Into the Green: A Reconnaissance by Fire

by Cherokee Paul McDonald

Book Overview

From the front lines of Vietnam to the flash point of memory, Into the Green describes one soldier's tour of duty in the war that defined a generation. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452282527
• ISBN13: 9780452282520
• Release Date: July 2001
• Publisher: Plume Books
• Length: 255 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Filled with searing images

I think this book deserves to rank with Dispatches, by Michael Herr, and A Rumor of War, by Philip Caputo, (tho both are mentioned with some disparagement by the author) in the way of powerful Vietnam memoirs, tho I still think the greatest Vietnam books I have read are Fortunate Son, by Lewis B. Puller, Jr., and (the best of all) We Were Soldiers Once... And Young, by Harold G Moore and Joseph Galloway. The book is episodic, and thus has no narrative line, which I would have preferred, but the accumulation of accounts is searing. The account of his return home is horrific, and no matter what one thinks of the Vietnam War, for him to have had to undergo what he relates is shocking and extremely anger-inducing, and I wish he had told us that he did to the persons who encountered him what he must have felt like doing. A great book.

Left Behind

Being the "girl he left behind", I admit this is a completely biased review. I remember many of the peripheral events Paul describes in this book, but I never knew that my mother wrote him a Dear John letter on my behalf. I have not seen Paul in over 30 years, so you can imagine my surprise when I learned he stood at the top of a mountain and yelled out his pain to the Vietnam skies. (Even though I rated right up there with the Opan Cadet and the ex-girlfriend). He was my first true love and I will always remember him well.

READ THIS BOOK!!!!

As an author and a Vietnam vet I've read more than 1,200 books on the Vietnam War. I can say without doubt that Into the Green by Cherokee Paul McDonald is one of the top five. If you're looking for the details, the emotions, the terror, the fears, the humor, and the nightmares, read Into the Green. It explains why, for many, there exists a brotherhood of warriors, and for others only an empty place in their souls. Share McDonald's experience, and discover the "why's" of warfare. I hope this is not his last book.

Don't judge a book by its cover.

This looks like a book for a military reader because in fact it is a Vietnam memoir. However, after the first few pages it becomes clear that this book can be enjoyed and appreciated by any reader. It is a coming of age story - literary & profain, unapologetic and insightful. As a wife, mother and daughter - this book captured me and took me places I could never have imagined. The authors words are so real that you become totally consumed by his experiences. I highly recommend this book.

One-of-a-kind and amazing

First, McDonald is a great writer. He tells his story in lean prose, with military precision. There's not a wasted word, and this memoir moves at the pace of a movie. INTO THE GREEN is told in short bursts, each one as powerful as a mortar blast. McDonald glosses over nothing. He describes what it was like to be shiny and new, to kill, to survive. There are heroes in this book, but there is very little glory. Mostly, it's about men who went, did their jobs, and tried to get home. Too many never made it back. I was born in 1973, and INTO THE GREEN makes me thankful that I am too young to have gone, and makes me appreciate those who did. This book is a must-read.