Rock 'N' Roll Soldier Nominated for Cybil Award

New York, NY, December 05, 2009 --(PR.com)-- Vietnam memoir Rock 'N' Roll Soldier (HarperTeen), by Dean Ellis Kohler with Susan VanHecke, foreword by Graham Nash, has been nominated for a Children's and Young Adult Bloggers' Literary Award, known as the Cybil, for Best Nonfiction (Middle Grade/Young Adult) title of 2009.

The Cybils are a series of awards given by a coalition of more than 90 bloggers who write about children’s and young adult books every day. Now in its fourth year, the Cybils are awarded to books that combine both literary merit and kid appeal. Nominations are open to the public.

Rock 'N' Roll Soldier chronicles the wartime experience of Dean Kohler, who was a teen guitar prodigy when he landed a recording contract and his draft notice the same week of 1966. Rather than give up his rock star dreams, Dean improvised some instruments and equipment, taught a few fellow MPs to play, and formed his own touring rock band in the combat zone -- all without missing a single patrol.

What started as a lark, though, ultimately became a lifeline for Dean and the band, as well as the thousands of combat-weary troops they played for in increasingly dangerous terrain. Amazingly, Dean and his group even cut a record in the jungle, crafting a makeshift sound studio on a war-zone mountainside.

Rock 'N' Roll Soldier has been hailed as "a sober but ultimately inspiring read" by Booklist, "a narrative depict[ing] life continuing beyond conflict" by Kirkus Reviews, and a "memoir [that] reads like an action-packed novel and pairs well with Walter Dean Myers's Fallen Angels" by School Library Journal.

The National Vietnam War Museum calls Rock 'N' Roll Soldier "an easy and entertaining read as well as a coming of age story about a young man who was able to live his dream in the middle of a war -- and survive."

For more information about Rock 'N' Roll Soldier, including Dean Kohler's 8mm film footage, audio, and photos from Vietnam, book excerpts, discussion guide, and playlist of songs featured in the book, visit www.RockNRollSoldierAMemoir.com.

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