Death Coming Up the Hill is a historical fiction novel-in-verse by Chris Crowe. Set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, the novel revolves around the life of Ashe, a high school student in 1968. Ashe navigates personal challenges, societal pressures, and the looming draft lottery while also grappling with family dynamics. The novel consists of a series of haikus, or 17-syllable poems, that explore themes of Struggles with Identity and Responsibility, Far-Reaching Horrors and Enduring Impacts of War, and Loss and Sacrifice Amidst Turbulent Times.

This study guide refers to the 2014 eBook published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publications.

Content Warning: The source material features depictions of murders, racial violence, and war. Additionally, the source material uses outdated and bigoted terms for people of color, which are replicated in this guide in direct quotes of the source text.

Plot Summary

In 1968, 16-year-old Ashe navigates the complexities of his family life amidst the escalating tensions of the Vietnam War. His household is a battleground of ideologies, with his parents bitterly divided over the war. His father staunchly supports the conflict, condemning dissenting opinions, while Ashe’s mother fervently protests against it and advocates for peace. Ashe aligns himself with his mother’s anti-war stance, causing irreparable rifts in their already-fractured family dynamic.

As the war intensifies, the looming threat of the draft haunts Ashe. Desperate to avoid military service, he pins his hopes on attending college. Amidst the turmoil at home, Ashe observes the community’s varied perceptions of the war. His world shifts when Angela, a fellow student who shares his anti-war sentiments, enters his life. Their relationship blossoms, providing Ashe solace from the chaos at home, but Angela’s anxieties grow as her brother, a soldier stationed in Vietnam, goes missing.

The situation at Ashe’s home worsens when his mother reveals she is expecting a child with another man. This revelation incites a furious reaction from Ashe’s father, leading to a bitter separation and a legal custody battle. Throughout these upheavals, Ashe stands steadfastly by his mother even as he grapples with the prospect of an uncertain future.

With the summer comes Ashe’s commitment to support his family financially. He toils away at grueling outdoor work, saving every penny to aid his mother. However, as the legal battles escalate and Angela receives devastating news about her brother’s MIA status, Ashe’s disdain for the war intensifies. His dilemma reaches a critical point when he realizes that staying with his mother might jeopardize his chance for higher education and potentially subject him to the draft.

Faced with a dire ultimatum, Ashe makes a difficult decision: He enlists in the military to secure funds for his family. Despite Angela’s despair over his choice, Ashe sees this as the only viable option to assist his mother and half-sister, Rosa. His journey through boot camp propels him closer to inevitable deployment to Vietnam.

As Ashe finds himself entrenched in the horrors of war, he describes the haunting specter of “Death coming up the hill” (151). The novel’s final words imply that Ashe dies in battle.