Short Round

Rating:
Summary: Short and Sweet
Review: A nice surprise for anyone who thinks of the Viet Nam
War as a bloody quagmire. Mr. Matthews reminds us all that wars are experienced by the young. He shares the early war with us through the eyes of an innocent lieutenant
with clarity and honesty. We laugh and cringe and cry along the way.

Rating:
Summary: Short and Sweet
Review: A nice surprise for anyone who thinks of the Viet Nam
War as a bloody quagmire. Mr. Matthews reminds us all that wars are experienced by the young. He shares the early war with us through the eyes of an innocent lieutenant
with clarity and honesty. We laugh and cringe and cry along the way.

Rating:
Summary: Catch 22 and MASH come to Vietnam
Review: I loved this funny book. Short Round is a combination of Joseph Heller's Catch 22 and MASH in Vietnam. At last, a humorous look at the Vietnam War written by an ex Green Beret officer. He reminds me of Hawkeye Pierce with his wit and keen observations of the events going on around him.

Rating:
Summary: Catch 22 and MASH come to Vietnam
Review: I loved this funny book. Short Round is a combination of Joseph Heller's Catch 22 and MASH in Vietnam. At last, a humorous look at the Vietnam War written by an ex Green Beret officer. He reminds me of Hawkeye Pierce with his wit and keen observations of the events going on around him.

Rating:
Summary: "Short" long on interest.
Review: Matthew's memoir of his Viet Nam Special Forces service is a refreshing variation from the more typical, "blood/gore/war sucks" offerings . His insights, especially those related to practical coexistence among the area's numerous indigenous groups shed a fresh and often humorous light on an otherwise dark chapter of national angst.

It's a pleasing and informative read.

Rating:
Summary: A Fast & Fun Read
Review: Short Round and other stories is a fast and fun read. Somehow reading one soldier's perspectives made it easier for me to understand the factions and political realities of the early years of the war more than all the analyses that have been generated in the decades since.

There is enough lightness and humor in the stories to keep readers going through the hints of the really tough stuff. The episodes are as user friendly as a television series.

Here's hoping we hear more from this talented writer in the future.

Rating:
Summary: A veteran looks back on Vietnam with humor
Review: This funny, witty and often poignant book is a collection of stories about the author's year of duty in Vietnam. Fresh out of college, the author is drafted into the service and on a buddy's dare applies to Paratroop School. Next thing you know, he's a Green Beret and shipped off to Vietnam in the earlier days of the conflict.

The stories are told through the unjaded eyes of this 24-year old Lieutenant and spare no one! I laughed out loud when the author describes the meaning of the "pucker factor" when jumping out of airplanes. A wacky colonel, a mean monkey named Short Round, and the local "entertainment" are just part of the circus in a conflict that's escalating.

My husband read the book and passed it along to me saying, "it's not another war story, and you'll like it." He was right and I think many women will enjoy it, particularly those of us who came of age during the Vietnam years.