Rating: 
Summary: Insightful, but too disjointed
Review: Perhaps it's just personal taste, but I'm not really a fan of the stream-of-consciousness style of writing. Unfortunately that's what you have here--gobs and gobs of disjointed and hallucinatory images jumbled upon each page. Of course, that may be the entire point of the book--to characterized the Vietnam War itself as one unfocused, muddled mess.The message comes through loud and clear, it's just too bad that Herr's writing style detracts from its impact. If you like this book, try Chicknhawk--a Chopper Pilot's take on Vietnam.
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Summary: Dispatches - an insider's version of Vietnam
Review: I found this book lurking on a forgotten shelf in my University library and picked it up because I had nothing better to do. Little did I know that I was in for a nightmare journey into some of the most terrifying, beautiful, exciting and sometimes darkly funny prose I have ever come across. The narrative itself is just that, a nightmare, where reality becomes unhinged and the reader is never quite sure whether Herr is telling the truth or hallucinating. As a twenty-something South African I would have appreciated a little more detail about events that Herr assumes are common knowledge, but this aside, the book is one of the best I have read this year.
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Summary: One of the bast Vietnam books I have read.
Review: This book is an amazing view of Vietnam throgh the eyes of a correspondent. It deals with the thoughts of soldiers on war and life in general and show all aspects of the 'Grunt's' life while on tour. I recommend this to anyone interested in the Vietnam war. The movie Full metal Jacket was also produced with the help of the Author and there are many similarities between the two.
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Summary: A REAR VIEW AT THE FRONT LINE!
Review: This book was absolutly amazing, it gave an in depth look at the Vietnam conflict. Michael Herr, in detail descibed the life of a soldier and the rough times that all went through during that time. His eyes as a reporter gave a new meaning of getting up close and personal with their storys.
Rating: 
Summary: hell
Review: I've read this book and it has left me with an un erasable impression of how it must've been in Viet Nam. I just wish it had a short list with descriptions of the abbreviations used in the book and a map of Viet Nam with the cities and major bases on it, otherwise I would've rated this book 5 stars.
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Summary: Tom Wolfe in Vietnam?
Review: Cool, coolness, and the countenance to do it. If you like Hunter S. Thompson's 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' or any of Tom Wolfe's early work, e.g. 'The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test', this is your book describing the experience that affected an entire American generation. Herr's work on Vietnam is seminal. As the co-writer of screenplays for both Coppola's ' Apocalypse Now' and Kubrick's 'Full Metal Jacket', Herr provides the 'real deal' from the trenches of the Vietnam experience. Not being a participant but rather a correspondent during the Vietnam War, he provides an objective, accurate and colorful account of the US involvment in Vietnam and more importantly a glance at the true psyche of the American warrior in Southeast Asia. Also recommended: A Rumor of War - Philip Caputo
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Summary: One of the most important books of its genre
Review: I first read Dispatches in 1980 and have subsequently reread it so many times, the cover has fallen off. The eloquence, realism, poetry, compassion, and professionalism of this book is staggering. The first sentence(out of italic) "Going out at night the medics gave you pills, Dexedrine breath like dead snakes kept too long in a jar." should be enough to hook anyone. This book is a realistic narrative of one man's intimate experiences with war and the people we sent to fight in it. I would love to meet Michael Herr someday so that I can tell him what his work means to me.
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Summary: A breath taking,heart stopping account of men at war.
Review: I first read Michael Herr's dispatches in the late 70's and now after reading the aforementioned reviews am relieved to see that I am not the only one to have elevated it to a level that transcends most book reading experiences. I too have re-read it numerous times and after losing my first two editions to friends that I wanted to share the experience with was luckily able to obtain my current copy at a garage sale.It is truely the most amazing book I have ever read.I was not aware that some of it was fictionalized.What parts?What is Michael Herr been doing the past 20 years? Please reply!
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Summary: Herr's DISPATCHES hits hard.
Review: I have just recently completed the horrific DISPATCHES. It is probably the most cynical read since SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE. Because of the subject matter it is not for all. If you have a strong will (and a strong stomach) pick this book up today. Five stars is not enough for the realism alone.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting...hallucinatory...hellish...
Review: This intense book blew me away. It could be subtitled "Fear and Loathing in Southeast Asia: A Savage Journey into the Heart of the American Nightmare". The writing is reminiscent of Hunter S. Thompson's hallucinatory journey into Vegas, but the setting here is much more grim and deadly. I just finished watching The Learning Channel's multi-part series "Vietnam: A Soldier's Story" and I was struck how the bunkers at Khe Sang were just as I had pictured them while reading Herr's book. (Obviously, I'm no vet!) This book is as close as I want to get to combat, I think. (For an excellent account of the Vietnam policy-making of the JFK/LBJ eras, check out David Halberstam's "The Best and the Brightest".)
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