Hold On Tight by Heather Klassen

It’s the 1960s, a time when America and families were being torn apart by the Vietnam War. When Suzanne’s elder brother Bobby is drafted, Suzanne’s mother wants them all to move to Canada, but he enlists to fight. Suzanne and her mother join the protesters against the war, but Suzanne’s father thinks patriotic Americans should support the war the way they did when he fought in World War II. The divisions in the family reflect the divisions in the country when differences about the war played a major part in fomenting hostile confrontations throughout the land.

Against a background of box hockey games, the first landing on the Moon, and the music of Bob Dylan, Suzanne not only has to contend with missing her brother, but also has to watch her mother’s pain and her parents grow distant from one another amidst their resentment. Through this she also has to decide where she stands herself on the issues, to cope with the consequences, and with her brother's ultimate fate.

This novel provides vivid insights into the era, and into the disagreements that defined a decade which brought tragedy to so many.

Author, Heather Klassen is a writer for children and young adults. She has more than 400 short stories published, including award-winning pieces in Highlights for Children. One of her stories was reprinted in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul II (1998). This is her second novel. Through her writing, she is particularly interested in trying to influence young people to think about social issues, particularly those of peace and justice.

As a child in the sixties, she was greatly affected by the Vietnam War, but Hold on Tight is a fictional account. She says Suzanne’s voice “just came to me. It was easy to let her tell her story, influenced so much by the love she had for her older brother.”

Heather Klassen is married with two grown children and lives in Lynnwood, Washington. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and Master’s Degree in Child Development. She is an Instructor for the Institute of Children’s Literature.