Brats

Herself an Army brat--the daughter of a general--Truscott interviewed more than three dozen survivors of that special experience. Because of the constant moving imposed by the military on employees, their children tend to develop few lasting friendships, and so grow unusually close to their siblings, she observes. Their peripatetic lives also bring problems in that some brats have to restudy material they had already covered earlier. Many fathers, the book asserts, are autocratic, exacting a military-style discipline at home which, since they are often separated from their families, is all the harder to accept. But above all, the life of an army child is a very private one, kept apart `kept apart'? (separated used prev. sent.) from ``alien'' civilian society. Truscott offers no earthshaking revelations, but much interesting reading. Author tour. (Nov.)