Vietnam and Civil War Novel Wins First Place for Historical Fiction

MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. - May 7, 2013 - PRLog -- June Lake, CA May 7, 2013—Winner of the Reader Views Historical Fiction Award for 2012, Don Meyer’s new novel brings together the Vietnam War and Civil War, with one soldier Sam Kensington, fighting in both. Discover the similarities between the wars and how such a situation could be possible in “The American War” (ISBN 9781938271007, Two Peas Publishing, 2012).

In 1969, American Forces are challenging the North Vietnamese Army to take back the A Shau Valley in south Vietnam, resulting in one of the most infamous battles of the conflict. In 1864, General Sheridan leads a campaign on the Shenandoah Valley to take it from the Confederates in an epic battle that will be a turning point in the Civil War. Imagine having been an infantry soldier in one of the helicopters being lifted back into the A Shau Valley...or imagine having been a Union blue coat soldier, marching en echelon into the Shenandoah Valley...now imagine having been that soldier in both campaigns.

Don Meyer’s “The American War” brings together two separate wars, exploring their parallels and how the A Shau Valley campaign might have fared better if it had been organized like the Shenandoah Valley campaign. The novel rises above the realism and gritty dialogue of most war novels with its original, surprising plot. Its historical accuracy, realism, and lifelike characters have won “The American War” the Tyler R. Tichelaar Award for Historical Fiction in the annual Reader Views Literary Awards.

Reader Views reviews more than 2,000 books per year by self-published and small press authors. Its Annual Literary Awards recognize the very best of these up-and-coming authors. Tichelaar, winner of the Reader Views Literary Award for Historical Fiction in 2008, has since sponsored the award in the historical fiction category. This year, he was delighted when “The American War” won. “What I love about Meyer’s novel is that he ties together two seemingly different wars in an amazing and memorable way. Despite the novel’s somewhat supernatural aspect, the plot is completely believable, and it allows for questions to be raised about what went wrong with Vietnam by comparing it with the Civil War. Meyer’s originality and broad historical perspective allow us to see a war beyond the confines of its own place and time.”

Meyer’s title references the Vietnamese name for the Vietnam War. Meyer is himself a Vietnam veteran and the author of the memoir “The Protected Will Never Know.” The novel’s historical accuracy, descriptions of Vietnam, and realistic dialogue all reflect his personal experiences in Vietnam. Reviewers have praised the novel. Richard Blake of Reader Views states, “Don Meyer brilliantly writes of the frustrations and terrors of the conflict experienced in the front lines of battle.” Joy H. of Readers Favorite declares, “a cast of believable and realistic characters, setting them in a story that is so intense and real that it makes the reader feel as if he is right there in battle...” But perhaps most importantly, Lieutenant Rich Greig, Meyer’s LT in Vietnam, states, “Great book...Tom Clancy better beware!”

About the Author

A Vietnam veteran, Don Meyer has published a memoir of the war, “The Protected Will Never Know” as well as the award-winning novel “The American War.” Don is also the author of the Sheriff Tom Monason Trilogy and the novel “Jennifer’s Plan.” Don currently devotes himself to writing in the mountains, in California, where he lives in a little town called June Lake.

“The American War” (ISBN 9781938271007, Two Peas Publishing, 2012) can be purchased through local and online bookstores. For more information, visit www.dpmeyer.com. Publicity contact: www.ReaderViews.com. Review copies available upon request.