J. K. Hall

I really appreciated receiving this book for review. In the end, it was not my kind of book, because I find it confusing and hard to follow when books switch back and forth between two narrative streams separated by decades. The juxtaposition between the anti-war sentiments of the 1970s and the situation of men actually fighting an arguably "just war" in the 1940s was interesting though. The book being based on historical events was also interesting, but as always with fictionalized history I would have appreciated details on what was known and what was changed. This was a first novel for the author and I hope he continues to write.… (meer)

This is a well-written and thought provoking historical fiction account based on the author's father's experiences growing up in a dysfunctional and abusive family then heading off to fight as an officer in the Second World War. Along the way Captain Hall meets Captain Shinn. The paths of the two Captains cross numerous times and it is Shinn (who becomes a University professor in New York) who recounts his actions and those of Captain Hall to his students who are struggling to understand the morality of war, especially the ongoing Vietnam War.
A recommended read. Thank you J.K. Hall for writing this and for the photo of your father on the book cover that makes it so relatable and real.… (meer)

"Rare Encounter" by J.K. Hall is a book about war, however, it is more anti
war than pro war. The narrator is Professor Schinn at Columbia University Union Theological Seminary who has experience the horrors of war having been a soldier in WWII.. The story takes place in the seventies when students on campuses are protesting against the Vietnam war and this particular college is the seat of great unrest.

Professor Schinn has created an anti-war seminar based upon his war experiences and those of his friends. Other faculty members don't want him to offer this seminar and he is threatened with academic discipline. Students taking it appear bored but need it to graduate. Once Schinn makes the story more personal students become more attentive.

Schinn tells about the soldiers leaving the US and traveling to London, England to serve on a military transport. They are serving on a stripped-down version of the Queen Elizabeth. They are housed in hammocks hanging from the boat's ceiling and experiencing terrible food resulting in stomach problems. Many incidents are related that tell of the tragic devastation to men's minds and constitutions during war and the ethical dilemmas most soldiers face in battle. Readers will appreciate the raw quality of the descriptive writing and the compelling stories of courage and compassion they find in this interesting book.… (meer)