Play Book Tag discussion

Dispatches by Michael Herr
5/5 stars

“Herr was credited with pioneering the literary genre of the nonfiction novel.”

From Amazon: “From its terrifying opening pages to its final eloquent words, Dispatches makes us see, in unforgettable and unflinching detail, the chaos and fervor of the war and the surreal insanity of life in that singular combat zone. Michael Herr’s unsparing, unorthodox retellings of the day-to-day events in Vietnam take on the force of poetry, rendering clarity from one of the most incomprehensible and nightmarish events of our time.”

Loved this book, brought me right into the Vietnam War. It is so readable and approachable. I eagerly read each chapter. I was inspired to look up places and people I did not know like the Citadel of Saigon and photographers Sean Flynn and Dana Stone. I was also glad to see Graham Greene cited many times and his novel the Quiet American, which I have read and enjoyed. Timing of this book is good as I am looking forward to the Ken Burns Vietnam War documentary coming this September.

“There wasn't anybody he wanted to thank for his food, but he was grateful that he was still alive to eat it, ...”

“He hadn't been anything but tired and scared for six months and he'd lost a lot, mostly people, and seen far too much, but he was breathing in and breathing out, some kind of choice all by itself.”

“(How do you feel when a nineteen-year-old kid tells you from the bottom of his heart that he's gotten too old for this kind of sh-t?)”