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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
This is one of those books that changed writing about war, but our generation questioned all the values during 1960s and early 1970s. I am old enough to remember the war protests, and I volunteered one summer at the local VA hospital mental ward so I first hand the effects of war. The book starts when the main character is enlisted as an officer in the marines, indoctrinated into the system, and then starts questioning the purpose of the war versus the lose of life. Watching young men blown into unrecognizable masses and their lives cut short, the impact on their families, as well as the other soldiers makes for emotional conflict. And if you were raised Catholic and brought up to believe every person is the image of God, how do you reconcile your religious beliefs with your orders to kill?
This review is by an admitted Vietnam War novice who was looking to learn more. Caputo served in the war for about 18 months starting in early 1965. What I gathered from this book is that America decided to intervene on behalf of the South Vietnamese army against Viet Cong gorillas who were under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh who was trying to take over the government and turn Vietnam into a Communist state. Unfortunately, the Viet Cong were very good at ambush, booby traps, mines and hiding in the jungle. And, when you can't see your enemy most of the time, it is very difficult to conquer him. Caputo vividly paints the picture of how difficult it was to be there both physically and mentally. And, while I think in hindsight everyone knows the war wasn't a good idea, that doesn't change the fact that all these men had no other choice, but to go to Vietnam and do what they were told even if it was futile. My heart breaks for all the families of the young men lost. I think Caputo summed it up perfectly when he said, "We would not return to cheering crowds, parades, and the pealing of great cathedral bells. We had done nothing more than endure. We had survived, and that was our only victory." Now while I wouldn't go around recommending this book to people, I am glad I read it to have a better understanding of what my father-in-law and all the other young men went through. And, the book was very well written, although at times assumed the reader had more military/Vietnam War knowledge than I really had, but I would think it safe to say most readers of this book would have that knowledge.
A brutal, honest and painful memoir that was clearly as hard to write as it sometimes is to read. Anyone with glamorous illusions about warfare needs to read this book.
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
A tremendous piece of work. Read for my Vietnam War history class. Really well done.
I grew up in the era of the Vietnam War. Saigon fell in my senior year. My experiences as a young child was centered around all that was wrong about the war. I found myself identifying with the antiwar movement. Those youthful experiences have framed my view of wars and armed conflicts to this day.
This was my first foray into a book about Vietnam. I thoroughly loved it. It brought back the mental images of the news stories I watched television and introduced an entirely deeper level of understanding for those who were in those battles.
The author promises early in the book, that it "does not pretend to be history. It has nothing to do with politics, power, strategy, influence, national interests, or foreign policy; it is simply a story about war, about the things men do in war and the things war does to them." While this promise is honored, there is no doubt that,in this story, exists a piece of history that makes reading it all the more worthwhile.
This was my first foray into a book about Vietnam. I thoroughly loved it. It brought back the mental images of the news stories I watched television and introduced an entirely deeper level of understanding for those who were in those battles.
The author promises early in the book, that it "does not pretend to be history. It has nothing to do with politics, power, strategy, influence, national interests, or foreign policy; it is simply a story about war, about the things men do in war and the things war does to them." While this promise is honored, there is no doubt that,in this story, exists a piece of history that makes reading it all the more worthwhile.
There have been a lot of these books written. The thing that is supposed to be unique about this one is that it was written by a guy who came in as a low-ranking officer at the VERY beginning, and then came back as a journalist.
Darn close to 4 stars, if I had not read other accounts beforehand. For pure humanity, there are other better books. For an accounting of the idiocy of U.S. policy (any dead Vietnamese is VC, body counts equal success, defense is not enough, we have to do nightly raids), this book is the best I have written. Either this book/author was a direct inspiration for Platoon, or we were such widespread fuck-ups at the field and general officer level as to be embarrassing.
Darn close to 4 stars, if I had not read other accounts beforehand. For pure humanity, there are other better books. For an accounting of the idiocy of U.S. policy (any dead Vietnamese is VC, body counts equal success, defense is not enough, we have to do nightly raids), this book is the best I have written. Either this book/author was a direct inspiration for Platoon, or we were such widespread fuck-ups at the field and general officer level as to be embarrassing.
Wow, what an amazing book; so well written it makes the reader feel they’re experiencing the war themselves. I’ve always been interested in the history around the Vietnam war and this book definitely did not disappoint.
Finished after an 18 month break from reading books. This ranks up alongside Eugene Sledges 'With the Old Breed' as an unflinching tale of the mental decay of morality experienced from the traumatising effects of war.