Boy Underground: A Novel
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- Create Date：2021-12-27 09:51:51
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Catherine Ryan Hyde
- ISBN：1542021553
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Summary
During WWII， a teenage boy finds his voice， the courage of his convictions， and friends for life in an emotional and uplifting novel by the New York Times and #1 Amazon Charts bestselling author。
1941。 Steven Katz is the son of prosperous landowners in rural California。 Although his parents don’t approve， he’s found true friends in Nick， Suki， and Ollie， sons of field workers。 The group is inseparable。 But Steven is in turmoil。 He’s beginning to acknowledge that his feelings for Nick amount to more than friendship。
When the bombing of Pearl Harbor draws the US into World War II， Suki and his family are forced to leave their home for the internment camp at Manzanar。 Ollie enlists in the army and ships out。 And Nick must flee。 Betrayed by his own father and accused of a crime he didn’t commit， he turns to Steven for help。 Hiding Nick in a root cellar on his family’s farm， Steven acts as Nick’s protector and lifeline to the outside world。
As the war escalates， bonds deepen and the fear of being different falls away。 But after Nick unexpectedly disappears one day， Steven’s life focus is to find him。 On the way， Steven finds a place he belongs and a lesson about love that will last him his lifetime。
1941。 Steven Katz is the son of prosperous landowners in rural California。 Although his parents don’t approve， he’s found true friends in Nick， Suki， and Ollie， sons of field workers。 The group is inseparable。 But Steven is in turmoil。 He’s beginning to acknowledge that his feelings for Nick amount to more than friendship。
When the bombing of Pearl Harbor draws the US into World War II， Suki and his family are forced to leave their home for the internment camp at Manzanar。 Ollie enlists in the army and ships out。 And Nick must flee。 Betrayed by his own father and accused of a crime he didn’t commit， he turns to Steven for help。 Hiding Nick in a root cellar on his family’s farm， Steven acts as Nick’s protector and lifeline to the outside world。
As the war escalates， bonds deepen and the fear of being different falls away。 But after Nick unexpectedly disappears one day， Steven’s life focus is to find him。 On the way， Steven finds a place he belongs and a lesson about love that will last him his lifetime。
Reviews
Maria Suggett
，
Another beautiful story！As always， a wonderfully written story about friendships that last a lifetime。 Each of the main characters were well developed as if we knew them intimately。 The different perspectives and the way the war impacted each of them was well thought out。 Added to that the reaction to homosexuality in those times as she opening。 I chose this for our first read in our book club and I look forward to hearing from the group next month。
Donna
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4。5Steven lives in a small California town at the beginning of WWII。 He has three friends: Ollie， Suki and Nick。 He and Nick share strong feelings。 Ollie heads off to fight， Suki is sent to a resettlement camp， and Steven hides Nick from the police for a crime he did not commit in an underground storage area。 （Thus the title）Steven needs to make changes in his life。 The novel goes from his being 14 to 94 finding what he was looking for 。Catherine Ryan Hyde's books drawn the reader in。 This is no 4。5Steven lives in a small California town at the beginning of WWII。 He has three friends: Ollie， Suki and Nick。 He and Nick share strong feelings。 Ollie heads off to fight， Suki is sent to a resettlement camp， and Steven hides Nick from the police for a crime he did not commit in an underground storage area。 （Thus the title）Steven needs to make changes in his life。 The novel goes from his being 14 to 94 finding what he was looking for 。Catherine Ryan Hyde's books drawn the reader in。 This is no exception。 。。。more
Bookreporter。com Historical Fiction
，
The title of Catherine Ryan Hyde's latest novel has a double meaning。 It could refer to Nick， Steven Katz's best friend and romantic crush。 Because of an unbelievable betrayal by Nick's father， he must hide and ends up living underground in a root cellar on Steven's family's huge farm。 It also could refer to Steven and the fact that he is gay， which he is hiding from his family and pretty much everyone else。 During this time， homosexuality was considered a perversion and a crime。 Steven's feelin The title of Catherine Ryan Hyde's latest novel has a double meaning。 It could refer to Nick， Steven Katz's best friend and romantic crush。 Because of an unbelievable betrayal by Nick's father， he must hide and ends up living underground in a root cellar on Steven's family's huge farm。 It also could refer to Steven and the fact that he is gay， which he is hiding from his family and pretty much everyone else。 During this time， homosexuality was considered a perversion and a crime。 Steven's feelings， identity and persona are hidden "underground。"The narration begins in 1941 when Steven meets Suki， a fellow high school student who is of Japanese descent。 Suki is trying out for the baseball team solely because his father wants him to， just as Steven's father has insisted he do the same。 Neither boy makes the team， and as a result of this encounter， Suki introduces Steven to his friends， Ollie and Nick。 The four boys form a close friendship despite their socioeconomic differences。 Steven's father is the well-to-do owner of one of the large farms in the Northern California agricultural area， while the fathers of the other three boys are farm workers who are being mistreated by the farmers and living a subsistence lifestyle in small shacks。It's made clear from the start that Steven's family is dysfunctional， to say the least。 When Steven recounts the meals that his mother makes， we learn that they are barely edible。 There is little conversation at the dinner table; his older brother is hostile and detached， his father perversely prefers to talk when his mouth is filled with food， and his mother is treated as someone whose opinion doesn't really count。 Steven's old friends， whose parents are also landowners， are kids he no longer wants to be around。 He explains that they are narrow-minded and refer to anyone they don't like as "faggots" or other pejoratives。 For obvious reasons， that makes him uncomfortable。Steven and his new friends go camping in the mountains， which he has never done before， even though he has lived at the foot of those mountains all his life。 During the trip， his crush on Nick grows in intensity， but when they return to town， they are shocked to find that so much has changed。 While they were obliviously enjoying the views and cold mountain air， Pearl Harbor was being attacked。 Also， Nick's father drunkenly assaulted a man， which left him in a coma， and he blames Nick for it。 Despite Steven’s and the other boys' statements that they were all together in the mountains at the time of the incident， the detectives want to arrest Nick。 Suki also hears rumors that the Japanese living in California will be relocated， and he's worried。Steven desperately wants to help his friends; he would do anything for them。 But he's only 14， and his parents are bigoted， uncaring， snobby and cold-hearted。 His mother tells him， "People judge you by the company you keep，" and she asks him if his new friends are American。 Although he understands what she’s really asking （are they Japanese？）， he also knows that Suki is an American citizen。 His parents won't agree to assist anyone who is not of their social status; they don't even want him to associate with these boys。 So he does whatever he can to protect his friends。The messages in this story are made clear by Hyde in a pretty straightforward manner。 An older Chinese man， Gordon Cho， tells Steven that he must "practice accepting that things are incomplete。" Cho explains that "to accept something means you stop trying to fight with what is。" The point is that some things can't be changed。 In Steven's case， this means he must accept that his parents， with their bigotry and homophobia， will not change。 But there is so much more in his life that he must accept: the imprisonment of the Japanese and the fact that Americans took horrible advantage of their plight， his father’s false accusation， and Ollie's early enlistment in the military and its heartbreaking result。I appreciate Hyde's ability to clearly and incisively show characters' motivations through their dialogue and action。 Her writing is lovely and almost poetic。 However， there are moments when the narrative feels weak by comparison。 Instead of describing someone's feelings， she writes， "I might even have trouble putting it all into words" or "and it was。。。 I'm sorry。 I honestly don't have the words for what it was。" But that's usually what she's so gifted at providing --- the words to describe just what the characters are feeling。 I wanted more。Despite these small lapses， we do end up with Hyde's insights about fate。 From the year 2019， Steven catches us up on his life。 While he didn't get what he thought he wanted at the age of 14， eventually he got something better --- a wonderful life filled with love and friends。 And he shares another life lesson: when you give and give and give and become someone's savior， it's impossible to have an equal relationship。 A true friendship or romance must be between equals。 While he grew up with a biological family who essentially were strangers to him， he later found a family who loved and accepted him。Because of the many important themes that Catherine Ryan Hyde raises， including prejudice， homophobia， family dysfunction， friendship， social status， Japanese internment， abusive parents and the futility of war， BOY UNDERGROUND would be a fine choice for book clubs。Reviewed by Pamela Kramer 。。。more
lillian collins
，
Boy UndergroundAnother totally engrossing and amazing story from Catherine Ryan Hyde。 It’s the story of a young man growing up，in what was rural California just before WWII。 It revolves around his realizing he is different from his old friends who are in the same social and economic class。 He finds three new friends and learns about the world he is living in from their perspective。 It’s about learning acceptance for what we cannot change and the bravery and courage of one young man to live his t Boy UndergroundAnother totally engrossing and amazing story from Catherine Ryan Hyde。 It’s the story of a young man growing up，in what was rural California just before WWII。 It revolves around his realizing he is different from his old friends who are in the same social and economic class。 He finds three new friends and learns about the world he is living in from their perspective。 It’s about learning acceptance for what we cannot change and the bravery and courage of one young man to live his true life 。。。more
Susan Miller
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Excellent story of unknown -about eventsI just love reading books by Catherine Ryan Hyde。 She dares to tell about the feelings that people with struggles experience。 I have read many books about World War Two， but this book brought the war closer to home through the eyes of young men and their feelings about the world during those years。 Topics like the Japanese internment in America， disfunctional families， European internment camps， and homosexuality that you never really think about。 Wonderfu Excellent story of unknown -about eventsI just love reading books by Catherine Ryan Hyde。 She dares to tell about the feelings that people with struggles experience。 I have read many books about World War Two， but this book brought the war closer to home through the eyes of young men and their feelings about the world during those years。 Topics like the Japanese internment in America， disfunctional families， European internment camps， and homosexuality that you never really think about。 Wonderful book！ 。。。more
Millie Russom
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。it very goodThis story was pretty boring。 Not my kind of took。 I wasn't expecting a story like this。 About the boy being gay。 。it very goodThis story was pretty boring。 Not my kind of took。 I wasn't expecting a story like this。 About the boy being gay。 。。。more
Patrick Seidel
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Wonderful！The author has done such a great job creating a story about love， family， loyalty， and most of all friendships。 I fell in love with the main characters from the start。 It's beautifully written。 I highly recommend this book。 Hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I did。 Wonderful！The author has done such a great job creating a story about love， family， loyalty， and most of all friendships。 I fell in love with the main characters from the start。 It's beautifully written。 I highly recommend this book。 Hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I did。 。。。more
Marcie
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Catherine Ryan Hyde’s depth of understanding is amazing。 Interesting and informative。 1941 America。 Pearl Harbor happens， Japanese sent to camps， and 14 year old boy struggles to understand his attraction to other boys。
Angela
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Wonderful， poignant novel that follows a young man's struggle， or a few young men actually， to come to terms with themselves and the hands that they were dealt in this fickle life。 A lot of worthy topics are discussed here， and I'm SO glad Catherine was the one bringing these topics to the table。 She always does it so well！！ Easily 10/10。 5 gold stars！Thanks netgalley for giving me the advanced pdf so that I can share my thoughts and opinions with y'all 🧡 Wonderful， poignant novel that follows a young man's struggle， or a few young men actually， to come to terms with themselves and the hands that they were dealt in this fickle life。 A lot of worthy topics are discussed here， and I'm SO glad Catherine was the one bringing these topics to the table。 She always does it so well！！ Easily 10/10。 5 gold stars！Thanks netgalley for giving me the advanced pdf so that I can share my thoughts and opinions with y'all 🧡 。。。more
Kate Reed
，
overflowing I finished the book with tears， not because it was sad （although parts of the story were）， but because the book， and the story told， just filled me up to overflowing。 Most of the story takes place in a time before me， but put me there， and shows how one persons actions can make a difference in so many lives， and how sometimes， there just isn’t any way to make the outcome the one you want， but that doesn’t mean you life is bad。 A great story about how bad things can happen， and you ma overflowing I finished the book with tears， not because it was sad （although parts of the story were）， but because the book， and the story told， just filled me up to overflowing。 Most of the story takes place in a time before me， but put me there， and shows how one persons actions can make a difference in so many lives， and how sometimes， there just isn’t any way to make the outcome the one you want， but that doesn’t mean you life is bad。 A great story about how bad things can happen， and you may carry them forward with you， but that you don’t have to let it define you。 Absolutely enjoyed this book， the story， the lessons， the writing， just every bit was worth reading！ 。。。more
Rosie Davey-Hunt
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Engaging from start to finishA book highlighting， loyalty， strength and compassion。 Stephen， Souki， Ollie and Nick travel through life with strength and integrity; it was rewarding to read their stories。
Sue Ugenti
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She is one of my favorite authors。 Her character development is amazing。 I feel like I’m experiencing the story and feeling and seeing what each character is doing right along side of them。 This story is set during WWII， however it is a coming of age story， not a war story。 I liked this one almost as much as her novel Have You Seen Luis Velez。（Which is my favorite）。 Definitely a great read and a page turner which also makes you think。 Happy reading！
Donna
，
One of the Best novelsCatherine Ryan Hyde is one of my favorite authors ever。 I won’t forget this one。 I gave it as a gift this Xmas。 it is a very profound story， I think。 It takes place from 1941 to 1943 and beyond。 It is a story of love， loss， expectations and acceptance。 Treat yourself to this story。 You won’t regret it。
Jayne Burnett
，
Thank to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review。 Catherine Ryan Hyde never disappoints her readers。 This is a beautiful book， the story of Steven Katz， who is 14 in 1941， like many teenagers he isn’t quite comfortable with himself yet。 He meets a new group of friends， Suki， Ollie and Nick， they are different from his previous friends in many ways， The story brings Steven through his teenage years， His inward struggles with himself as he learns about Thank to Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for a review。 Catherine Ryan Hyde never disappoints her readers。 This is a beautiful book， the story of Steven Katz， who is 14 in 1941， like many teenagers he isn’t quite comfortable with himself yet。 He meets a new group of friends， Suki， Ollie and Nick， they are different from his previous friends in many ways， The story brings Steven through his teenage years， His inward struggles with himself as he learns about life， how difficult it can often be。 It doesn’t help that his family are cold and uncommunicative with one another。， there is little love in the Katz family home。 Steven is loyal and true to his friends regardless of how difficult it makes things for himself at home， school and in the community。 The story is emotional， sad， racist， and tragic， It covers homosexuality in a sensitive way。 The story comes to a close with Steven being an old man and he is meeting up with Suki， which they have been doing regularly over the years，， they are visiting the Japanese interment camp， you must read this poignant beautiful book to find out why this is relevant to both of the old men。 I cannot recommend this book highly enough。 It will stay with me for some time as this authors books often do。 。。。more
Cindy
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This is a good coming of age story that read to me like it belongs in a young adult genre。 The reason for only 3 stars is simply because I often find I don't get swept up in these types of stories。 However if you like them I do recommend this one。 The setting， characters and plot are unique。 The writing is insightful at times， although at other times I felt the story dragged a bit。 I was ready to move on and the writer still had more to say。 Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early This is a good coming of age story that read to me like it belongs in a young adult genre。 The reason for only 3 stars is simply because I often find I don't get swept up in these types of stories。 However if you like them I do recommend this one。 The setting， characters and plot are unique。 The writing is insightful at times， although at other times I felt the story dragged a bit。 I was ready to move on and the writer still had more to say。 Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an early release in exchange for a fair and honest review。 。。。more
Deborah
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A Beautiful and Meaningful Story I waited for this book in desperate anticipation for months。 Ms。 Ryan-Hyde is my favorite author！ I was not let down。 The story is a sad one that ends on a more hopeful note。 The characters in the story were beautifully developed。 I couldn’t put the book down。 It is a great story of a sad period in our history， not only due to war， but prejudice and hatred for others。 The boys in the story were very strong and great survivors of injustice。
Karen
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Never disappoints！As always， CRH tells a beautiful story here of the strength of people’s spirit and overcoming tremendous pain and difficulties。 This book delves into the stigma and pain of prejudice during WWII years， in this case primarily around homosexuality and being Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor。 It’s a beautiful story of friendship and innocence in regard to seeing someone for who they are and offering acceptance and love regardless of differences。
Shari Ring Wolf
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Another great story from CRHA beautiful， true story--true to the human spirit， that is。 It's the story of four boys， aged 14/15， growing up in the farming area south of Fresno， California in the 1940's。 Steven is our narrator and main character。 He is the son of a landowner， and he befriends 3 other boys from families with much less money than his。 Ollie is the oldest of the 4 boys; he joins the armed services in a fever of patriotism and is killed almost immediately。 Suki is another of the g Another great story from CRHA beautiful， true story--true to the human spirit， that is。 It's the story of four boys， aged 14/15， growing up in the farming area south of Fresno， California in the 1940's。 Steven is our narrator and main character。 He is the son of a landowner， and he befriends 3 other boys from families with much less money than his。 Ollie is the oldest of the 4 boys; he joins the armed services in a fever of patriotism and is killed almost immediately。 Suki is another of the group， a Japanese-American whose family is sent to live in the Japanese internment camp Manzenar。 Nick is the 14 year old love interest of Steven。Nick's alcoholic father was in a bar fight with a man he left for dead， then managed to have his son， Nick， implicated for the crime。 Steven not only hides Nick， but also helps him leave the area。 This is the story of Steven's coming of age and coming out。 It's the story of how dangerous it was to be gay， or Japanese-American， during the 1940's。 It's a story of courage， of acceptance， and of friendship。 It's true to CRH style of heartwarming honesty and subtle instruction on what it takes to be a decent human being。 。。。more
Aaron California
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This is a great novel about accepting who you are， learning to live， leaving behind bad people， finding friends， and moving on from a hard family life。 I highly recommend this novel to anyone who is alone because they are different。
Maria Quintas
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A beautiful and thought provoking bookHaving read a large part of Catherine Ryan Hyde’s work I expected this one to be superb。 And it was， in that peculiar way she has to tell an ordinary story and make it extraordinary。 It is a true gift。 The narration seems effortless， realistic and just right。
Laura Doble
，
A great bookI wasn't sure if I'd like this when distasteful I got so engrossed in it that it was difficult to put it down。 The characterisation real that I can picture them and the story was perfect A great bookI wasn't sure if I'd like this when distasteful I got so engrossed in it that it was difficult to put it down。 The characterisation real that I can picture them and the story was perfect 。。。more
Cheryl
，
When I pick up a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde， I know I will not be disappointed in my choice。 I've read so many of her books its difficult to choose a favorite， but this book would be near the top！ The book begins in 1941 and we are introduced to four young teen boys， Steven， Suki， Ollie and Nick。 Each boy has their own difficulties in life， which may be what draws them together in the first place。 Although Steven is the late-comer to the group， he is accepted by the others when introduced by Su When I pick up a book by Catherine Ryan Hyde， I know I will not be disappointed in my choice。 I've read so many of her books its difficult to choose a favorite， but this book would be near the top！ The book begins in 1941 and we are introduced to four young teen boys， Steven， Suki， Ollie and Nick。 Each boy has their own difficulties in life， which may be what draws them together in the first place。 Although Steven is the late-comer to the group， he is accepted by the others when introduced by Suki。 While Ollie plays an important part in this story， his character is the one that is least expanded upon。 However， the character development andstorylines for the other three boys carry throughout the book and affect each other significantly。 The title， Boy Underground， can refer to each of the boys in one aspect or another， but mainly refers to Nick， which I was not expecting。 The friendship that is formed between Nick and Steven due to an accusation of assault， is intense and very confusing to Steven who is dealing with his own sexualtiy issues along with his need to protect and provide for Nick。 This is exacerbated when Suki's Japanese family is uprooted from their home and sent to an internment camp， Ollie goes off to war， and his parents make disparaging remarks about both Japanese and homosexuals。 The author is able to pull all of these storylines together in a manner that flows easily through character interactions showing their desires for a life that brings them happiness and peace。 The book shows how important and long-lasting some friendships can be。 Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy。 #NetGalley #BoyUnderground 。。。more
Wil
，
This is the 4th book I have read by this author in the last few weeks; it differs from the other three in that the focus is not intergenerational， but rather on the interactions among 4 teen-aged boys at the beginning of World War II。 It involves the tragedy of war， relocation camps， crime and homosexuality， and their impact on each of their lives。 She writes with such fervor that it is difficult to put one of her books down。
Daniel B。 Smith
，
Painful and HopefulCRH is the best writer I know。 The way she spins her web of occurrences into a compelling story always amazes me。 Never disappointed。 Thanks to the author！！！
Deborah Kinate
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Steven Katz is fourteen years old in 1941 and has three good friends in Suki， Nick， Ollie。 The four young men go on an overnight camping trip on a weekend in December。 The world changes for all of them in that short span of time as Pearl Harbor happens and Steven discovers that he has sexual feelings for his friend Nick。 Ollie who is older enters the army， Suki and his family are relocated to a Japanese interment camp， and Nick is excused of attempted murder。 The novel mainly focuses on Steven i Steven Katz is fourteen years old in 1941 and has three good friends in Suki， Nick， Ollie。 The four young men go on an overnight camping trip on a weekend in December。 The world changes for all of them in that short span of time as Pearl Harbor happens and Steven discovers that he has sexual feelings for his friend Nick。 Ollie who is older enters the army， Suki and his family are relocated to a Japanese interment camp， and Nick is excused of attempted murder。 The novel mainly focuses on Steven in the remainder of the war years。 This is another exceptionally good read by Catherine Ryan Hyde。 。。。more
Diane Davis
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this was a wonderful， wonderful book。。。。
Cindy
，
Boy Underground， by Catherine Ryan Hyde， is the latest novel offered by a most prolific writer。 Set in California， shorty after Pearl Harbor， this book focuses on the impact of the war on the lives of four teenage boys。 After reading four other novels by this author， I confess that her compassion and insight into the human psyche just overwhelm me。 As with her past work， the characters are so nuanced and authentic that their triumphs and suffering are a shared experience with readers。 Her plotti Boy Underground， by Catherine Ryan Hyde， is the latest novel offered by a most prolific writer。 Set in California， shorty after Pearl Harbor， this book focuses on the impact of the war on the lives of four teenage boys。 After reading four other novels by this author， I confess that her compassion and insight into the human psyche just overwhelm me。 As with her past work， the characters are so nuanced and authentic that their triumphs and suffering are a shared experience with readers。 Her plotting and pacing are impeccable。 She never loses direction and manages to wrap in a way that is satisfying， if not necessarily happy。 As an added plus， almost every novel features a wonderful dog。Unquestionably， Catherine Ryan Hyde is one of my go-to authors for stories that will make me think， smile， and learn。 Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read a digital ARC。 It was truly a pleasure。 。。。more
Henry Ota
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Wonderful bookThe author does a great job in telling this incredible story about life。 I recommend this book to any reader。
Natasha
，
I really like Catherine Ryan Hyde’s books。 I didn’t like this as much as most of her other books， but I still wanted to find out what happened。 The main character is a young boy growing up during WWII。 He goes through a lot during the novel， from being gay to losing friends。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Boy Underground: A Novel
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Boy Underground: A Novel&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft