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Original Essays | November 5, 2009

John Buntin: IMG Notes from the (Bibliographic) Underground



For more than 60 years, Los Angeles's origins, its underbelly, and (yes) its blondes have fueled the imagination of writers and directors from... Continue »
  1. $18.20 Sale Hardcover add to wish list

Dispatches

by Michael Herr

Dispatches Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

"He seems to have brought to this book the ear of a musician and the eye of a painter . . . the premier war correspondence of Vietnam."--Washington Post. "The best book I have ever read on men and war in our time."--John le Carre." . . . Dispatches puts the rest of us in the shade."--Hunter S. Thompson.

Review:

"This is one of the best reports on Vietnam published to date by a correspondent with a keen eye and a sharp pen. For those of us who served there, whether in a military or a civilian capacity, it will invoke a frightening, if not macabre, nostalgia for the sights, smells, sounds, and slaughter of Saigon. The book should be required reading for any politician who possesses the power to send us to war which is indeed Hell." Reviewed by Daniel Weiss, Virginia Quarterly Review (Copyright 2006 Virginia Quarterly Review)

Review:

“The best book I have ever read on men and war in our time.”

John le Carré

Review:

“In the great line of Crane, Orwell, and Hemingway . . . Herr reaches an excruciating level of intensity . . . He seems to have brought to this book the ear of a musician and the eye of a painter . . . The premier war correspondence of Vietnam.”

The Washington Post

From the Hardcover edition.

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 5 comments:
emlewis, February 26, 2009 (view all comments by emlewis)
This is one of the best books I've ever read, and gives great insight into the Vietnam War, and how it changed America's perception of itself. Written in an almost stream-of-consciousness style, careening from one supersaturated image to another, one story to the next, it is almost impossible to put down.

For a companion piece, buy "Requiem," featuring the work of photojournalists killed or MIA during the Vietnam War (edited by Tim Page). Seeing the pictures taken by people referenced in Herr's book is rather overwhelming.
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(3 of 4 readers found this comment helpful)
Effie, August 5, 2008 (view all comments by Effie)
A book that really captures the spirit of what fighting was like in the Viet Nam war, and why so many vets are still so troubled.
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(5 of 8 readers found this comment helpful)
Paul McFarland, July 12, 2007 (view all comments by Paul McFarland)
An explicit account of the war in Vietnam that comes as close as anything I have read about that misbegotten conflict to capturing the mood of the fighting. The author of this nonfiction work co authored the screenplays of Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket. This book shows clearly the roots of those films. A very powerful read.
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(6 of 9 readers found this comment helpful)
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780679735250
Editor:
Herr, Michael
Publisher:
Vintage Books USA
Author:
Herr, Michael
Location:
New York :
Subject:
General
Subject:
Military - Vietnam War
Subject:
Vietnamese conflict, 1961-1975
Subject:
Southeast Asia
Subject:
Personal narratives
Subject:
Personal narratives, american
Subject:
Vietnamese Conflict, 1961-1975 -- Personal narratives, American.
Subject:
Vietnamese Conflict, 19
Subject:
Asia - Southeast Asia
Subject:
Herr, Michael
Subject:
Vietnam War, 1961-1975
Edition Description:
Vintage Intl
Series Volume:
v. 10
Publication Date:
August 1991
Binding:
Paperback
Language:
English
Illustrations:
Yes
Pages:
272
Dimensions:
8.15x5.20x.73 in. .63 lbs.

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