Alfredo Via has written a novel that is part murder mystery, part Vietnam book, part magical tale of love conquering evil. The central character bringAlfredo Via has written a novel that is part murder mystery, part Vietnam book, part magical tale of love conquering evil. The central character brings us to all these places. He is a public defender investigating the very public murder of two women living a burned out desperate section of San Franciso called Protrero Hill. He is also a Vietnam veteran whose memory of another hill, a killing zone in Vietnam on the edge of Laos is a place even more desperate than the homeless shanties in San Francisco. Jose Pasadobal the prosecutor, is the center of the book but not the only narrator. We also meet two Vietnam widows, a chaplain who walks away from the war and doesn't find himself for twenty year, and a host of other people who straddle the line of realty and dream, civilization and anarchy, despair and love. It the end this very violent tale becomes one of hope and resurrection....more
This is an amazing accomplishment. Werner and Bradley have done so much more than you imagine when you first pick up the book. I expected a story abouThis is an amazing accomplishment. Werner and Bradley have done so much more than you imagine when you first pick up the book. I expected a story about how all the G.I.'s listened to Rock n Roll and a list of the most popular songs. But the narrative is much deeper than that. Drawing on interviews with thousands of Veterans and the research of psychiatrist on the power of music they have tracked both what the Vietnam Vets listened to and how it affected them. The book is written in three sections: the early part of the war, the later, post-Tet Offensive war, and the aftermath when Vets tried to forge a new life in a country that both hated and betrayed them. In the early part of the war the Vets listened to the corny, predictable early Rock of the 60s. It reminded them of home. It was simple and positive. But as the war ground on and the death toll grew, the Vets listened to music that reflected their sense of hopelessness, fatigue and despair. After the war songs acted both as a trigger and as a balm. This books touches on all the different ways that popular music was interwoven with the Vietnam experience. Vets listened, sang, performed, parodied and eventually remembered and were healed by music. The authors do a great job of showing that there is no "one" Vietnam experience either in general or with music. Every person has a different story and those stories are fascinating, heartbreaking and redemptive. This book has it all and expresses it beautifully. It is a great addition to the canon of Vietnam books. ...more
Straight out of the sixties, Herr's running commentary on life as a correspondence in Vietnam reads like Kerouac meets Platoon. There is a freshness aStraight out of the sixties, Herr's running commentary on life as a correspondence in Vietnam reads like Kerouac meets Platoon. There is a freshness and immediacy to this work that would not be possible if Herr were looking back over two decades or more. It is remarkable to think that he first published parts of this in the late sixties when he left Vietnam. His respect for the "grunts" and what they went through was often not fully appreciated until later. His frustration at those conducting a war that seemed to accomplish little for the Vietnamese while often leaving the soldiers in real peril, is palpable. But he is not on a soapbox and he is not looking to be a hero. He seems only to want to record what it was like. He can't explain anything more. Reading this is a window to a time period when the war was raw and the questions largely unanswered....more
This is an excellent book about what it meant to be on the ground with the infantry in Vietnam. It is well crafted and written with both seriousness aThis is an excellent book about what it meant to be on the ground with the infantry in Vietnam. It is well crafted and written with both seriousness and candor. The author meant to share the experiences of the soldiers in that brutal jungle war and he succeeds. Written only 10 years after the events of the worst year of the war 1968, it has been updated with an afterwards by the author....more
This is a perfect companion to the many personal narratives of Vietnam. Whereas most of those concentrate on the experience of the soldier or the platThis is a perfect companion to the many personal narratives of Vietnam. Whereas most of those concentrate on the experience of the soldier or the platoon fighting in the jungle or in a particular battle, this is a political and military history of Vietnam. Karnow who worked in Indo-China as a journalist before during and after the war as compiled personal accounts, interviews and historical documents in a sweeping history of the region. He explains the Vietnamese struggle for independence from China and later France. He introduces such important figures as Bao Die the emperor during World War 2 and Ho Chi Min the man dedicated to a unified free Vietnam in any way possible. All the American leaders are here, both political and military and the important influencers both in the East and West. There is a chapter on the experience of the soldiers mostly gleaned from the published books of the 70s and 80s when memories were fresh. But there are not extensive battle descriptions. Above all, Karnow wants to explain how we got into the war and why it was so hard to get out despite the desire of everyone close to the conflict to do just that, and as fast as possible. This book will fill in all the blanks. ...more
This is a well written, very personal memoir of being at Khe Sanh during the siege of 1968. It is a great complement to more academic histories of theThis is a well written, very personal memoir of being at Khe Sanh during the siege of 1968. It is a great complement to more academic histories of the war. The more you know about the battle the easier it is to follow Archer's narrative. The beauty of the book rests in his personal, first hand remembrances, his honesty and his lack of agenda. He is sharing his story with us, nothing more. This is what makes it so valuable. ...more
Gregg Jones' book "Last Stand at Khe Sanh" is part military history and part memoir. Jones is a historian, not a soldier, but his narrative is filled Gregg Jones' book "Last Stand at Khe Sanh" is part military history and part memoir. Jones is a historian, not a soldier, but his narrative is filled with personal remembrances and first person accounts. He tells the unfolding drama of the siege as well as the military decisions on both sides that led up to it. It is a thorough book, well written and even handed. He intersperses on the ground action with pictures of LBJ in Washington and Westmoreland in Vietnam. He is agnostic on the unanswerable questions -- was the whole siege a ploy to draw the Americans away from the cities? Was it a major offensive that never took place because of American airpower? Was it worth the cost? But beyond the historical/political questions this book tells the story of the Marines who fought and died. He honors them while speaking truthfully about the battles. It is an engaging read that puts the battle into the larger picture of the war....more
If you want to honor Veterans' Day this November 11, skip the camouflage jersey and read this book. If you want to know what it was like to be in combIf you want to honor Veterans' Day this November 11, skip the camouflage jersey and read this book. If you want to know what it was like to be in combat in Vietnam, read this book. If you want to know what it was like to be drafted, taken away from your regular life in 1966 and put into Charlie Company, read this book. If you want to see men at their best, war at its worst, confusion, heroism, fear and courage, read this book. It will break your heart and give you a small taste of life and death in a platoon in the swamps of the Mei Kong Delta. Well researched and written it is based on eyewitness accounts. I will never again forget Veterans Day and never again fail to honor our Vietnam Vets. ...more
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