I have read many good books about Vietnam over the years
593132
I have read many good books about Vietnam over the years.  In fact there was a time when I was 'chain smoking' them so to speak.  Blue Max is as well written, informative, and interesting as any I've read.  I especially like the short story style that you can enjoy any time you have a few minutes.  I also enjoy the subtle humor that shows N.G. kept his head and character even when the world around him was falling apart.  If you like real history written in a way you can see, hear, and taste it, this is your book.
437019
Having served as a Marine NCO in the Dong Ha area in '68-'69 and having read a lot of first person accounts of Vietnam, I can say this is far and away the best of the lot.  Too many of the books are written from the perspective of higher ranking officers who had no real idea of what it was like to be in the bush.  Rock was unquestionably a great soldier and is a great American.
4908970
A very good account of war in the jungles of Vietnam.
1078307
I picked up a hard cover copy of this book in the 80s at a yard sale and it quickly became one of my most favorite books.

The best books have prose like songs, the tempo rises or lowers, the tone darkens or lightens all depending on the message the author wants you to feel.  John Parrish is able to do this in this book.  You will feel dread, fear, laugh hysterically, or even cry right along with him as he relates his experiences.

I highly recommend this book as one of the best non-fictional works of Vietnam
3814675
This book was written by several people who actually lived the various experiences described in it. Through the candid narrations, the reader relives the period of vietnamese history that is centered around the end of the "Vietnam War". Well written and well presented, this is a book worth reading.
2519219
This is a book that has been a long time coming.  Professor Longley took a subject seen in a newspaper article and brought the whole story of these men for all to know and appreciate the sacrifices they made.  Although this is about people that I either know or know their stories from growing up in Morenci, it still is a story that is about all the small towns and communities throughout the country during the Vietnam era.  I enjoyed the book so much that I bought a copy for my father, who started teaching when the Morenci 9 enlisted.  He told me that just from the cover introduction, it was going to be an good and accurate read.  My thanks Kyle Longley for writing this book!
237681
I cannot say enough good things about this book. It is real. It is authentic. It is the first book that I've seen about military nurses in Vietnam that combines the reality of Vietnam nursing as it was 40 to 50 years ago and the beginnings of historical analysis that can occur only after a few decades have passed.

Forty or fifty years ago? Surely that can't be right? Neither can the fact that some of the nurses interviewed are in their early seventies. How did that happen?

It happened because it HAS been a long time. Sometimes too long; sometimes not long enough. One of the things I really appreciated about this book was that it covered the entire gamut of the experience of why nurses my age, many of us woefully naive and sheltered, volunteered for Vietnam in the first place. The author shows what happened to us while we were there. What happened after we came back. How the nurse-veterans fought not only for their own respect as veterans, but how we paved the way for the nurses serving now. What lessons we have kept now that we have had several decades to reflect.

If you have any interest at all in nursing and/or in the Vietnam war, read this book. Don't stop where the text stops. Read the extensive notes that take up the last 30 pages of the book. There is a lot of good material there, as well as in the interviews.

by Sharon Wildwind
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women
3305801
I enjoyed this book very much and it helped me see the war from the Vietnamese point of view.
3354646
Though the book is touted as a collection of stories about the aftermath of the Vietnam War, that seems inaccurate to me. Its a collection of stories about the Vietnamese, often emigrants to the U.S. Sure, many of them have been touched by the war (whats referred to in Vietnam as the American War) but the history of Vietnam is the history of war. With the French, the Japanese, the Chinese as well as the Americans.

Having spent the past few months in Vietnam, I have a greater appreciation for Butlers work. His descriptions of the countryside, cultural traditions, even food definitely ring true. Through varied stories and believable characters, he has accurately and compassionately depicted the Vietnamese people.
775405
I fought in the Vietnam war and I learned alot of things I did not Know about.  I liked the book very much.  Excellant
2874516
Not as good as some I've read but anything on Vietnam war by guys who actually lived it is great reading.
1670467
This has been, by far, one of the best books I've read about the Vietnam War and its origins. Amter draws upon recently declassified documents and he reconstructs, year by year, how we got involved in the Vietnam War. Amter makes clear the war origins in the Cold War; the CIAs secret involvement of advisors; the phony Tonkin Gulf resolution; Nixon's flawed "Vietnamization" program which caused as many deaths as Johnson' programs; and Nixon's decisions to attack Laos and Cambodia and his efforts in keeping this secret from the US public. All in all, an outstanding book and very readable. I would read this in conjunction with Kim Willenson's "The Bad War".
1799341
Vietnam Rising Dragon is a review of modern Vietnam by BBC news correspondent Bill Hayton who was in the country in 2006-07. His visa was not renewed and he had to leave because he was communicating with dissidents.  Hayton provides a good glimpse into the country, but the book is limited in that it has been some nine years since it was written and Vietnam has undergone significant changes in that time. For this reason I rate it at four stars rather than a possible five.

Hayton covers a number of topics such as the differences between the North and the South, various ethnic groups, the current state of religion (especially Buddhism and Catholicism), and especially the evolving role of the Communist Party in trying to maintain itself in power. In general he says that the Party is trying to adapt to the changing realities and still stay in control. Hayton also notes the destruction caused to the environment due to economic development. He concludes that Vietnams future is uncertain. He says that the leadership of the country has reached an accommodation with the United States in order to foster economic growth. Thus the American destruction of Vietnam during the war is set aside and friendship with the U.S. is encouraged,

At present, to the best of my understanding, there is no more recent book on Vietnam, but surely one will come out soon. In the meantime, this book can provide you with a good understanding of the situation in the country. It is very useful for anyone planning to visit or work in the country or those who just want to have a better understanding of this fascinating and evolving place.
3016073
Thought the author wrote with vivid description about an interesting period of time with the end of the Vietnam war.
1659692
I read an awful lot of books about the Vietnam war and those who survived it- I have my own little library in fact. Some books are good, some are not so good. Some are filled with so much tactical jargon or language that an average person cannot even get through to decide if they like the book! Some just sounds like one person pounding their chest real hard!
This is not one of those books. It is hands down one of the best books I have ever read on any subject. I am not sure I can explain why his words touched me so. But I think it is because he wrote not from a researcher's point of view, but a survivors point of view. Not from second hand- but from his own memories, his own heart, sadness, joys, anger, hate and sometimes humor. You can't make that up. No matter your talent, you were either there, or you were not and people know the difference. He is the real McCoy.
When I read his book it felt like he was sitting right there in my living room- as if he was my old friend come back from a long stay away from my home. And he sat there in my oldest most comfortable chair, kicked off his shoes and told me about everything that had happened since last we met. Some of his story made me laugh so hard I couldn't not stop- like when he got to boot camp. There were times when I thought my heart would break, and there were times, like when I closed that book, that I wondered how in the world did any man or woman ever survive that war, not just physically, but mentally, spiritually-  for that, he is my hero. Yes he did some powerful things as a soldier no question, he was decorated for that more than once. But more than that, he is my hero because he wrote personally about things that we all need to read if we will ever, ever begin to understand how Vietnam was different for our soldiers. It is not easy to put everything you own personally in your heart on paper for other people to dissect. He is brave and I think this book should be read by every American.
548805
I first read this in the late 80's. As a child who didn't remember the Viet Nam War itself, I mostly learned about it afterwards.

I find myself coming back and rereading this about every five years. I'm currently rereading it after reading a c. 1966 book about Vietnam political history, and following up via various web pages (yay for Wikipedia!) on different subjects.

As I reread it, I find that what I had thought were just side-comments are really quite illustative of both his situation, and the policital situation there--how little the S. Vietnam govt really cared about the people, for instance.

I heartily concur that this would be a great assignment for high school students. it is a good read, and would open up discussions about what was actually happening, without just being memorization of facts and figures.
4885325
One of the best pieces of literature about Vietnam couldn't put it down. My husband was in Vietnam and everything was just as he has said