Review of Saving KC

[Kshitija Sonawane]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Saving KC" by Grinnell Desjarlais.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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How many lives do wars destroy? How many families do wars break apart? How many people are affected negatively by wars, directly or indirectly? What happens to soldiers who fight for their countries? How does society treat them? What kind of lives do they live? Do they ever recover?

Saving KC, written by Grinnell Desjarlais, introduces the readers to Kelly Chase. Kelly is a bright young man from the Native American community in Montana. He enrolls in ROTC to help push his career forward in California. His girlfriend, Rita, and her family, who are from the Native American community in California, help out with that. However, he loses a loved one, spirals out of control, gets thrown out of his college, and before he knows it, he is enrolled in the Army for the Vietnamese war.

However, in the war, he is captured and taken in as a POW (prisoner of war). He gets tortured brutally for three years before he finally gets rescued. Things seem dire for him even after being rescued. He comes to know that Rita is married to someone else. What is the use of him being alive now? Why does he need to live anymore? However, he has a divine command to fulfill. Can he do it? What happens to Rita and him? What happens to his family and friends? Can he defeat all odds and do what he is meant to do? How does he do it? Read Saving KC to find out.

The story was beautiful. It showed values of human emotions, familial bonds, love, friendship, recovery, etc. The character which I loved the most was the old Indian man. His journey is wild, and even though Kelly is the main character here, the old Indian man’s character manages to be bright, even overshadowing Kelly’s at times.

I was slightly confused about the medical part when he was attacked with a golf club because that’s not how medicine works. The doctor thanked them for giving him a sleeping pill, and this irked me because doctors usually ask all sorts of questions, like allergies, the medication the patient is on, and so on, before administering care to the patient. This part made it seem like he did not do that. The drugs can interact with each other, and the resultant mixture can be dangerous or ineffective. However, this part happened in the past. So, I have no idea how this process was back then. So, I can be wrong here. One thing I liked about the book is that nature-based healing is described. However, it is also shown that nature-based healing does not replace modern medicine. Combining the treatments and keeping both doctors posted about the treatment options is the best strategy for healing.

The book had some things that needed to be corrected. Sometimes, a conversation would start, but no double-inverted commas would be there to show that the conversation had ended. These mistakes would disrupt the reading flow, and I did not like this at all. The book also uses strong language and might not be a good choice for kids. However, the story is inspiring, and I wish such language had not been used in the book so that kids could read it, too.

I will give this book 5 out of 5 stars because of how captivating, engaging, and promising the story is. Yes, there were mistakes in the book. However, they were not enough to make me drop a star. Proper editing, however, will elevate the reading experience a lot.

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Saving KC
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[devarshi_1113]

Your review of 'Saving KC' is incredibly uplifting! It's fantastic to hear that you enjoyed the book and found it inspiring. Your thoughtful insights truly capture the essence of the story and its impact. Thank you for sharing your positive experience Kshtija!...can't wait to read the book by myself

[RJ Reviews]

Wars destroy lives and this story is another testament to that. The trauma and loss will haunt a person forever. This book sounds inspiring despite its grime theme. Well done with the review. Thank you.

[Gerry Steen]

Hi, Kshitija. Your review was thorough and honest. I appreciate all of the questions you posed about the plot. It gives the reader an idea about what to expect. Many soldiers had their lives upended by the Vietnam war. Kelly's story can be shared by many. Learning about nature-based healing is a bonus. This sounds like a book worth getting my hands on. Thank you.