Shifting Loyalties

Book excerpt: Shifting Loyaltiesæis a sweeping exploration of the lives of five young Chicano men before, during, and after the Vietnam War. The novel travels time and space„from Southern California in the 1950s to the jungles of Vietnam in the 60s to Spain in the 70s and Pennsylvania in the 80s. The result of this far-ranging journey is a portrait of an ethnic American community touched by the atrocities of war. David, Danny, Charley, Joey, and Manny struggle in individual ways with their ambivalent feelings about war. On the one hand, they have been raised to respect and leave unquestioned the notion of service and duty. On the other, they experience a growing sense of mistrust toward decisions made for them. ñDonÍt ask,î DavidÍs father tells him as a child. ñOne day youÍll see. ThatÍs all.î But as David and the others reach adulthood they find that this isnÍt enough to guide them through the horrible realities of war and the post-war readjustment to civilian life. Daniel CanoÍs second novel leaves an indelible impression of the complex experience of a war-torn generation.