Tells the story of the New England Shelter for Homeless Vets, and describes its job training, post-trauma stress disorder therapy, and treatment options for detoxification The image of the dysfunctional, war-crazed Vietnam veteran whose heroic service in Southeast Asia was ignored or ridiculed by those at home is strongly entrenched in America's popular imagination. Along with the widespread belief in governmental duplicity on the missing in action, it is an enduring legacy of Vietnam. Journalist Solotaroff offers a prime example of this viewpoint as he relates the life histories of a number of veterans and outlines the short history of the New England Shelter for Homeless Vets. The personal narratives of the now middle-aged veterans are compelling portrayals of men whose wartime memories and post-Vietnam alcohol and drug abuse has pushed them to the brink. However, the powerful impact of these stories is continually negated by Solotaroff's wild and unsubstantiated opinions on the homelessness, suicide rates, etc., of the veterans. The story of the Vietnam veteran's adjustment to civilian life awaits a legitimate, disciplined writer and researcher. Not recommended.?John R. Vallely, Siena Coll. Lib., Loudonville, N.Y. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. The house in the title stands for the New England House for Homeless Veterans, set up recently in Boston by an ex-soldier exasperated with the Veterans Administration. Solotaroff writes energetically about the work being done at the House, motivated by anger at the misery he reports and perhaps to seek atonement for his own past attitude toward veterans ("In 1969, I was one of those kids throwing eggs at them, sighting a mile down my nose in know-nothing contempt" ). Founder Ken Smith takes in ragged, misfortunate men, and the author chooses to follow intently the combat nightmares and posttraumatic rehabilitations of five of the thousands of graduates from the house's no-nonsense program. Solotaroff's verbatim record of their frantic and frightening stories, which were gathered by the House's zealous and empathetic psychologist, is totally supportive and nonanalytical about Smith's program and the problem of reintegrating veterans into society. If Smith's example can be replicated in other cities, this first-person report may inspire activists. Gilbert Taylor A powerful, heartbreaking and inspirational account of the first years of the revolutionary New England Shelter for Homeless Vets -- an account that exposes the terrible effects of the Vietnam War on the men who fought it.
