A Million Shades of Gray

Written by Cynthia Kadohata

Narrated by Keith Nobbs

Y'Tin is brave.

No one in his village denies that—his mother may wish that he’d spend more time on school work than on elephant training, but still she knows that it takes a great deal of courage and calm to deal with elephants the way that Y'Tin does. He is almost the best trainer in the village—and, at twelve-years old, he’s certainly the youngest. Maybe he’ll even open up his own school some day to teach other Montagnards how to train wild elephants? That was the plan anyway—back before American troops pulled out of the Vietnam War, back before his village became occupied by Viet Cong forces seeking revenge, back before Y'Tin watched his life change in a million terrible ways.

Now, his bravery is truly put to the test: he can stay in his village, held captive by the Viet Cong or he can risk his life (and save his elephant’s) by fleeing into the jungle. The Montagnards know their surroundings well. After all, this is why Y'Tin’s village had become loyal US allies during the war, having been tapped by Special Forces for their tracking skills and familiarity with the jungle. But that also means that Y'Tin knows how unsafe it can be—and how much danger he is in if he chooses to head out with no destination in mind.

At once heartbreaking and full of hope, Newbery Medal-winning author Cynthia Kadohata’s exploration into the depth of the jungle and the not-so-distant past brings us close to a world few people know about—and none will ever forget. Y'Tin’s story is one of lasting friendships, desperate choices and all that we lose when we are forced to change.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Jan 5, 2010
• ISBN: 9780743581974

Cynthia Kadohata

Cynthia Kadohata is the author of the Newbery Medal–winning book Kira-Kira, the National Book Award winner The Thing About Luck, the Jane Addams Peace Award and PEN America Award winner Weedflower, Cracker!, Outside Beauty, A Million Shades of Gray, Half a World Away, Checked, A Place to Belong, Saucy, and several critically acclaimed adult novels, including The Floating World. She lives with her dogs and hockey-playing son in California. Visit her online at CynthiaKadohata.com.

Reviews for A Million Shades of Gray

[vernefan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In the Central Highlands of Southern Vietnam live the Dega tribes, Vietnamese village farmers and elephant keepers. 13 year old Y'Tin is the youngest animal trainer of his kind and his charge is his beloved elephant named Lady. Set soon after the Americans pull out of the Vietnam War in 1975, the Vietcong and the North Vietnamese are still soldiering in to combat the Southern Vietnamese, breaking the established Paris Peace Accord agreement. Y'Tin's village is ambushed, threatening the lives of many; most are held captive or killed. Y'Tin's father urges him to run for his life, to lead him and his friends with their elephants far into the jungle to escape the threat of war and the rain of destruction coming their way.Three boys and their elephants grow up quick as the art of jungle survival has them learning to track and hunt for food, find shelter, and watching for signs of the enemy. Friends become enemies, childhood brothers turn to betrayal. The other boys abandon Y'Tin as he insists on staying with Lady temporarily in the wild as she joins a wild herd, bonding with them to ensure safety of her unborn calf. Y'Tin's sorrow of the loss of Lady runs deep but as boy becomes man he knows in his heart it is right to let her go free. Leaving her safe, away from harm, Y'Tin spends days in the heat of the jungle, bleeding from wounds, dying of thirst and hunger, and yet his talented tracking skills pay off as he winds his way back finding his family alive. But rest is not in the cards for our young hero, the boy who betrayed him has been missing for days and his family begs Y'Tin to return to the jungle once again to find him, dead or alive. The character of Y'Tin is both innocent and playful as he shows us his love for Lady and as he dreams of starting his own elephant training school someday in far off Thailand. Yet he also reveals to us that he is strong in body & mind when he is presented with challenges both bold and brave.I loved this precious and poignant story and feel it would give young boys an adventure tale filled with heroic action they can relate to. However, I was a bit at odds with the conflicting writing style Kadohata pens. The level of writing is for that of an 8-10 year old boy, very simplistic and matter of fact. But the content of the story with its bloodshed and heinous acts of war, along with the difficult scenarios that Y'Tin must endure as he continually beats the odds when death is at his every door, was a bit heavy and serious for the writing ability level. This is an excellent book, but I do caution parents to use judgment as they consider the content for the younger readers; there are a few graphic scenes presented that paint a very vivid picture of the horrors of the Vietnam War

[jennybeast · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Cynthia Kadohata really doesn't pull any punches, and this book, set in North Vietnam after the American forces have withdrawn is a very realistic story of genocide. It's also a story about profound bonds with elephants, and about the hopeless choices one makes in war. It's packed with all kinds of thoughtful relationships and messages, but ultimately it is a tragic piece. There are no winners, there is only hardship with a thin gleam of hope, and there is a horrific massacre. I'm glad to know more about this time in this country, even as my own country's actions appall me, but I would keep this book for tweens or teens -- Y'Tin may only be 13, but the lessons he is learning are harsh.

[jothebookgirl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What happened in Vietnam aftger Americn troops pulled out in 1975.

[heatherlinc · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

'A Million Shades of Grey' provides a nice little introduction to the Vietnam War from a young boy's perspective. Y'Tin is a gentle protagonist with an authentic voice trying to survive the arrival of the Vietcongs. Lady, the elephant Y'Tin trains makes a beautiful companion and the relationship between the boy and his elephant is touching. Even though the plot is rather slow in places, this is still an interesting coming of age story.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Audio book narrated by Keith Nobbs

Y’Tin is the best elephant handler in his village, a skill that takes courage, patience and intelligence. Still, his mother would rather that he spend more time on schoolwork than on the elephants. He is, after all, only thirteen years old and there will be plenty of time to decide his life’s work. Perhaps he will be like his father, who works with the American soldiers in the war against the North Vietnamese forces. But after the Americans pull out, Y’Tin, his family, and the other Dega in their village will have to fend for themselves.

Kadohata weaves an interesting and harrowing tale of bravery, friendship and loyalty. Set from 1973 to 1975 in the highlands of Vietnam, the author takes the reader into an environment few of us have experienced, and none of us has lived as intensely as the villagers depicted in this story. Forced by circumstances to flee into the jungle, Y’Tin struggles to remember the life lessons his father imparted over the years. There are no happy endings when war is involved, but this ending is hopeful.

Keith Nobbs does a wonderful job narrating the audio book. He has good pacing and is believable as the voice of a 13-year-old, albeit one wise beyond his years due to the situations he encounters. The book is suitable for readers 9 years old, although there are some horrible scenes of war atrocities which may be frightening for the younger and/or more sensitive reader.

[librarian1204 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book details a time in history not covered in books for kids. Vietnam after the Americans leave.
A very unsettling book and meant to be so.

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderful, moving story set in Vietnam at the close of the North/South conflict.

[altonamiddle · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

1973...The father and the 11 yr. old son are tracking for the Americans. “His father always said you had to tell the truth when you made a mistake, because when you told one lie, that always led to two likes, and two lies led to four., until your whole life became a lie.” The father was teaching his son and now Y’Tin feels guilty as they waited for his estimate of the enemy that had been in the deserted camp and he feels this extra half hour was the cause of the enemy attack that killed his father’s friend.1975...Y’Tin doesn’t like school, but his mother inists he attend. When he learns the family is going to flee the village in fear of an attack by the North Vietnamese, he longs for school and “normal”. His father sends him away with the elephants, but he hears his 5 yr. old sister crying and when he goes back to check on her, he is caught. The three elephants from the village are heading into the jungle alone. Y’Tin finds one of the other elephant keepers and witnesses his death. He also meets up with a friend and they are able to escape, but when they reach the jungle and the elephants who are with the third keeper, the two older boys turn against Y’Tin and blame him and his father for the destruction of the village where everyone who didn’t escape before the attack was killed.While in the jungle they ran into a herd of wild elephants and Lady, Y’Tin’s elephant has decided to live with them instead. Y’Tin stayed for a week to see if she would return and the other two boys left without him. Now he has found the villagers who managed to escape before the attack. Unfortunately, some of them are from different villages and want to eat the elephants. In the meantime, his elephant has come back with the baby. To save her and the baby he chased them back to the wild herd and took off for Thailand where he hopes to work with elephants again. ( )altonalibrary | Aug 8, 2012 atms | Aug 28, 2012

[atms_3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

1973...The father and the 11 yr. old son are tracking for the Americans. “His father always said you had to tell the truth when you made a mistake, because when you told one lie, that always led to two likes, and two lies led to four., until your whole life became a lie.” The father was teaching his son and now Y’Tin feels guilty as they waited for his estimate of the enemy that had been in the deserted camp and he feels this extra half hour was the cause of the enemy attack that killed his father’s friend.1975...Y’Tin doesn’t like school, but his mother inists he attend. When he learns the family is going to flee the village in fear of an attack by the North Vietnamese, he longs for school and “normal”. His father sends him away with the elephants, but he hears his 5 yr. old sister crying and when he goes back to check on her, he is caught. The three elephants from the village are heading into the jungle alone. Y’Tin finds one of the other elephant keepers and witnesses his death. He also meets up with a friend and they are able to escape, but when they reach the jungle and the elephants who are with the third keeper, the two older boys turn against Y’Tin and blame him and his father for the destruction of the village where everyone who didn’t escape before the attack was killed.While in the jungle they ran into a herd of wild elephants and Lady, Y’Tin’s elephant has decided to live with them instead. Y’Tin stayed for a week to see if she would return and the other two boys left without him. Now he has found the villagers who managed to escape before the attack. Unfortunately, some of them are from different villages and want to eat the elephants. In the meantime, his elephant has come back with the baby. To save her and the baby he chased them back to the wild herd and took off for Thailand where he hopes to work with elephants again. ( )altonalibrary | Aug 8, 2012

[altonalibrary · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

1973...The father and the 11 yr. old son are tracking for the Americans. “His father always said you had to tell the truth when you made a mistake, because when you told one lie, that always led to two likes, and two lies led to four., until your whole life became a lie.” The father was teaching his son and now Y’Tin feels guilty as they waited for his estimate of the enemy that had been in the deserted camp and he feels this extra half hour was the cause of the enemy attack that killed his father’s friend.1975...Y’Tin doesn’t like school, but his mother inists he attend. When he learns the family is going to flee the village in fear of an attack by the North Vietnamese, he longs for school and “normal”. His father sends him away with the elephants, but he hears his 5 yr. old sister crying and when he goes back to check on her, he is caught. The three elephants from the village are heading into the jungle alone. Y’Tin finds one of the other elephant keepers and witnesses his death. He also meets up with a friend and they are able to escape, but when they reach the jungle and the elephants who are with the third keeper, the two older boys turn against Y’Tin and blame him and his father for the destruction of the village where everyone who didn’t escape before the attack was killed.While in the jungle they ran into a herd of wild elephants and Lady, Y’Tin’s elephant has decided to live with them instead. Y’Tin stayed for a week to see if she would return and the other two boys left without him. Now he has found the villagers who managed to escape before the attack. Unfortunately, some of them are from different villages and want to eat the elephants. In the meantime, his elephant has come back with the baby. To save her and the baby he chased them back to the wild herd and took off for Thailand where he hopes to work with elephants again.

[crochetbunnii · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Personal Response:While Kadohata does not have direct connections to the Dega group or ties to Vietnam, this story has inspired me to learn more about this group from an authoritative source. Any student can relate to Y'Tin's struggle to come to term with the conflicting feelings he has for those he has trusted and his place in a conflicted world.Curricular Connections:This book can help illustrate the war in Vietnam for young adults and introduce them to the conflict that continued after the Americans withdrew from the country. This book is a good illustration of how American history can ignore the aftermath that follows after American interests have dissolved from a conflict.

[jrlibrary · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

13 year old Y'Tin is the youngest elephant handler that his village has ever seen. He loves Lady, the elephant he is responsible for, and would happily spend all day with her, but he also has to go to school. When his village is attacked by North Vietnamese forces, Y'Tin ends up being one of the captured villagers. He endures several atrocities including being forced to dig the hole for the mass grave that he suspects will hold all of them, and to witness the shooting death of his friend. He manages to escape, and finds the other elephant handlers, and their elephants. Eventually he finds the villagers who weren't captured, and then he has to make some decisions about his future. I kept waiting for something more to happen in this book, thinking that Y'Tin or Lady was somehow going to play a key role in something, but it didn't happen. Mostly, this is a clear and easy to understand recount of one boys experiences surviving in the jungle during 1975 and the Vietnam war. The book does a great job of giving a taste of that time, but for me, there was something missing that stops me from raving about it. It does a great job of describing the helplessness that the tribe must have felt when the American soldiers never returned to help them.

[youthgpl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Elly says, "This book, set in 1975, chronicles part of the little-known story of the Montagnard tribal people after the American withdrawal from Vietnam. When the Viet Cong attack his village, 13-year-old Y'Tin must hide his beloved elephant, Lady, in the jungle. He is witness to many atrocities when the Viet Cong retaliate aginst those who helped the Special Forces soldiers during the war. This book is honest, and deliberate. It does't sugar-coat anything, but doesn't dwell on the bloody aspects either. It tells what happened, in children's language and in ways children will understand, without glossing over the events of that time. Friends die, loss is everywhere, and Y''Tin has to make very hard choices no 13-year old should have to make. Excellent story, but not an easy read.