A righteous book that combines the art of music with the cruelty, violence, and pain of the Vietnam war, and the discrimination in the 60’s. With the use of flamboyant language and and a slew of 60’s slang; I knew exactly when and where I was.

The Vinyl Underground, a record club of four outcast teens who are dealing with the War in Vietnam and all of the events associated with that time frame. The novel Is set in 1968 and weaves together the music of the era and the events of that timeframe.

Young Adult readers may have difficulty relating to the events of 1968, but they will be able to connect the topics presented in the book such as racial discrimination, bullying, and privilege. Topics that are relevant today. If you enjoyed “The Breakfast Club”, you’ll enjoy this novel.

I really enjoyed this piece of historical fiction. Set in 1968, Ronnie's brother, Bruce, has recently been killed in Vietnam. Now he's about to graduate and the draft hangs over him. Despite having already lost one son to the war, Ronnie's father is determined to see his second son honor the country with his service too.

When Ronnie meets Hana, the new girl who moves in across the street, his thinking begins to change. She's half-Japanese and faces daily slurs about her race at the still-segregated school they attend in small-town Florida. Having come from Chicago, Hana has new ideas about the war and justice and many other things Ronnie has never thought about before.

Along with Ronnie's best friend, Milo, and Bruce's best friend Lewis, Ronnie and Hana start up a club, The Vinyl Underground, as a way to share the music all four kid love. But their weekly meetings become more politically charged as the conversation flows. Before too long, the group have come up with an audacious plan to keep Ronnie from being drafted.

Things should calm down for Ronnie once the threat of going to war is lifted from his future, but instead, an act of racially charged violence shatters their tight-knit group and together they plan an act of revenge that may just change the lives of their peers forever.

The characters in this book feel very real and complex. They are children, yet face the very real possibility of being sent to a foreign country to be killed. How they are expected to go to school and study the heroics of American politicians in the face of this level of terror is beyond me. This would have been a very real fear at this time, and I loved how creative these characters are in their planning.

I would definitely recommend this one, even if you're not interested in historical fiction. The themes explored here are just a relevant today.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a review, so thanks, NetGalley!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this free electronic ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book started out slow for me. However, once the story really got going I felt it was the type of YA novel that was needed. It talks about how different people handle grief, how great friendships are formed and how even if the adults in your life don't seem to care, they really do. This book touches on the struggles of life and offers an honest perspective on both the good and bad parts of life.

While YA readers may not be able to directly connect with the idea of Vietnam and the draft lottery, they can connect with the ideas of racial discrimination, preferential treatment, privilege and other topics that are present within the book. Rob Rufus does a great job at acknowledging the fact that people can be ignorant without even realizing they are. One of my favorite topics that this book talked about is the idea of courage and what it means to be courageous. There are many different characters throughout the novel and all have a different idea, none of which were necessarily wrong. It showed that courage means different things to different people and that it is okay to not feel the same way as someone else, as long as you remain true to what you believe and respect the beliefs of others.

Hopefully this book is able to show young readers that it is okay to believe in different things and be passionate about those things so long as they are conscious of the beliefs of others and are respectful towards those beliefs.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. My opinion was not affected by the free copy.

This is exactly the sort of YA novel we need out in the world right now. It talks of rebellion and hope, of different layers of courage, it shows that some adults actually care and are involved (even if they are misguided at times), it depicts great friendships, it touches on grief and the struggles of life, and it's honest about both the good and the bad. I requested this book because I'm a music nerd and anything with music as a focal point is good by me, but also because of the point in history this is focusing on.

Like I said, it's very honest about things. It goes into segregation and racial discrimination, it shows preferential treatment and privilege, and it acknowledges how many times people are unknowingly ignorant about things or not speaking up even when they feel there is injustice in the world. To me it didn't feel like those who were ignorant and not speaking up were bad, just that they needed their eyes opened. I like that though these friends fight and disagree, they come back together to talk about it. And as I mentioned, I liked the examination of courage and how there are many different ways of showing it.

There are many ways one can stand up for what they believe in and have their voices be heard. I hope this book inspires everyone who reads it to find their way, and to find their courage.