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Aftersleep Books
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The Cat from Hue A Vietnam War StoryThe following report compares books using the SERCount Rating (base on the result count from the search engine). |
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Aftersleep Books - 2005-06-20 07:00:00 | © Copyright 2004 - www.aftersleep.com () | sitemap | top |
In 1968, during the Tet Offensive in the city of Hue, amidst the bombing and destruction, he found an abandoned kitten with a feisty personality. To him, this symbolized the strong will of the North Vietnamese enemies. He adopted the kitten who then shows up sporadically during the long narrative, always getting into trouble, attacking other cats and generally being a nuisance. The author came to love this cat however, and the reader can sense the author's humanity in the way he cared for his pet.
The book is filled with hundreds of direct quotes from the men in the field, descriptions of day-to-day life in a war zone, the challenges of filming the war "up close" and getting the film to CBS on time for broadcast, the camaraderie and competition among the journalists, the physical discomfort of life in the field, compassion for the horrors experienced by both the soldiers and the Vietnamese people and the sharpened senses of knowing your life is always in danger. There were several incidents of conflict between the journalists and military brass and an incident captured on film when some soldiers made their own choices rather than accept an unwise command. There were also descriptions of drug and alcohol use, both among the men and the journalists, and some wild plane rides. Underlying all this, the question of "why" was always there.
I felt I was right there with Mr. Laurence, throughout the book - observing the carnage and meeting the people, enjoying brief respites from the violence, and, most of all, bringing the story to the people back home as a witness to his times. I learned facts in this book. And felt emotion. But, most of all, it made me think, and that is where the strength of this writing lies. I give this book an extremely high recommendation. It's a slow read. But definitely worthwhile.