The Vinyl Underground
In 1968 Ronald Bingham is mourning the death of his brother Bruce in Vietnam. It’s a pain that hangs with him all the time, one especially renewed when he listens to his brother’s amazing album and ‘45 record collection. Milo, Ronald’s best friend, wants to become a movie director and avoid the draft. Hana is a new neighbor and rock ‘n’ roller whose half-Japanese identity angers many in the neighborhood who fear she is a “gook,” or enemy Vietnamese spy. Ronald’s father believes Bruce met his fate with honor and courage. However, the question arises for the three friends of what a true definition of courage is, including that of a conscientious objector, to fight in a war that is so hated by most Americans.
For Ronald’s 18th birthday, Milo plans a scheme that will guarantee Ronald will be deferred from military service before the draft can get him. The rest of the novel is all about these questions and plans to escape military service. It’s also about the violent and shocking reaction to the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Milo and Hana will physically be maimed as the result of ignorant prejudice and formulate a plan of devastating revenge. Ronald will have to decide what he will do with his future since he can’t become a famous DJ with his departed brother as they originally planned. This novel raises more questions and suggests multiple answers about rage, violence, prejudice, and war. The reader will be entranced by these characters, who represent so many other young Americans of the late 1960s. Relish the most popular music named and played from this era in America. Highly recommended, unforgettable historical fiction.
