Huebner, Andrew

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Huebner, Andrew

PERSONAL:

Born in NJ.

ADDRESSES:

Home—New York, NY.

WRITINGS:

American by Blood (novel), Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2000.

We Pierce (novel), Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 2003.

SIDELIGHTS:

In his debut novel, American by Blood, Andrew Huebner writes about three American army scouts who arrived at Little Bighorn the day after the famous battle in which the Indians wiped out General George Custer and his army. Basing his story on many real-life characters, including his own great-great-grandfather, August Huebner, the author describes the scouts' response to the horrifying scene of the massacre. The author then follows the scouts over the next year as they help track down the Sioux and Cheyenne, and how they ultimately destroy the Nez Perce Indian tribe. In the process, they must face questions about their own part in the horrors that result from their hunt. "Punctuated with beautiful descriptive passages of wilderness flora and fauna, the novel graphically details the skirmishes that followed the military disaster," reported a Publishers Weekly contributor. Several reviewers commented on the author's pared-down style and generally praised Huebner's first effort. For example, Booklist critic Budd Arthur felt the author's "style makes for some of the purist prose ever found in a historical novel."

With his novel We Pierce, the author turns his attention to a modern military encounter. This time Huebner writes about the Gulf War of the early 1990s and the conflict between two brothers, Smith and Sam. One brother enlists in the army out of a sense of duty and becomes a tank commander fighting in Iraq; the other is a pacifist who protests the war and is battling a cocaine addiction. The novel follows the brothers as they deal with the problems that arise from the paths they have chosen. Several reviewers perceived autobiographical elements of the novel. For example, the brothers' last names are Huebner and the author's own brother is a Gulf War veteran. As with his first novel, several reviewers praised the author's writing style. Referring to the book as "starkly realistic and timely," a Publishers Weekly critic stated that the author's "blunt, unvarnished prose lends impact to the questions he poses about the necessity and morality of the Gulf War." Janet Maslin, writing in the New York Times, commented that Huebner has produced "a spare, forceful novel," adding that the author "is often capable of a terse, angry eloquence that unifies the book's divergent threads."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 2000, Budd Arthur, review of American by Blood, p. 877; April 15, 2003, Allen Weakland, review of We Pierce, p. 1448.

Boston Review, February-March, 2000, Stewart O'Nan, review of American by Blood.

Denver Post, March 12, 2000, Tom Walker, review of American by Blood.

Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2003, review of We Pierce, pp. 334-335.

Library Journal, February 1, 2000, Robert Conroy, review of American by Blood, p. 117.

New York Times, March 5, 2000, Steven Varni, review of American by Blood; May 1, 2003, Janet Maslin, review of We Pierce, p. E9.

New York Times Book Review, March 5, 2000, Steven Varni, review of American by Blood, p. 24; May 4, 2003, D.T. Max, review of We Pierce, p. 30; May 9, 2004, Scott Veale, review of We Pierce, p. 24.

Publishers Weekly, January 31, 2000, review of American by Blood, p. 80; April 21, 2003, review of We Pierce, p. 38.