the little-known story of the Montagnard tribal people amidst the Vietnam War (which, there, was called the American War). But what will stay with me is the story of the boy who is justifiably filled with pride and joy for his having the uncanny ability to communicate with and to be as one with such a beautiful and powerful creature, without the need for employing force or punishment.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com
"Mother, mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some lovin' here today"
-- Vietnam War era song by Marvin Gaye
"He lay on his back as the first mtu appeared in the sky, sparkling shyly. The war was coming just like the mtu came, barely sparkling at first and then glowing stronger and stronger. And then as darkness came, all you could see were the mtu. He listened to the leaves in the jungle rustling with the wind. He loved the sound suddenly. He loved the wind on his face. He loved lying on the ground quietly. Tomas, Y'Siu, and Y'Tin liked to lie on the ground near the elephants because it felt risky but also comforting. The elephants could step on them -- but they wouldn't. That was elephants for you."
Over the past month, I've been working on a research project requiring the retrieval of vast quantities of information -- bibliographic; biographic; educational philosophy and state standards-related stuff; cultural trivia; song lyrics; and more. I am totally in my glory because being knowledgeable of, comfortable with, and practiced at tapping into the vast array of Internet and online database tools,and online word processing tools, available in the twenty-first century means being able to achieve in a few moments what a dozen years ago would have required months of time and travel and reading. Much of what I'm accomplishing in a just few keystrokes simply would not have been possible to accomplish in the past. It gives me such a rush -- on a daily basis -- to be able to ride the waves of these radical, world-changing, technological advances.
I took a bus trip in to Manhattan the other day. Much of the route we traveled consisted of six-, eight-, and ten- lane highways that did not exist in any form when I was a young child here on Long Island in the early Sixties. Back then, I grew up flying kites in cow pastures that turned to housing developments almost two generations ago. It is this sort of progress that I have to accept as being the way of our world. I mean, the population boom that instigated those roads and the millions of new homes that have been built on Long Island and everywhere else in my lifetime are the result of you and I -- along with billions of other people -- being born worldwide.
"We have met the enemy and he is us." -- Pogo
The downside of the manner in which the world has radically evolved over the course of my lifetime is that the very ability of the planet to support life is now being threatened. While the true degree and growth of that threat may be open to debate, there is no question that the world's largest and most glorious mammals have been on the firing line, relentlessly falling victim to the insatiable global pressures of human population growth and the related agricultural development and resource exploitation.
And so it is, that upon reading A MILLION SHADES OF GRAY, a hauntingly brutal piece of historical fiction set in Vietnam in the mid-Seventies, it is not only the slaughter of hundreds of mountain tribal people that leaves me aching. It is, even more so, the unknown fate of the three elephants that we come to know so intimately -- along with their three young keepers -- that has me sitting here wondering what else I could/should be doing to belatedly help mitigate the damage, if it is not already far too late.
You tell me what kind of half-assed, second-rate planet this will be when elephants and rhinoceroses, whales and polar bears, lions and snow leopards, have all gone the way of the dinosaurs?
When we first meet him, Y'Tin is eleven, hoping to become the youngest elephant trainer that his isolated mountain tribe has ever had. It is 1973 and his people do not yet know it, but the Americans are on the verge of signing the Paris Accords and leaving. This is a problem for the tribe because Y'Tin's father is among a number of men there to have repeatedly undertaken military-related missions for the Americans. In the long run, once the Americans are gone and the North inexorably moves south, there will be a deadly price to pay. After the opening chapters, the story moves to 1975, when that price is on the verge of being exacted and Y'Ting has achieved his dream.
"We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate"
Y'Tin ends up moving back and forth between bearing witness to and barely escaping the atrocities that come to pass, and being on the run in the jungle with the other two boys while training and caring for Lady, the elephant out of the domesticated trio with whom he has been entrusted.
I am happy that the story ends with boy and the elephant both still alive. But that is of small comfort as I search sites for information on Asian elephants. Some estimate that in 1900 there were more than a million Asian elephants in the wild. That number is now down below 40,000, including a few dozen left in the wild in Vietnam.
"Y'Tin ran right toward Lady. When Lady spotted him, she trotted over, picked him up with her trunk, threw him to the ground, and bonked him on the head. Then her trunk swayed back and forth the way it did when she was happy."
A MILLION SHADES OF GRAY is an important tale in its telling the little-known story of the Montagnard tribal people amidst the Vietnam War (which, there, was called the American War). But what will stay with me is the story of the boy who is justifiably filled with pride and joy for his having the uncanny ability to communicate with and to be as one with such a beautiful and powerful creature, without the need for employing force or punishment.
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
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February 5, 2010
Kind of dissapointed by this one. Great start and a unique setting for YA lit. The Americans have left South Vietnam and the North are invading. Y'Tin's villiage must flee to the jungle in fear for retribution for their assistance to the Americans. Y'Tin flees with his elephant but learns that the jungle can make things seem crazy. Didn't like the way it ended abruptly. I would have like to read more about his village's struggles in the jungle. Did like the way the elephants were described and such an important part of the story.
October 22, 2014
this is a good book about a boy in a Vietanameese village during the Vietnam war. the people train elephants for use in transporting and harvesting wood and items. the main character boy has dreamed of being an elephant handler all his life, and is finaly accepted into the group of handlers. he gets an elephant of his own and has lots of fun with her. ill leave the rest to you to find out for your selvs, but its a pretty good book. some things are strange, and it can be confusing, but its a pretty good story. Warning!: sad ending!
September 20, 2012
A great story about a young boy who trains elephants... and then the North Vietnamese invade his Rhade village. As he escapes through the jungle with two other boys and their elephants searching for survivors from his village, he struggles to understand why his life has changed so quickly so fast.
There is an author's note at the end of the book about a community of Rhade refugees who resettled in North Carolina.
There is an author's note at the end of the book about a community of Rhade refugees who resettled in North Carolina.
July 3, 2016
'A Million Shades of Grey' provides a nice little introduction to the Vietnam War from a young boy's perspective. Y'Tin is a gentle protagonist with an authentic voice trying to survive the arrival of the Vietcongs. Lady, the elephant Y'Tin trains makes a beautiful companion and the relationship between the boy and his elephant is touching. Even though the plot is rather slow in places, this is still an interesting coming of age story.
May 19, 2010
Wonderful, moving story set in Vietnam at the close of the North/South conflict.
January 9, 2019
Even at eleven years old, Y’Tin Eban knew what his future would look like: he would work with his elephant, Lady, until she died; he would travel to Ban Me Thuot then to Thailand and finally to America; and he would open an elephant-training school in Vietnam. But it’s 1975 and the American soldiers have been gone from Vietnam for two years now. Y’Tin and his tribe live in Central Highlands in South Vietnam and every day, soldiers from the north are advancing closer and closer to his village. The Americans called it the Vietnam War. His father called it the American War. And now, this war was coming to Y’Tin’s remote part of the country and everything that his future once promised is about to change forever.
It’s never easy to discuss the horror and ugliness of war, especially when that discussion involves a younger audience (this book is targeted for readers ages ten and older). Cynthia Kadohata is able to portray a country savagely torn apart by Civil War with remarkable honesty and sensitivity. Because she is dealing with younger readers, she avoids graphic details and opts for subtle clues and visuals that guide readers to the desired conclusion. For example, she describes a scene where captive male villagers are forced to dig a very long and deep pit on the outskirts of the village. Older readers know immediately that this is a mass grave and the outlook is bleak for the villagers. However, the younger reader shares the same learning curve as Y’Tin and both share in the eventual realization of what is actually taking place at the same time.
Several reviewers found this book to be too “anti-American” given the repeated mentions by the villagers of the Americans’ broken promise to return should assistance be needed. But Kadohata foregoes popularity points by choosing to give us a story based on the villagers’ perspective. They are a community that is scared, helpless, and feels very much abandoned and alone. It’s an honest representation of the many thousands who were facing certain annihilation by their own government. While this book deals mainly with war and its effects, at the heart is a young boy—rapidly thrown into manhood—and his relationship with his elephant, Lady. The mutual trust they have for one another and the formidable bond they share serve as the singular bright spot in what is often a rather dark and grim story.
The book’s title, A Million Shades of Grey, refers to the colors of the jungle right before sunrise, as well as the color of an elephant’s hide. In life, we often view things—view choices—as being a matter of “black or white”. Kadohata reminds us that things aren’t always that simple and that every day we face or own “million shades of gray”. At one time, Y’Tin said that you don’t love and you don’t make promises during times of war. But it took his village’s smallest but strongest elephant to show him otherwise…that even during war, it is possible to have both.
It’s never easy to discuss the horror and ugliness of war, especially when that discussion involves a younger audience (this book is targeted for readers ages ten and older). Cynthia Kadohata is able to portray a country savagely torn apart by Civil War with remarkable honesty and sensitivity. Because she is dealing with younger readers, she avoids graphic details and opts for subtle clues and visuals that guide readers to the desired conclusion. For example, she describes a scene where captive male villagers are forced to dig a very long and deep pit on the outskirts of the village. Older readers know immediately that this is a mass grave and the outlook is bleak for the villagers. However, the younger reader shares the same learning curve as Y’Tin and both share in the eventual realization of what is actually taking place at the same time.
Several reviewers found this book to be too “anti-American” given the repeated mentions by the villagers of the Americans’ broken promise to return should assistance be needed. But Kadohata foregoes popularity points by choosing to give us a story based on the villagers’ perspective. They are a community that is scared, helpless, and feels very much abandoned and alone. It’s an honest representation of the many thousands who were facing certain annihilation by their own government. While this book deals mainly with war and its effects, at the heart is a young boy—rapidly thrown into manhood—and his relationship with his elephant, Lady. The mutual trust they have for one another and the formidable bond they share serve as the singular bright spot in what is often a rather dark and grim story.
The book’s title, A Million Shades of Grey, refers to the colors of the jungle right before sunrise, as well as the color of an elephant’s hide. In life, we often view things—view choices—as being a matter of “black or white”. Kadohata reminds us that things aren’t always that simple and that every day we face or own “million shades of gray”. At one time, Y’Tin said that you don’t love and you don’t make promises during times of war. But it took his village’s smallest but strongest elephant to show him otherwise…that even during war, it is possible to have both.
April 29, 2019
This book kept me glued to the last page. I will say that the last couple of pages disappointed me, even though the character, Y'Tin, kept reminding himself that war changes people. The last couple of pages he totally went against being with family or being an elephant keeper.
This was a story of the indigenous people of the Central Highlands of Vietnam two years after the Vietnam war. The Northerners still blamed the people for helping the Americans. This story is about a young boy who wanted to be an elephant keeper who has to survive in the jungle after escaping from being mass murdered like the other half of his village. He tracks his elephant and finds the two other elephant keepers. They find their villagers mixed up with other indigenous people. He makes a choice to let his elephant go wild or she would be eaten. He decides to head to Thailand and not fight.
***I did not know that 9000 Monteagnards immigrated to the US where special forces soldiers bought 110 acres of land in North Carolina, where the SF headquarters are located.
"Y'Juen had insulted his father. That was unforgivable."(Pg 144)
"Heart, gut, head. belier, intuition, reasoning. But what did it mean when pain pressed against you from all directions?"(pg 161)
His dad says: "Sometimes , without even thinking about it, you step over a line, and on the other side of that line you find you've stepped into a situation you didn't want." pg 175)
"And Y'tin remembered again his father's adage: The jungle changes a man." (pg 195)
pg 213, "It was weird that the happiest days could come in the middle of a war....It solved the problem of what exactly he should do next."
This was a story of the indigenous people of the Central Highlands of Vietnam two years after the Vietnam war. The Northerners still blamed the people for helping the Americans. This story is about a young boy who wanted to be an elephant keeper who has to survive in the jungle after escaping from being mass murdered like the other half of his village. He tracks his elephant and finds the two other elephant keepers. They find their villagers mixed up with other indigenous people. He makes a choice to let his elephant go wild or she would be eaten. He decides to head to Thailand and not fight.
***I did not know that 9000 Monteagnards immigrated to the US where special forces soldiers bought 110 acres of land in North Carolina, where the SF headquarters are located.
"Y'Juen had insulted his father. That was unforgivable."(Pg 144)
"Heart, gut, head. belier, intuition, reasoning. But what did it mean when pain pressed against you from all directions?"(pg 161)
His dad says: "Sometimes , without even thinking about it, you step over a line, and on the other side of that line you find you've stepped into a situation you didn't want." pg 175)
"And Y'tin remembered again his father's adage: The jungle changes a man." (pg 195)
pg 213, "It was weird that the happiest days could come in the middle of a war....It solved the problem of what exactly he should do next."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 3, 2018
The book, A Million Shades of Gray, by Cynthia Kadohata, is about a 13 year old boy named, Y'Tin Eban. Y'Tin lives in a village and his village is on the side of the South Vietnamese, in the huge Vietnamese war. Y'Tin loves elephants and does not really do very well in school. He wants to open an elephant school and teach other people everything about elephants. He is the youngest elephant hander in the village at 13, and he is very good at it. When the evil North Vietnamese come and attack Y'Tin's village, Y'Tin has to escape and run into the very green and gray forest to survive and save his elephant's life. Y'Tin goes through a lot of hardships, emotions, and hard feelings in the forest. He has to stay in the forest with the survivors of his village and his elephant to live and be with his family and elephant.
I would recommend this book to anyone willing to read the book. I gave the book a 5 star review because the book is very descriptive, full of action, fun to read, well written, it had a great plot, the sequence of events was good, and the climax was interesting to read and incredible. Once I started reading, I did not want to out the book down. A Million Shades of Gray, by Cynthia Kadohata was an amazing and awesome book to read.
I would recommend this book to anyone willing to read the book. I gave the book a 5 star review because the book is very descriptive, full of action, fun to read, well written, it had a great plot, the sequence of events was good, and the climax was interesting to read and incredible. Once I started reading, I did not want to out the book down. A Million Shades of Gray, by Cynthia Kadohata was an amazing and awesome book to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 25, 2019
In a captivating story of a boy who trains elephants, A Million Shades of Grey, by Cynthia Kadohata, shows the hardships of war and how hope prevails in the end. Before America pulled out of the Vietnam War and the North Vietnamese invaded the South Vietnamese, Y’Tin was a the youngest boy in his village to train elephants and rarely went to school, since training elephants took up most of his time. Eventually his dreams of opening up his own school to teach others how to train elephants, was demolished. The brave young boy, seemingly discouraged by the War, was tested once he had to risk his life to save his elephants and others, as well as himself, by escaping into the jungle, which would pose as its’ own kind of war. A Million Shades of Grey is an amazing story that shows an insider's point of view while in a war. This story shows, and thoroughly describes, how vulnerable one truly is as an innocent child. There is no lack of detail and this is not entirely a ‘happy ending’ story, however, this is an amazing read that almost everyone could read. A Million Shades of Grey is not suitable for those sensitive to the topic of war and torture, but it is made up for throughout the book because of Y’Tin’s lack of discouragement and bravery.
May 4, 2021
This book made me uncomfortable. In some ways that's a good thing. It reminded me enough of What Elephants Know by Eric Dinerstein that I was intrigued, but A Million Shades of Gray is much grittier. It starts out in a small village in Vietnam during what is called the Vietnam War by Americans and the American War by Vietnamese. As you probably know, the war didn't end when the American troops left, but it became a lot less hopeful for the jungle people that Y'tin calls his family. Y'tin has always wanted to be an elephant handler, but when war and famine continue, Y'tin must make hard decisions.
As I said, this book made me uncomfortable. That isn't to say I dislike it, only that it's difficult to read. Y'tin is constantly faced with hopeless situations where he must think deeply about right and wrong, but often discovers that no matter what he does, he still loses. The ending was sad, but it might have been the only way to end this book right, because no matter what happens to him, Y'tin never stops thinking about how to do what is right. I cried.
The content is pretty mature, including murder, war, drunkenness, violence, and peril, and the themes are hidden in an otherwise bland description of landscapes and daily life. Somehow the book manages to transcend itself in some ways, though, in order to become something really unforgettable.
As I said, this book made me uncomfortable. That isn't to say I dislike it, only that it's difficult to read. Y'tin is constantly faced with hopeless situations where he must think deeply about right and wrong, but often discovers that no matter what he does, he still loses. The ending was sad, but it might have been the only way to end this book right, because no matter what happens to him, Y'tin never stops thinking about how to do what is right. I cried.
The content is pretty mature, including murder, war, drunkenness, violence, and peril, and the themes are hidden in an otherwise bland description of landscapes and daily life. Somehow the book manages to transcend itself in some ways, though, in order to become something really unforgettable.
February 27, 2019
Like Cynthia Kadohata's other books I have read, I loved the characters and setting. I felt like I was there with Y'Tin feeling and seeing what he was feeling and seeing. I have only two complaints about this book--the title and the ending. This is just me, but any book with "shades of gray"in the title is tainted. I haven't read the garbage book with "shades of gray" in the title, but just those words make me a little sick. Between Shades of Gray is another wonderful book with a, now, unfortunate title. Of course, the title makes perfect sense considering the many questions and challenges Y'Tin and his family deal with. I just wish the other dumb book didn't ruin it for me. My complaint about the ending was that it was so abrupt. I experienced this with Weedflower as well, but this one was even more drastic. It's like the author was like, "OK, I have said all I want to. Let's just say Y'Tin is getting on with his life somewhere else and end it there. I would have liked an afterword about what happened to his tribe, his family, and him and how the Vietnam war affected him into adulthood.
February 6, 2021
A Million Shades of Gray deceptively starts with an ordinary day. We think we are going to follow Y'Tin, our main character, as he pursues his quest to be an elephant trainer. The descriptions of his village deep in the jungle and the people in it are emotionally rich and beautiful. A good description of the culture and the personalities, minor and major characters, flow out of time and place. It all seems so idyllic. But this is Vietnam and the Americans have pulled out leaving those who have helped them during the war vulnerable. Y'Tin's father was a tracker for the Americans--and at the end, so was Y'Tin.
By chapter five everything changes. Suddenly chaos and fear, murder and betrayal erupt as the North Vietnamese take over the village. The story doesn't let you go, weaving you in and out of danger, and then deep into the jungle. The bugs, the heat, the mysteries of the jungle lay bare. It is an emotional roller coaster and at times a little difficult to read. It feels too real. It is fiction but something like this might have happened. The ending is not neat but it couldn't end any other way.
By chapter five everything changes. Suddenly chaos and fear, murder and betrayal erupt as the North Vietnamese take over the village. The story doesn't let you go, weaving you in and out of danger, and then deep into the jungle. The bugs, the heat, the mysteries of the jungle lay bare. It is an emotional roller coaster and at times a little difficult to read. It feels too real. It is fiction but something like this might have happened. The ending is not neat but it couldn't end any other way.
June 13, 2025
I had high hopes for this one, great characters, love the elephants, and was really interested in the internal dialogue and struggle of the boys in the woods. That was mostly resolved to my satisfaction, although I think it felt a little hasty. The ending is what I had a bigger issue with. It felt very unresolved and just left hanging. Now I get that is somewhat the point because the people in the story are also left in limbo, but I needed a little bit more to have at least a few things resolve. Adding a note at the end about what happens to the character in a very vague summary did not do it for me. As a vignette of a group of mistreated people this is good, and I learned from that. But I wouldn't say it's narrative arc is as good a story, felt disjointed and unfinished.
March 7, 2017
I would have felt so much more about it if well if it had not been so hurried. I rally liked it but I feel like she was trying to make it really short but it really should have been more stretched out at parts and it has just to much emotion in one spot so that if you miss it you don't get any. At least that is how I saw it because I really would have absoulutly loved it if she had maybye evn a bit less feeling and longer. SO I feel like it is the opposite of The Secret Keepers, like there was to many stertched out parts and here it is way different. It would have definitly have had an honarary spot in my IMPACT shelf but I just got so confusd and the parts where there was a bunch of French and Veitnamese and it wasn't translated made the book really confusing and I felt like I was missing a lot. It makes me really sad because I know she cannot just republish it and it would be so much better if she had just made it a bit less confusing. I loved it but I feel like I didn't get it when I wish I did. It is placed in a really important time period, war and historical moments are packed it there but I feel like it is so packed that I couldn't reach through and grab emotion and at the same time I feel like she did not really grasp the true way a kid's mid works. I really was dissapointed there because no kid really thinks that way. So I gave it a three because I know its potential but I don't feel like I captured and feeling (love, anger, hatred, madness, frusteration) from the charecter. It reallly makes me sad though because it could be at the Newbary Medal stage and all that but she just I think got confused on this one. Also the charecters didn't feel realistic to me. They didn't because no person is always right. No one thinks for 2 years about something. She really treid hard to I think capture their way of thinking but they are not like a different species. She didn't quite capture the spirts paart eaither. I personally am not Vietnamese but I feel thats not what they think about spirits and why they like spirits and believe in them. I also from his point of veiw did not think that that is the way the human mind works. I am more than 100 percent sure of that. I just really wish that she did a bit more research on it before she really wrote it. But all sumed up we all make mistakes in life. And I am sure her other books are great.
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