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4.14 AVERAGE
4.14 AVERAGE
Definitely changed the way I see the Vietnam war. Incredibly human. The writing added to the feel of the book as it was more of a collection of thoughts and feelings and recollections than a straight forward tale of the war.
Rating from one to five stars doesn't really work for this book. You should read it whether you love it or hate it.
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
Herr does an incredible job of conveying in prose the unconveyable of war. I first became irritated at his lack of feeling the need to explain every allusion (and he rattles them off in sequence after sequence), then broke through that and realized that's part of not having been there, of being a second-hand hearer about the reality Herr witnessed.
This intense accounting is, along with The Things They Carried, a valuable chronicle of an insane war and an insane decade.
This intense accounting is, along with The Things They Carried, a valuable chronicle of an insane war and an insane decade.
How do I rate this book? So, I'm not going to.
The Vietnam war, told through a reporter's voice. The horrors and day-to-day life of a marine or 'grunt' are illustrated in these short pages. It's a difficult read, but very illuminating.
The Vietnam war, told through a reporter's voice. The horrors and day-to-day life of a marine or 'grunt' are illustrated in these short pages. It's a difficult read, but very illuminating.
DNR
"We napalmed off their crops and flattened their villages, then admired the restlessness in their spirit"
"You can't use no eraser up where you want to go"
Should be read alongside If I die in a Combat Zone and The Sorrows of War
"We napalmed off their crops and flattened their villages, then admired the restlessness in their spirit"
"You can't use no eraser up where you want to go"
Should be read alongside If I die in a Combat Zone and The Sorrows of War
A classic that exceeds the hype.
By the first few pages you'll recognize the same phantasmagorical voice from the voice-overs in Apocalypse Now—and the same sardonic anecdotes peppered throughout that film and Full Metal Jacket. Some sections are more traditional war reportage, but still with this bubbling anxiety and exhaustion just below the surface, as much as threat as any VC artillery barrage or spray of bullets.
Absolutely not the first book on Vietnam you should read, since he tends to pepper the prose with references without explaining them, but absolutely one of the best.
By the first few pages you'll recognize the same phantasmagorical voice from the voice-overs in Apocalypse Now—and the same sardonic anecdotes peppered throughout that film and Full Metal Jacket. Some sections are more traditional war reportage, but still with this bubbling anxiety and exhaustion just below the surface, as much as threat as any VC artillery barrage or spray of bullets.
Absolutely not the first book on Vietnam you should read, since he tends to pepper the prose with references without explaining them, but absolutely one of the best.
I honestly struggled with this book. At first I was enamored and consumed by the language and imagery Herr presented of his time as a correspondent in the Vietnam War, but the further I read the more alien I felt to what I was reading. As a non-American, the Vietnam War isn't a historical event I was ever taught about in school or university, and so my knowledge of it is sparse. I can't help but feel that if I'd known more about the war and events Herr was describing, I would have appreciated his insight more. But I just felt removed from it, and couldn't really get into the writing after a while. My favourite moments were when he discussed his colleagues though, because I felt like I was really getting to know the people and their own quirks and personalities. Anything about the troops themselves and their movements though left me cold.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced