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: Cheerleader mush
Review: I had hoped for an insightful biography of John Kerry. This is just a whitewashed story of his life. Everything is bathed in positive rays of sunshine. People who did not like John Kerry are described as being part of a "cult of envy". It's hard to believe this book is not satire; Kerry is the Doc Savage of his generation. The stories of the war years were more interesting and kept me from rating the book lower. I will still be searching for a true, objective biography of the man.
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: 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: 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: Don't Judge the Man; Judge the Book
Review: This book was well-written and well-researched, regardless of how I may feel about Kerry's political stance. My husband is retired Navy, a veteran of the riverine war in Vietnam. My husband read this book and recommended it to me, not on the basis of the character (or lack thereof) of John Kerry but because the descriptions and history of the riverine war were accurate. For those who want to disparage the book, there are numberless accounts of Vietnam veterans whose time in-country lasted a day or lasted five years. My husband reads every one he can get his hands on, so I know they are out there. That he recommended this to me above so many others he has read is because, in his words, "this one is accurate." Forget that John Kerry happens to be the sailer in question and study the Vietnam War.
Rating:
Summary: A War Still Dividing Us
Review: I'm still reading this book but had to post some comments. Sad how the Vietnam War and service in it is still so devisive.
I knew of Kerry's service and post war activities but the fact that he volunteered while harboring doubts about the War was a revelation to me. That took guts. For those that see some conspiracy or plan in Kerry's service, I fail to see it. When he asked to command a Swift boat, they were not involved in much action-merely patroling the coast. How could this been aimed at some false heroism and a political future? These boats were sitting ducks once they did enter the rivers and had high casualty rates. That's how Sen. Kerry could get wounded and recieve the medals in such a short time. Hard to see how one could be in harm's way with an eye toward a career in politics when by that very act, you endanger your future.
As a young man, Kerry had no great fortune or political connections. If he had, he'd have used them to avoid serving like many others.
I didn't start out a Kerry fan but I have been converted.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent biography, excellent historical research
Review: I get the distinct impression that some of the so-called "reviewers" who trash this book here have never read it. If they had, they would know that Kerry exercised NO editorial control over the content of the book. Brinkley offers a well-written and researched biography of John Kerry. He is uncritical overall, but doesn't hesitate to include unflattering comments by people who just didn't like Kerry for one reason or another. Besides being a top notch biography, this book provides a fascinating history of the (until now) relatively overlooked brown water navy.
|
