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The environment is given a starring role: heat, humidity, monsoon rain, mud, insects, jungle trails, water-filled fox holes, cold wet nights, darkness, and nearly impenetrable elephant grass. His attitudes and opinions take a decided turn for the worse as the war drags on, wears him out, and wastes his brothers in arms. It's visceral, but not necessarily educational. So, perhaps I'm giving it 4 stars because it comes in the wake of other books I've read about various armed conflicts, specifically, All Quiet on the Western Front by Remarque, House to House by David Bellavia, The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, Another River Another Town by John Irwin, The Rape of Nanking by Iris Chang, and two accounts of the war in Bosnia: Love Thy Neighbor by Peter Maass and My War Gone By, I Miss It So by Anthony Loyd. (Caputo comments on the appropriate usage of the term "waste" in his book). It's autobiographical, written from Caputo's own experiences. It's well written and easy to read. Caputo dedicates his book to two of his fallen comrades.
Historical development and the political situations in Washington and Vietnam are hardly mentioned. The book provides a very clear look at Marines during the early days of the Vietnam War. On top of all that, I recently watched Blackhawk Down which is certainly one of the best movies ever made of men in combat. Suffice it to say, I've had enough. Good men, gone too soon, with loved ones left behind.No doubt, it's a good book.
That's where his heart is. But, again, A Rumor of War is a good book. It was probably much more significant when it was first published. (Maybe I should switch to Jane Austen novels for a while). Death is also given center stage. I'm war weary. The author's military training, life in Danang, and actions in the field are described in detail.
I've also read Philip Gourevitch's excellent book about the Rwandan genocide. and it's cousin, serious injury. The foot soldier, slogging through the paddy fields with sniper fire whining overhead, is put front and center. sudden, brutal, undesirable death.
honest, powerfully written, looks into the depths of the human soul. this is quite simply one of the best war memoirs i've ever read. i would include it in the same last as tim o'brien's the things they carried.
It's been a few years since I read this book, but I still remember it vividly. The North Vietnamese were fighting to unite a country. Anyone who thinks the U.S. One of the main things I got out of this book was that there are just some wars that not are winnable.
They care about only breaking your spirit and your willingness to fight. The Americans were fighting to divide a country. Usually the goal in war is take territory and secure it. There's so many realizations that I came to reading this book and others on the Vietnam War. But when you are fighting an enemy who employs guerrila tactics, they don't care about taking territory. This autobiographical rememberance of one man's service in Vietnam is quite memorable.
The war in Vietnam is one of the first modern wars where we learned as a country that our powerful military has limitations. I could go on for days, but I would rather you spend your time reading this book instead of my thoughts. should be sending soldiers to fight in the Middle East and Asia should definitely read this book for perspective. When your enemy has so much more to lose, you can never defeat them.
If you have any interest whatsoever in your country, where we've been, what men endured over there, buy this book today. Wow. Just read it and find out for yourself. I can't do this book justice with my words. I was born in the summer of 1967. I have had Vietnam in my mind from my earliest memories and then my studies of history.
I will say the first two chapter which Caputo talks about joining the marines and basic training were a little slow but a necessary beginning. What A rumor of War does for me is brings me back to reality - takes away all the glory, the honor etc that military history is loaded with and shows me what it's truly like being the ordinary solider. This book written by a marine lieutenant the beginning stages of the Vietnam war tells the reader how war changes the soldier from their glory hunting idealist soldier to a walking killing machine driven to he brink of madness. I read a lot of US military history books. I would rank this book as almost as good as Sledge's "With The Old Breed". Every once in a while though I'll take a break from the history of a particular war and read a war memoir. It's a passion of mine. This book was perhaps one of the best books I have read in a while - a real page turner.
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