Stuart Nachbar: Defending College Heights
Book Club Discussion

October 14, 2009. Stuart Nachbar sheds light on his mystery,
Defending College Heights, in an interview with Queenie C.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Stuart Nachbar

War is such a controversial subject. What made you decide to have the opposing sides the main focus of this story?

I wanted to show that military recruiters are not an enemy, as they are sometimes portrayed in the media; they are men and women who are trying to do a very difficult job. They have to be positive about military service, while sharing the risks as well.

I also wanted to show that there are people who join the Army because they want to defend their country, which is honorable regardless of the civilian opinions of the ongoing military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Defending College Heights is partly a "what if" story. There has never been an incident where a military recruiter has been murdered in or out of the line of duty. I imagined, in this "what if" scenario, that the news media would present the politics of military recruiting after a military recruiter had been found dead on a college campus, and that the coverage might be biased. Such a debate is conceivable because lawmakers and reporters have called the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq "endless wars."

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Stuart Nachbar

Have you encountered Army recruiting on the college campuses you've worked at or been to? If so, what is it like?

My work experience includes service to career counselors who direct job fairs in which the military is a very active participant. The armed forces recruit officer candidates as professionally as any employer recruits entry level candidates for jobs and invest heavily in entry level recruitment marketing. The ads show soldiers in varied roles, where, of course, they are heroes within a strong, diverse group. The armed forces always manage to find new officers because they can promise adventure and leadership experience to young people. The marketing shows that they can deliver on those promises.

From speaking with military recruiters on college campuses there is little arm twisting; their records depend on attracting candidates who successfully graduated from Officer Candidate School (OCS) training. I did not meet a recruiter who would try to "encourage" an unfit man or woman to join the military. The Marine Corp recruiters, in particular, are sticklers for physical fitness as well as leadership qualities.

I must add that the students who speak to the recruiters appear to know the risks as well as the rewards of military service. They do, however, expect clarity on issues about jobs, aka Military Operational Specialties, and education benefits. A student who graduates as, for example, a nurse or an engineer, expects to be a nurse or an engineer.

However, I do understand why students, and sometimes faculty and college employees, confront recruiters. The military has a policy of "don't ask, don't tell" with respect to homosexuals; students, academics and college administrators oppose such discrimination. There are also cases of sexual harassment that have been in the news. And, of course, young people who were once draft-eligible fear that they might be forced to fight in a war they do not support.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Stuart Nachbar

Why was it important for Jack to become involved in a relationship?

He's divorced, very much into his work, and a very lonely man. And he has not taken the loss of his nephew, who was almost a son to him, very well. Since he's been divorced a long time his only relationships with women are with his sister—he's a over-protective brother—and with colleagues at work. He's not the most sensitive man at times, but he's a good man.

Jack comes into College Heights determined to shake things up, and he questions the seriousness of the professional who have some connection to a college community or the murder investigation—women are in important leadership positions in this story, including the county sheriff and college president. They don't get into Jack's head any better than the men. I wanted a female character who could get into Jack's head and make him "softer." In the end we see that she has made him stronger, too.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Stuart Nachbar

Kyle was a minor character, but had an impact on his mother. Why was he added to the story?

Kyle is the exact opposite of Kevin: a coward and a crook, yet he lives while Kevin has died. This gets into Jack's head almost as deeply as Kevin's death and leads him to take insensitive actions as well as make insensitive comments about Kyle. I had also wanted to leave early impressions that Kyle might have been involved with people who had murdered Kevin so that he could save his own skin.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Stuart Nachbar

I love the idea of the art show that allowed both sides to represent themselves in a way that is non-threatening. Have you ever seen anything similar, or was it your own idea?

The idea came from two thoughts: one was the "teach-ins" that were conducted on the college campuses during the Vietnam Era. The other was the story of Woodstock. Woodstock had absolutely no corporate sponsorship what-so-ever; it was a creation of human imagination. However, an event like that today would have sponsorships slapped all over it. Just like the art show.

I also wanted to have an event that attracted all ages, not just college students; opposition to the war in Iraq is so broad. I also wanted to avoid confrontation between the college community and the military because there is wide-reaching respect for our troops.

Book Club Discussion: Interview with Stuart Nachbar

Can you tell us what you are working on next?

I blog several times a week on education and politics at Educated Quest. I am also working on a novel, called Tip Offs, about a bank executive who reluctantly becomes a girl's high school basketball coach while he is in jeopardy of losing his job.

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