https://web.archive.org/web/20030202142414fw_/http://www.short-timers.com/ST2.htm
Available here - as they were previously posted on the author's website - are two really great books about Vietnam.
The first one, The Short Timers, was adopted by Stanley Kubrick and became Full Metal Jacket, which I think most people will know. The movie is fairly true to the book, but as usual the book is better.
The second one, which I think is better, features the same main character but is considerably darker, covering time spent as a prisoner of war and detailing the war from the perspective of the Vietnamese.
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Add “Dispatches” by Michael Herr to that list. It's the memoir of the war correspondent who co-wrote the screenplay for “Full Metal Jacket.” Done in a fragmented New Journ*lism style, it really captures the sense of disconnect and pointlessness of it all.
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And "Nam" by Mark Baker, although there's no way to verify how many of those stories are actually true
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I'll see if I can find a copy of that, it sounds interesting.
These two are really weirdly written, I don't want to disparage the author and say 'amateurish' but... it's more just weird. The exposition is very good and he really can set a scene well, but most authors try and avoid repetition but this guy leans into it heavily, he uses so many catchphrases and repetitive phrases. I guess it reflects how people speak in reality well, because people do adopt these little signature phrases they like to repeat.
I really really liked these books, I have to emphasise that. The second one was utterly captivating.
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