So Much Older Then: Coming of Age When the World is Coming Apart, a memoir by Paul Kuehnert of resistance in the late sixties, early seventies, is a close account of the evolution of conscience for this self-described “church youth leader, organizer and rebel.” The fulcrum of Mr. Kuehnert’s development was his public refusal to register for Selective Service during the Vietnam War. His antiwar activities were closely related to the Walther League Society, a youth wing of the Missouri Lutheran Synod. He describes his politically liberal family and friends and his ardent travels around the country promoting resistance to the war, activities that branched out to the issues of poverty, hunger and racism but which grew into serious doubts during his arrest and brief jail time in the Mayday Demonstrations in D.C., 1972. Like Christ, Paul takes some time in the wilderness, his in the Warren Dunes of Lake Michigan, days that clarified (somewhat) his battle with individual action of conscience even without its larger effect on mass opinion.

Though a bit older than Mr. Kuehnert, I could have been his shadow minus the religious affiliation. So I read with interest his “coming of age, of conscience” which so many of us experienced during those troubled times. We had to make serious choices, and like Mr. Kuehnert’s, those decisions were not easy. Along with them came decisions of lifestyle, professional growth, and love, all of which So Much Older Then (title from a Dylan song) presents in such detail that the retrospective must have been anchored by Kuehnert’s personal journals of the time. The memoir will bring back so many fond and troubling memories for all of that “peacenik” generation, but more than that in how history has repeated itself in our present turbulent political times. I identified deeply with Paul Kuehnert’s splendid memoir So Much Older Then, and others will too.

So Much Older Then: Coming of Age When the World Is Coming Apart begins with the tragic story of the death of an acquaintance of author Paul Kuehnert. His friend, Vic, died in Vietnam. Partially because of this tragedy, Kuehnert questions the United States’ involvement in the war. On a much more personal level, he debates whether he would register for the draft, as required by law when he turned 18. Kuehnert’s Christian faith complicates his decision because his beliefs simultaneously tell him to obey authority and yet to live a life of peace. He decides not to register and furthermore becomes involved in the anti-war movement. As a result, he undergoes arrest and ill-treatment by law enforcement officers. Later Kuehnert changes his mind and registers.

This is a fascinating book, cover-to-cover. I could feel Paul Kuehnert’s anguish as he weighed the momentous decision on whether to follow the law by registering for the draft. But beyond Kuehnert’s personal story, this book takes readers back to the 1960s when the U.S.A. was drastically divided. I was quite young then and, although I remember some of the country’s disharmony, Kuehnert’s account reminded me of just how horrendous the events were. This book reads more like a novel than an autobiography, which is part of what makes it so enjoyable to read. Even though the subject matter is weighty, Kuehnert kept me interested throughout. I recommend So Much Older Then: Coming of Age When the World Is Coming Apart to anyone who remembers the terrible days of the Vietnam War or wants to learn more about those times.