Average customer rating:
- The Journal of Patrick Seamus Flaherty
- My Name Is America the (Journal of Patrick Seamus Flaherty)
- Touching and hard to put down
- A Mighty Mouse In Vietnam
- A stark potrait of a young man's wartime experience
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The Journal of Patrick Seamus Flaherty : A United States Marine Corps, Khe Sanh,Vietnam ,1968 (My Name Is America)
Ellen Emerson White
Manufacturer: Scholastic Inc.
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ASIN: 0439148901 |
Book Description
An agonizing dilemma plagues these brother-sister diarists. He is a Marine stationed in Vietnam. She is at home in America, far away from her brother's war zone, fighting for peace. As the marine writes in his journal about his experiences as a soldier, fighting an enemy he can't see, his siter seeks peace. In these gripping installments of DEAR AMERICA and MY NAME IS AMERICA, Ellen Emerson White captures the unique time period when America was at war both in a far-off place, and at home where adults and children alike marched in the streets for peace and freedo. Poignant and comlex, these two characters will give readers glimpse into perhaps the most tumultuous time in modern American history.
Customer Reviews:
The Journal of Patrick Seamus Flaherty.......2007-05-14
Not only did my 13 year old son love this book, but so did his father and I. My father was a Marine in the Vietnam War the same year that this is written about. It gave my family an insight into what my father went through and how proud we should all be of our soldiers. I'll be ordering more from this series.
My Name Is America the (Journal of Patrick Seamus Flaherty).......2007-04-01
The name of the book I read is My Name Is America the (Journal of Patrick Seamus Flaherty) . This book is about this man who is a round his late 20's. His name is Patrick Seamus. He is in the United States Marine Corps . This young man is fighting in the Khe Sanh ,Vietnam war ,in 1968. This book talks about how life was in the war of 1968. This book also talks about what they had to sacerfics for us. It also talks about how hard it is to leave there family. I can relate to how hard it must have been for him to be away from his family because my Dad is in the Navy and we have had separations like that. In his journal he also talks about the living conditions. They had to sleep in tents, hammocks, it was pretty unsanitary, they had little privacy , and the food was so awful . If it is as awful as they describe it I would be sick to my stomach. But out there I guess you learn to adapt.
I thought this book was very exciting ,and for all the people who like a good book that gives you a good cry .Or if your thinking about joining the U.S Marins I would say you should read this book . Most of the books I like are very detailed. I could swear that I was their I could see every detail .
I think part of the reason why I could picture it so well is the main character talks to you like your one of the guys .That helps a lot .plus during some of the book I felt like I was his best friend or his therapists. You can all ways tell how he feels. I really like that because I could sort of picture his face expressions.
Rating this book between 1 star and 5stars I give it 5 stars . The reasons I gave it this score is because the descriptions in the book paint a picture in your mind, the story itself is exiting, the characters are funny in the story ,and it was a perfect book to curl up with on a rainy day.
So if you like excitement , action, humor, mixed in with some sadness but happy at the same time this book is the book for you .So don't put reading this book at the bottom of your to do list, put it at the top of it .
Emily L.
Touching and hard to put down.......2007-02-19
I bought this book for my son who is 10 and interested in history. He has had a hard time finding books that will keep his interest. This book was not only interesting but informative and gave us a first hand look at what the Vietnam war was really like from this young soldiers perspective. I read much of the book and was touched by Patrick Seamus' story. It was hard to put down.
A Mighty Mouse In Vietnam.......2007-01-26
What could be worse than being stuck in Vietnam during Christmas? In The Journal of Patrick Seamus Flaherty, Patrick is an eighteen year old Marine in Vietnam during 1968. He unfortunately, arrives in Vietnam on Christmas. Patrick (nicknamed Mighty Mouse by his squad) finds the war is not as easy as he thought it would be. Death is around every corner, and it's coming from not just the enemy, the North Vietnamese Army (NVA), but also the dangerous terrain and wildlife.
One of the parts of this book I greatly enjoyed was the action and the suspense. In every chapter there is always action. An example of the action is, Patrick is out on patrol and sees movement off to his side. He quickly turns around and sees an object launch itself from a thick grove of bamboo. Thinking fast, as the object comes shooting out of the trees, he shoots it. As it turns out, the object was a huge cobra with its neck puffed out, its fangs extended, and the cobra had been aiming at one of Patrick's friends, Apollo. One example of the suspense is when Patrick is on another patrol. His squad stumbles upon an enemy fort, deep in the jungle. Fortunately, there is no enemy there, but Patrick does finds a pan of rice that is still hot.
The other part of this book I greatly enjoyed was the book was very realistic. Many sad things happen such as friends dying, and these were all real people and they all really did die. Also the way the book was written it makes you feel as if you're there.
During the tine I read this book, I could hardly put it down. I always wanted to know what was going to happen to Patrick and his friends. I loved this book and I know you will to.
A stark potrait of a young man's wartime experience.......2006-11-30
Eighteen-year-old Patrick Flaherty turns down college to join the Marines in Vietnam, quickly discovering that war is nothing like he imagined.
Throughout his tour, Patrick keeps a journal, chronicling the daily horrors, hunger, dirt and camaraderie with his fellow soldiers. All the while, he is unconsciously just biding his time until something terrible occurs, knowing it's the outcome for most of the soldiers...
If you enjoy this book, you might like the "Vietnam" series by the same author, only under her pen name Zack Emerson. There are a few tiny cross-overs into this book, and the overall topic and style are similar.
Book Description
Daring missions. Dangerous rescues. Deadly accuracy.Many pilots never made it out of 'Nam. This one did. Highly decorated Col. Bob Stoffey-- a Marine Corps pilot for over twenty-five years, who served multiple tours in Vietnam-- has seen and done it all. Cleared Hot! is his story-- a fast-paced, high-casualty flight into heart-stopping danger.Full of vivid detail, this combat diary uncovers the real heroes of the Vietnam War, the behind-the-scenes Marine Corps pilots who helped our boys return home....then went back for more.Includes eight pages of heroic photographs!
Customer Reviews:
Cleared Hot.......2007-01-10
A riveting "in the cockpit" presentation of the dangers, personal frustrations, and day to day life or death of combat support helicopter pilots and, perhaps lesser known to the public, the unsung role of Forward Air Controllers (FAC) in low and slow lightly armed observation aircraft, themselves receiving ground fire, guiding high flying jets to target enemies only a few hundred feet in front of friendly ground troops.
Col. Stoffey's ability to recreate in print the radio conversations between FAC and ground or air units gives the reader a feel of "you are there".
bravo.......2006-08-26
great account from the helicoptors point of view. Little difficult getting into as in the beginning there were just too many numbers of different squadrons too absorb. Once I got throught this the read was thoroughly enjoyable.
5 STARS.......2005-08-22
One of the better Vietnam War books. Well-written, interesting, enjoyable, and never self-promoting. Comes across as the Real Deal.
EXCELLENT!!!.......2003-02-27
This is one of the best books on Vietnam EVER. Im only in 8th grade but I've been in the helos he flies and sat in an OV-10 and he couldn't be more descriptive about the birds he flies. I would reccomend this book to any war buff, historian, know it all, or just plain reader!
Cleared Hot is a clear winner.......2003-02-20
Cleared Hot!: A Marine Combat Pilot's Vietnam Diary by Col. Bob Stoffey is an accurate account of a Vietnam pilot during his terms of service in the Vietnam Conflict. Stoffey writes an account of his ordinary missions and his not so ordinary experiences. The book is laced with heroic stories of Stoffey flying his OV-10 forward air support plane and "Dog" helicopter against the "Gooners." In the OH-10 he organizes strikes and marks targets as well as gets in the action with his centerline gattling gun and rockets, which he's deadly accurate with. In the "Dog" Stoffey delivers much needed supplies to Marine "Grunts" under heavy fire. He gets in fast while his .50 cal. gunners clear the way, drop their cargo, and get out. The action just isn't in the air. There are accounts of rocket attacks and gunfire on the base, (near every night) as well as raids by Gooners with satchel bombs.
If you're interested in war books, this is one for you. Stoffey's style is technical and precise, using a lot of military abbreviations and terms, which adds to its authenticity. Cleared Hot!: A Marine Combat Pilot's Vietnam Diary is written as you would expect a pilot of the time to speak. He has that edge about him that defines a great pilot and a hero. This book is worth buying. As well as a good read, it gives you a history lesson with a real sense of the danger involved.
Book Description
More than twenty-five years after the official end of the Vietnam War, Dear America allows us to witness the war firsthand through the eyes of the men and women who served in Vietnam. In this collection of more than 200 letters, they share their first impressions of the rigors of life in the bush, their longing for home and family, their emotions over the conduct of the war, and their ache at the loss of a friend in battle. Poignant in their rare honesty, the letters from Vietnam are "riveting,...extraordinary by [their] very ordinariness...for the most part, neither deep nor philosophical, only very, very human" (Los Angeles Times). Revealing the complex emotions and daily realities of fighting in the war, these close accounts offer a powerful, uniquely personal portrait of the many faces of Vietnam's veterans. Over 100,000 copies sold.
Customer Reviews:
great condition.......2007-06-08
love this book broke down many times on some of the letters great book!!
Indispensable.......2007-04-25
This marvelous little book offers a parallel and human voice to the more academic books about Vietnam.
There is no "agenda", here just a selection of moving, articulate, impassioned voices talking about their experiences and feelings at the time they were there. Some of the most moving, of course, being those from young people who would die shortly thereafter. We see through the letters in the book that even on the front lines this "war" was seen through a wide diversity of opinions, from those that were totally committed to it, and why (though they tend to become less prevalent as the years pass), to those who came to believe it was not a worthy effort to justify the consequences. And the majority, just confused. A must read.
First hand account of the Vietnam War.......2005-10-26
After the amazing documentary about Vietnam that solely exists of actor voice overs of funny, goofy, anxious and heartbreaking letters home from soldiers at the battlefront in Vietnam, accompanied by graphic footage of the war itself, this book came out. It contains the letters read out in the movie, and additionally has some more background information about the soldiers who wrote the letters.
Even without the trained actor voices reading the letters out loud to you, and without the grim and realistic war images, this book is a pageburner. Heart-wrenching accounts of the legacy of war written by the soldiers that fought it, as well as by the people they left behind.
5 star book.......2005-07-21
This is a wonderful book for anyone who wants to see the Vietnam war from the eyes of those who were there. The book is a collection of writings from Vietnam veterans that were written during there time in country. This book shows the War as more than casualty numbers and battle field dates. A good read for everyone.
Heartfelt story of men at war.......2004-08-19
This book captivated me so that i could not put it down, untill i had finished. It touches your heart and soul. Wonderful read!! Please put it on DVD!!! Thank you :-)
Amazon.com
"I've cast out my razor, divorced my soap, buried my manners, signed my socks to a two-year contract, and proved that you don't have to come in out of the rain." So wrote Corporal Thomas P. Noonan from Vietnam, proving that humor doesn't fail even in war. Noonan's letter is just one of over 50,000 that letter-enthusiast Andrew Carroll (Letters of a Nation) received after Abigail Van Buren publicized his Legacy Project in her Dear Abby column. Out of this treasure trove he selected 150, spanning 130 years of warfare from the Civil War to Bosnia. While there are letters from such notables as General William Tecumseh Sherman and even Julia Childs, most were written by uncelebrated but dearly loved soldiers from barracks, trenches, and flooded foxholes and by combat journalists, nurses, and family members on the home front.
While the letters are not unrelentingly grim, there is ample description of the rending agonies of war and the pain of separation. For instance, a recounting of horrors found in a Nazi concentration camp, or a tender letter to a just-born daughter who may never be seen. Private First Class Richard King describes the death of a Catholic chaplain blessing the foxholes: "An artillery shell cut him in half at the waist." Staff Sergeant Joe Sammarco tells how he crawled, wounded, across streams and into hills in order to escape the Chinese, propelled by the thought of his wife and his babies. Many of these are "last letters," often received after the news of the writer's death. Lieutenant Tommie Kennedy, a POW on a Japanese "hell ship," wrote his farewells on the only thing he had--the back of two family photographs, which were smuggled back to his parents.
These are, as Carroll writes, "the first, unfiltered drafts of history." His rich sample testifies to the universal and poignant themes of love and honor, courage and rage, duty and fear and mortality. The playful and heartfelt voices grant us the personal perspective all too often lost in news reports and government statements. Taken together, they remind us that, despite the playful good cheer, the human cost of war is far too high. A remarkable contribution to the understanding of war and its impact, and a powerful tribute to those undone by it. --Lesley Reed
Book Description
In 1998, Andrew Carroll founded the Legacy Project with the goal of remembering Americans who have served this nation and preserving their letters for posterity. Since then, more than 50,000 war letters discovered in basements, attics, scrapbooks, and old trunks have poured in from around the country. The best of these letters are assembled in this extraordinary collection, offering unprecedented insight into the Civil War, World Wars I and II, Vietnam, Korea, the Cold War, the Persian Gulf, and even the fighting in Somalia and the Balkans.
Featured here are dramatic accounts of combat written immediately after the most ferocious battles American troops have ever faced; poignant expressions of love by homesick husbands and sweethearts; humorous anecdotes and gripes about insufferable conditions; thoughtful reflections on the nature of warfare; and perhaps most devastating, a startling number of last letters, heartfelt messages penned just hours before the sender was killed.
War Letters is a testament to the heroic contributions and astonishing literary voices of common soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors, as well as war nurses, journalists, spies, and chaplains. There are also previously unpublished letters by such legendary figures as William T. Sherman, Clara Barton, Theodore Roosevelt, Ernie Pyle, Helen Keller, Douglas MacArthur, Julia Child, Dwight Eisenhower, Norman Schwarzkopf, and America's first black general, Benjamin O. Davis Sr.
"Individually, the war letters collected here are distinct, finely cut works of art, some more polished, some rougher around the edges, but each one exquisite in its own right. Together, they create a larger narrative: the story of Americans at war against themselves and other nations," observes Carroll in his introduction. These historic letters capture the full fury and intensity of warfare, and they reveal in vivid detail what the servicemen and -women of this nation have experienced and sacrificed on the front lines. War Letters is a lasting tribute to those who have fought for this country, and a celebration of the enduring power and lyricism of personal letters.
Customer Reviews:
An incredibly profound book!.......2006-05-22
This book is a great read. It is refeshing to be able to read words, thoughts and dreams from people as they perform such honorable duty overseas. This book is powerful and should be required reading for all, especially Americans.
Some anti-war activist may think it is "pro-war" but it isn't just that. This book reveals personal thoughts and challenges faced by American military personnel in wars from the Civil War until the later conflicts in the 20th century. It is pro-war, anti-war and everything in between.
This book reminds me of the sacrifice that so many make for their country. It is a great tribute for those who have served.
A useful read.......2006-03-28
i only gave it three stars because many of the stories were more about patriotism than about the war themselves. Of course every book has its bias so its still a useful and moving read when taken with this grain of salt.
A wonderful, different type of war book, but . . . .......2006-03-19
I received this book as a gift because my family knows I love reading personal histories from those who lived it and "War Letters" seemed perfect for that. I enjoy learning what life was like for the average citizen in an era, whether its someone riding the Erie Canal in 1840, a foot soldier in the American revolution, or a journal from the Civil War.
This is a remarkable book and taken individually there are many, many heart-rending emotional stories that probably need to be read by many people. It does in fact put a personal face on war. Because it is a collection of letters, the book is easily read in short spurts; you don't want (and shouldn't) read this book quickly.
I only gave the book 4 stars because I actually found it hard to read. While the personal letters (the spelling, mannerisms of the authors) help tell their stories, it also keeps the book from developing any flow. Some letters are agonzingly slow to read and understand. I'm certainly not faulting the authors or their stories; but if you're looking for a great, well-written, smooth-flowing story that you can't put down, this isn't it.
Great book for history buffs and teachers too.......2006-02-20
I actually read a review about this book and gave it as a gift to my sister-in-law who teaches high school history. She LOVES it and told me it was an amazing collection of actual letters. She said all of the teachers that she works with have been borrowing it!!
TearJerker.......2005-07-20
This book is awesome, I have read it numerous times. My heart goes out to the letters writers and receivers... I urge you to spread the word of this book... It will really open your eyes to see that Military Personel and their signifigant others are real people, with real feelings... I really look forward to another book like this coming out. I will definately buy it.
Amazon.com
To many of his readers, Thich Nhat Hanh is a great inspiration, a model of both spiritual maturity and social responsibility. But his personal life has been a closed book--until now. Fragrant Palm Leaves is the first publication of Thich Nhat Hanh's journals, in this case, those centering around the most decisive period in his life. A young monk in a Zen Buddhist lineage, Nhat Hanh had aspirations of developing a Buddhism that was meaningful in the lives of everyday Vietnamese. The chaos of the Vietnam War ironically offered him the chance to move beyond the strictures of the conservative Buddhist establishment and initiate experimental villages as well as a university, but the same war also forced him from his homeland. In entries written in both Vietnam and America, we see an already seasoned Nhat Hanh thinking through the politics of his tradition, his close friendships and alliances, the future of Buddhism, and the way to bring peace to a war-ravaged time. We also witness his glimmerings of enlightenment and are treated to lyrical passages on the interbeing of all things. Fragrant Palm Leaves is a rare glimpse at a great human being in the making. --Brian Bruya
Book Description
From one of the most influential Buddhist leaders of our time, journal entries from America and Vietnam in the '60s-a portrait of the Zen master as a young man.
Best known for his Buddhist teachings, Thich Nhat Hanh has lived in exile from his native Vietnam since 1966. These remarkable early journals reveal not only an exquisite portrait of the Zen master as a young man, but the emergence of a great poet and literary voice of Vietnam. From his years as a student and teaching assistant at Princeton and Columbia, to his efforts to negotiate peace and a better life for the Vietnamese, Fragrant Palm Leaves offers an elegant and profound glimpse into the heart and mind of one of the world's most beloved spiritual teachers.
This edition includes a new introduction
"One of the sweetest and most personally revealing of Thich Nhat Hanh's books, it shows the planting of his seeds of remarkable wisdom."-Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart
"Enlightening."-Maxine Hong Kingston
"One of the greatest teachers of our time....In Fragrant Palm Leaves, the venerable poet emerges poignantly, disclosing the essence of enlightenment, and also life itself."-Robert Thurman, author of Inner Revolution
"Informative and inspiring."-Publishers Weekly
Customer Reviews:
In a time of hatred and war, a stark reminder of another way.......2006-12-21
Reading Thich Nhat Hanh's 'Essential Writings' is like having Michael Jordan teach you how to play basketball. The focus is not on the dazzling tricks. It's about the fundamentals. And they are few --- compassion, mindfulness, tolerance, breathing.
Hearing Thich Nhat Hanh lecture is to experience holiness on a very high order. We once drove hours to hear him talk about death. You would expect him to focus on theology. But what I took away was completely practical: Hold the dying person's feet, as he/she may not feel connected to the earth.
But it is when he is most personal that Thich Nhat Hanh is at his best. And 1962 to 1966 were key years for him. With some other "committed" Buddhist monks, he had tried to broker peace in his native Vietnam. No one --- not even the Buddhist hierarchy --- wanted any. In 1966, he was exiled. (He didn't return to Vietnam for 40 years.)
'Fragrant Palm Leaves' begins in a cabin in the New Jersey woods. It's 1962. Thich Nhat Hanh is 36. American troops have not yet been dispatched to Vietnam, but there has already been death aplenty. Thich Nhat Hanh, sick of heart, has come to teach and study at Columbia University.
The journals begin with scenes of a peace that Thich Nhat Hanh can find anywhere, even in this unfamiliar country: "Some mornings I stay in the woods all day, strolling leisurely beneath the trees and lying down on the carpet of soft moss, my arms folded, my eyes looking up to the sky. In those moments, I'm a different person; it would probably be accurate to say that I am 'my true' self." He is childlike: "Today I went with two eight-year-old boys to pick some [berries], and we stuffed our mouths until they turned blue!"
Surrounded by nature, he can't help recalling Phuong Boi, the monastery he and some friends built in Vietnam. In 1957, its 60 acres cost $140. "Here, for the first time," he recalls, "we were sheltered from the harshness of worldly affairs." On full moon nights, in deep silence, he watches, in awe, as the moon and forest merge. By day, he works the land, meditates and prays. Walking can't express his joy at being here --- so he runs.
You may feel a great peace as you read his account of daily life at the monastery. At the same time, you'll feel a deep dread --- you know this peace can't last. And, soon enough, the arrests begin: "You could be accused of being a Viet Cong by anyone who opposed you."
For Thich Nhat Hanh, the war is both external and internal. "Finding truth is not the same as finding happiness," he cautions. "You aspire to see the truth, but once you have seen it, you cannot avoid suffering." And does he ever suffer! "I feel the unbearable pain of a woman who is about to give birth to a child she already knows will be sentenced to death." But he always finds a balance. Suffering is a wonder. It helps us learn "how to ride the waves of impermanence, smiling as one who knows he has never been born and will never die."
In 1964, he returns to Vietnam, and the ideas he explored in America are put to the test. He's ten miles from Saigon now; he can hear gunfire. Phuong Boi has been abandoned. And the United States is pushing an unworkable strategy: "How can you win a war with bullets when you do not even know where the front line is?"
Now it is 1965. The house at Phuong Boi "is a pile of ashes where wild mushrooms grow." And yet, for Thich Nhat Hanh, the house still exists --- it was a place of love, and love endures. Indeed, if he too is burned to ashes, "those ashes will be love and will nestle in the heart of the earth to nourish the flowers."
His conclusion couldn't be more gorgeous: "We will return to the circle of life as flowers, grasses, birds or clouds to bring people the message of eternal love. Like the village children who, even in this time of war, sing: 'We will love others forever and ever, hand holding hand. We love others forever.'"
What a thing to learn from war! And he learned it the hard way: "not from intellectual investigation but from my actual experience of suffering." To have compassion for those who have made you suffer --- I have such trouble with that. And yet, as Thich Nhat Hanh reminds us, there is no other answer.
From the New Jersey woods to Vietnam, and then beyond --- in just 212 pages, Thich Nhat Hanh takes you very far. Like all the way to peace.
An unexpected delight.......2006-09-17
An extraordinary journal - after reading several of Thich Nhat Hanh's key works, I think this may be the best introduction to his ideas.
In FRAGRANT PALM LEAVES, we have writing and ideas expressed with great clarity, and a calm thoughtfulness that contrasts with the turbulence of the era in which they were first written: during these years, Thich Nhat Hanh was moving between New York and New Jersey and the beloved Vietnam he would soon be permanently kicked out of. Through it all, there is a great sense of purpose, and a deep and sophisticated joy in life, but not an ounce of bitterness.
There's a lesson in this - whatever one seeks in Thich Nhat Hanh's writing, you'll find it here, though not perhaps in the expected way - there are few if any 'teachings' here, but instead slice-of-life examples of a mindful life in the face of tremendous adversities.
An unexpected delight.
-David Alston
Positive words. A warm book........2001-12-10
Even if you're not interested in Buddhism, this book offers food for our everyday thoughts. Written in a clean, lucid style, Thich Nhat Hahn shares moments from his life during the tubulent period of the 1960's. From the shores of a lake in New Jersey, to the bustling streets of New York City, back again to his beloved homeland of Vietnam, Nhat Hahn's experiences appear to have provided him with valuable insight, strengthing his resolve in matters concerning compassion and love. For those who enjoy memoirs, this book is a must read. His approach to writing is simple, yet poetic, offering sections both humorous and sad. In other words, it's about life in the here and now.
A Vietnam War of Love, Peace and Memory that has never ended.......2001-11-25
Thich would not need my review of his work. I can no longer wash my hands and not think of rain and mountain streams.
This is an incredible memoir and philosophical discussion. Thich uses the memoir as a vehicle to teach his philosophy. But in that you can still sense the pain of loss, the pain and frustration of rejection by his country and his abandonment. But it is also a hopeful piece. He does not let the external struggle defeat his soul and his personal peace. He accepts wars and destruction as things he must try to change but must not allow to change him.
The beauty of this book is its honesty. Thich's religion is attractive as a portrait of his individual testimony and light.
There is also a history in the story. A struggle of a simple man and a patriot. A patriot who perhaps lost the war for now.
Also a man who understands that thought and love and peace are separate from the boundaries of politics and culture. He may have lost his war at home, but he certainly won a larger war.
-Mike
A life-giving source of joy!.......2000-09-04
I agree with every word of the review written by the Jerusalem reviewer found on this page! This slender volume contains much that could save the world, indeed the profound beauty that emanates from the soul of this revered teacher, Thich Nhat Hanh, is such that one is transformed by it fundamentally each time one soaks up its light. These journals, covering especially those periods of his life that manifested for him tremendous human strengths within himself, and from which he has conscientiously built a kind of life-giving ark for the rest of us, are a joy to read, and read again. Everything Nhat Hanh writes is essential. Nothing is wasted, or wastefully passive. Interior action is his watchword, and his own life's example. The milieu of violence and war that so influenced his early adult life he has transformed into a life-giving teaching for humankind. The mark of the poet is everywhere in these pages- slaying the mediocre, lifting up the discarded, transforming the lost. One really cannot praise adequately this unique and gentle volume. If you seek to understand the nature of suffering, its true character, the inevitability of its power to redeem, and are unafraid of confronting the chagrin of your own wastefulness and fearfulness, read this book. It can only leave you freer.
Book Description
Written and illustrated by veteran Don Lomax, here is the Vietnam War told in an extraordinary graphic novel. The stories may be fiction, but their intensity and emotional resonance point to social and personal truths that go beyond mere facts.
The troops in Vietnam call war correspondent Scott Neithammer "Journal." His editors sent him to Southeast Asia to write what was happening in South Vietnam. But Neithammer discovers quickly that the real story about the Vietnam War was not at division or battalion headquarters. It was in the bush with soldiers who live with the slime, sthe stink, the constant fear and frustration of fighting a war that "the powers that be" would not let them win.
Customer Reviews:
Vietnam Journal.......2007-02-08
I still have not received Vietnam Journal. It has been over a month.
One of the Absolute Best War Comics EVER!!.......2003-05-18
Don Lomax was drafted into the Army in 1965, and during his tour of duty in Vietnam, he made notes that would later serve as reference for his comic book work. In the early 90s, Lomax worked as writer for the tail-end of the Marvel Comics series The 'Nam, but it was with his own series, Vietnam Journal, published through obscure Apple Comics, that Lomax really got to shine. This is, without a doubt, the most graphic, realistic and emotionally powerful portrayal of the Vietnam War that's ever been seen in comic form. It's also the best overall war title since EC's Frontline Combat in the 1950s (and that's saying a lot). Lomax's art is gritty and detailed, and his stories are well-researched and honest. This book never glorifies war, but instead shows it just the way it was: complicated, brutal and disturbing.
Vietnam Journal is the story of journalist Scott "Journal" Neithammer, a veteran of the Korean War, who comes to Vietnam in February 1967 to write about the average American soldier. This trade paperback collects the first six issues of the series:
Issue one: The Field Jacket (Journal relates the story of a tattered filed jacket that's supposed to be a good luck charm.)
Issue two: The Dogs of War (Journal gets lost, alone in the jungle, and comes across a wounded grunt and his dog, sitting among the dead in an overrun compound, waiting to die.)
Issue three: Scorched Earth--By the Numbers (A heartless network journalist, who cares nothing for the common soldier, leaves a trail of destruction in his wake, searching madly for a sensational story.)
Issue four: Birds of Prey (Journal encounters a dangerous CIA operative.)
Issue five: Hawks of the Darkhorse (In the midst of a daring helicopter rescue, Journal learns that he can't always remain a "noncombatant".)
Issue six: Tradition (Amid the remains of an ancient Buddhist temple, an American squad faces desperate odds.)
This trade also includes a few short stories that have apparently never been published before. Let's hope ibooks will published the rest of the series. It's definitely worth it.
Book Description
"In my year in Vietnam, I walked the booby-trapped rice paddies of the Delta, searching for the elusive Viet Cong, and later macheted my way through the triple-canopy jungle, fighting the North Vietnamese Regulars. . . . I sweated, thirsted, hunted, killed. Somewhere in all my experiences, I overlapped the situations of nearly every infantryman and many others who served."
Michael Lee Lanning's journal of his first tour of duty in Vietnam provides an unvarnished daily account of life in the field--the blood, fear, camaraderie, and tedium of combat and maneuver. Fleshed out with narrative and detail years later, the pages of this memorable book, first published in 1987, show an eager young recruit growing before the reader's eyes into a proud but bloodied combat veteran.
Subsequent volumes in his Vietnam Trilogy will detail Lanning's tour as a company commander and his post-war investigation into the mind of the enemy. Through his eyes, readers see the reality of a war that did not always receive glory but was, in his words, "the only war we had."
Customer Reviews:
One of the best books I've ever read.......2007-01-04
I've had these books for more then 20 years now - taking them with me through flood and fire. The first is the first 6 months of his tour and the 2nd is the second 6 months of his tour in Vietnam in 1968-1969.
M. Lee Lanning was the youngest person ever to lead an entire Company of 200 soldiers even though he was only a First Lieutenant, all at the age of 23.
I find these books truly fascinating - they show the horror, the boredom, the friendships made and the attempts at comedy used to stay sane during wartime. I never thought that a "War Memoir" would ever capture my attention, but this did it. Many (if not most) war books are written by the pencil pushers or REMF's and not someone who actually held a rifle and saw the enemy.
Each page is straight from the diary that his father gave him before he shipped out - then what follows is his memory of that day.
One of my favorite excerpts:
"Our move was delayed when one of the FNG's (F-ing New Guy), who had joined Bravo Co. at Crystal (their main base) a few days before, saw something in a clump of bamboo. Seconds later he approached me carrying a heavy, cone-shaped object that I immediately recognized as a 105mm artillery round. From it's shiny exterior, I deduced it was a "dud" from our fire before assaulting the bunkers.
The FNG, proud of his find, had no clue what he was cradling in his arms. As calmly as possible, I told the man to walk back into the jungle for at least 50 meters, gently place the object on the ground and return to my location. The tone of my voice, and the fact that all the others were scrambling for cover, definitely got the troop's attention.
Without a word, he followed my instructions. I braced for the expected explosion as he turned away and slowly walked towards the jungle..."
If you get this make sure you also get "A Company Commanders Journal" that is the second of this series - it contains his journal entries from the second 6 months of his tour.
This Book Is Excellent.......2001-08-28
I missed the Vietnam War by a year or two. I served as an 11B from 72-78. I always wondered what it would have been like to have been there in a rifle company. Plenty of books about SF and LRRPs, but not very many written by a real infantry platoon leader. I never had a tremensous desire to be an elite soldier in an elite unit (if I could have even made it). I only wanted to be a rifle squad leader. This book really made me feel what it would have been like. What I missed. It is a real world book. Not a battle every minute book filled with stories of great exploits. Just a real world grunt in Vietnam book. I highly recommend the companion book Company Commanders Journal.
A disapointing account of Vietnam........1999-07-10
This author misses the mark completely. His account gives none of the day to day feel of the misery and discomfort of living in the field in Vietnam and putting life on the line every day. His recollections are so stale and based on one line journal entrys that they never live up to the promise. I was sorry to see him fall in to the I "I was the best" trap that so many first hand accounts fall into. He clearly wasn't the best, nor was his platoon any better than most. His glee at hearing that a Col who chewed him out for getting too many men blown up in a booby trap had been shot down and seriously injured was, to say the least, morbid! They are too many good first hand accounts available to waste time on this one.
GREAT BOOK!!!.......1999-07-01
This is one of the best books I've ever read, when it comes to documenting the day to day events of a soldier in war. Based on the writer's journal as an Infantry platoon leader, and reinforced with letters sent & kept by the authors wife, this book is both poignant and detailed.From simple remembrances of c-rations and malaria pills, to major battles and the loss of friends, Lanning's book remembers them all, and shares them with the reader.
Recommended by Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 295.......1998-12-04
This book is on the "Recommended Reading List" of Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 295, Indianapolis, Indiana
Average customer rating:
- Amazing story of a world changed forever
|
Inside Television's First War: A Saigon Journal
Ron Steinman
Manufacturer: University of Missouri Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Customer Reviews:
Amazing story of a world changed forever.......2006-07-29
This is a fantasic story of survival, love and a nation changed by war. Steinman takes the reader inside the war, and, even more; inside a culture. With an intimate look at the Vietnamese people, the author touches on emotions and aspects of life in the war-torn country that have been overlooked by so many other works written about this hard time in world history. This is not so much a story about the war, as it is about the people and how the war and the coverage of that war changed everything; for Vietnam and the world. I highly recommend this book.
Book Description
"Dear Sam and Dani" is a personal adoption journal the author kept while traveling in Vietnam with her four sons. Enjoy many adventures with the boys as they chase chickens in the Mekong Delta, crawl through the Cu Chi Tunnels, visit many orphanages, and rediscover their own past. This playful book is written for children eight to tweleve years old.
Customer Reviews:
A unique journey shared........2005-01-30
Cindy Roberts' illustrated journal of her return to Vietnam for a homeland tour, accompanied by her four oldest children, two of whom were born adopted from Vietnam. She writes back home to her daughters, sharing the tale of their travels and adventures. Families who hoping to adopt and those who are considering a return trip to Vietnam will find this book very interesting. Adult adoptees will find it interesting as well, as the Roberts visit a babylift memorial and travel with older adoptees to their orphanages.
I loved "Dear Sam and Dani: An Adoption Journal".......2005-01-25
I loved "Dear Sam and Dani: An Adoption Journal" by Cindy Roberts! It's a set of letters Cindy wrote when she took her four sons -- two born to her and two adopted from Viet Nam -- to visit the homeland and the birth family of her adopted sons. Cindy gives the reader a very real, fascinating, and honest portrayal of the reactions of all five of them -- the exciting, the strange, and the poignant. This book should be very educational for adoptive (and prospective adoptive) families, reassuring for those worried about contact with birthparents, and a great case study for people interested in multicultural experiences. Best, Margie, An Adoptive Parent
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