Rating: 
Summary: Revealing & Dramatic Account of War
Review: I saw Doug Brinkley interviewed on the Today Show about this book and, although I don't know much about John Kerry, I thought "Tour of Duty" sounded interesting so I got a copy. Regardless of one's political views, this is an extraordinary book about the life and experiences of a young soldier in Vietnam grappling with what it's like to kill, survive emotionally and physically in a hellish environment (Kerry was wounded several times), and come to terms with a conflict he ultimately thought to be unwinnable--even thought he was right in the middle of it. This is not a Kerry campaign book, but a phenomenal, unbiased work of history on Professor Brinkley's part and, without question, one of the best and most riveting war books I've read. And I read a lot of them.
Rating:
Summary: Experience of war
Review: How to deal with the actual, living experience of war, then and now, is the underlying topic of Douglas Brinkley's troubling book. Troubling because in John Kerry's experience of Vietnam as a young soldier, there were no easy answers or solutions, even when it was clear that the war was wrong. How to behave? What decisions to make? How to maintain loyalty to one's comrades and decency to one's enemy? How to think about the experience years later, and apply it to the radically different environment created by the interplay of George W. Bush's insistence on invading Iraq and Saddam Hussein's efforts to disguise his own weakness, in a period when the CIA was warning he had the ability to kill millions with biological and chemical weapons, and was still seeking nuclears. No simple answers here, only the guidance that one has to do one's level best with the struggle to do the right thing. A powerful book, but not a happy one. What it does suggest that John Kerry has been through a crucible that would make him more cautious and serious than the people who got us into Iraq, and the compassion and empathy for others that might make him more capable of helping us find solutions for where we are now with Iraq and with the world.
Rating: 
Summary: A general account
Review: Tour of Duty is well written and entertaining. It does a good job of giving one a sense of Kerry's childhood and a reasonably good account of his actions in Vietnam. The post-Vietnam details are a bit thinner though. Also missing is any analysis or comparision of Kerry's actions with any facts. Thus one is left with a very one-sided view of John Kerry but an interesting view nonetheless. The book is worth reading for some general background but a more authoritative biography will probably have to wait until after (and if) he gets elected.
Rating:
Summary: A Fine Work on a Fine Leader
Review: Anyone curious as to how John Kerry surged to the front of the Democratic presidential race need only read this tremendously well-written and -researched account of his gallant tours of duty in Vietnam and beyond. Historian Douglas Brinkley does a terrific job of telling Kerry's heroic story, along the way tracing the compelling path of a thoughtful and highly principled politician. It hardly seems a coincidence that this book came out right before Kerry's leap to the top of the Democratic pack--anyone who reads it will see just how much this brave onetime Navy lieutenant could bring to the presidency. And whether one agrees with Kerry's politics or not, Brinkley's book not only offers a fascinating assessment of a crucial era in recent American history but is also just a darn good read.
Rating: 
Summary: Penetrating Insight into Kerry's Character
Review: Reading this book, which can admittedly be overly hagiographic at times, you can really get a sense of who Kerry is and how deeply the lessons of Vietnam -- the war and what it did to this country -- affected him and haunt him to this day.
Rating: 
Summary: Tour of Duty : John Kerry and the Vietnam War
Review: This has to be one of the worst books rgarding war ever. Hanoi Kerry as he is known now was a traitor and a coward whom only received awards like the order of lenin and ho chi minh order for valor. He protested the war like a true punk and then insists that he is behind the army...what a joke...
Rating:
Summary: Waste of time and money
Review: This book is a waste of valuable paper. Kerry is a freaking traitor and only received commendations because he had friends in high places. To anyone who supports him and his too obvious lies, you're dumber than I thought Americans ever would be. Kerry didn't do any more than any of our boys are doing out there every day, and less than most. I hated the book and have no respect for the man behind it.
Rating:
Summary: History or Hagiography?
Review: When excerpts from Douglas Brinkley's forthcoming book on John Kerry and the Vietnam War appeared in The Atlantic in December 2003, I couldn't help feeling sorry for the author. Obviously he had spent a lot of time researching and writing a book that would be forgotten before the ink was even dry. Of course, at that time Senator Kerry's campaign for the presidency was dead in the water, while the supposedly smart money was accumulating around Howard Dean.Now Douglas Brinkley has the last laugh. His time spent on "Tour of Duty" looks like a shrewd bet. Not only has Kerry locked up the Democratic nomination to challenge George W. Bush--his experiences in the Vietnam War have become central to the campaign in a way few could have predicted. Anyone hoping to gain a better understanding of the veteran senator who would be president should start here. Brinkley shows Kerry's growth from youth to manhood through the harrowing crucible of the Vietnam War. Anyone who doubts the genuine courage and skill that Kerry showed as a Navy lieutenant in that conflict must contend with the evidence that Brinkley has amassed. With the cooperation of his subject, he has also produced a highly intimate portrait of Kerry's thoughts and writings at the time. Brinkley thereby succeeds in warmly humanizing a public figure often criticized for aloofness. Brinkley's Kerry is a compelling Renaissance Man: brave soldier, compassionate friend, charismatic politician, agile intellectual, avid sportsman. In short, he's a little too good to be true. And that's where one begins to have some doubts about this book. An associate of the late Stephen Ambrose, Brinkley seems to be a serious historian. And one might expect him to be broadly sympathetic to his subject--if he weren't, I doubt that Senator Kerry would have offered him access to his private papers. Still, Brinkley seems reluctant to criticize Kerry or even raise questions about his motives or judgment. This becomes more apparent when the narrative shifts from Mekong Delta war stories to antiwar protests and political campaigns. The final chapter, a glowing description of Kerry's presidential announcement in September 2003 (an event which seemed to fall flat at the time), reads like a ghostwritten hack campaign biography. It's too bad, because Brinkley was ideally situated to place the strengths and weaknesses of Kerry's candidacy in the context of his past. (A first-class example of this type of book is David Maraniss' biography of the young Bill Clinton, "First in His Class".) Brinkley's book also seems to have been rushed a bit into publication. Editors of political books ought to be able to spell Rep. John Dingell's name right, for example, and to know that Chuck Hagel is a Republican Senator from Nebraska, not a Democrat. That being said, Brinkley has produced a truly useful piece of work. Both Republicans and Democrats will be studying it carefully--the former probing for weaknesses, the latter looking for reassurance. But if John Kerry is half the man Doug Brinkley seems to think he is, the Republicans should be worried, and the Democrats should be proud.
Rating:
Summary: Compelling Read
Review: This is the second book that I have reviewed on John Kerry in the last week. I reviewed the biography "John F. Kerry" by Kranish, Mooney, and Easton the three veteran Boston Globe reporters that had known and interviewed Kerry for over 20 years. I thought that was an excellent book and I gave it five stars. It is well-researched, neutral, and covered most of his life without any input from Kerry. Kerry comes out basically positive in the book. The present book is also good but it is written by one person doing research including notes supplied by Kerry, Kerry was interviewed at length about certain points, and it covers a narrower time frame - manly his war experiences. So I think it merits a lower rating so I gave it 4 stars. This book is biased positively towards Kerry and that is okay and I think most readers would understand that, and would take that into account in drawing any conclusions. Having said that, the author Douglas Brinkley is a Professor at the University of New Orleans, he has written a reasonably well crafted lengthy and detailed story about 457 pages long and then added another 60 pages in notes, references, etc. So it is a solid job. I am a Canadian but was fortunate enough to go to college in Boston when Kerry had just graduated from Yale and was joining the Navy. I knew many people in college in Boston that managed to avoid going to Vietnam through college deferrals or joining the National Guard and believe me those deferrals from Vietnam were prized possessions. Nobody, or at least most honest people, did not want to go to the jungles of Vietnam carrying an M-16. It was a thankless experience, many were killed or injured, and they were not greeted with enthusiasm when they returned. I knew some who went, some in the army from West Point and some in the Air Force. Most people realized the war was contentious at best and very dangerous. Kerry was not the norm when volunteered to join the Navy, nor was he the norm to volunteer to join the swift boats in Vietnam. But he did. I will not review every detail of the plot here, but I think this is an excellent and sometimes gripping account of his service and reflects well on him as a person and an American. The book covers his training, his initial tour on a frigate, then his swift boat training, Vietnam, and the last 100 pages or so on his activities when he returned. Read the book before you judge or write a review. It is a mostly gripping account that will hold your attention. Recommend. Jack in Toronto.
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Summary: Is this a Blog?
Review: I'm dissapointed to see such "reviews" as the reader from Chagrin Falls, OH - who decided to use what is usually a valuable resource when trying to decide whether or not to purchase a book to espouse his political opinions. Unfortunately, by doing so, he isn't held to the truth. Most of his so-called facts about Kerry have been proven to be false. I did appreciate the honest reviews provided by others, though (good and bad). Based on those, I am buying the book. I gave this five stars because I was required to in order to submit this "review" - even though I have not yet read the book. Maybe they will offset the one star given by our friend in Chagrin Falls and provide a more balanced overall rating.
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