Sunday Salon: The Vietnam War (My Reading, Part 3)

Unfortunately the final discussion for the Paco's Story read-a-long came and went without my being able to join in last month. I had intended to, even managed to stick to the planned reading schedule, but then got sidetracked by unavoidable events in my life. In that time, I also finished reading The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. Both novels cover the lives of Alpha unit soldiers who fought during the Vietnam War.

In Larry Heineman's Paco's Story, Paco was the only surviving soldier after a raid that decimated his unit. With both physical and mental scars, Paco re-enters society, going through the motions of life. Readers are offered a glimpse at how a soldier from that war was treated upon his return, both with disdain and occasional pride. We get an inside look at the horrors of war, and Heineman pulls no punches in describing the war in brutal and honest terms.

Paco's Story began strong, one of those books I was sure would be a five star book by the time I finished. However, I was a little put off by the shifting voice of the narrator as the novel went on. It was inconsistent at times, and therefore a bit disjointed. It is still a powerful book, one I am glad I read, and deserves a high rating and much of the praise it has received.

The Things They Carried hit me almost in the opposite way. As I began reading the collection of stories and essays that make up the novel, I had doubts that it would knock my socks off as it had for so many others. The more I read, the more the stories came together, and the more the book came to life for me. By the end, I was, in fact, blown away.

Tim O'Brien's accounts of the Vietnam War in The Things They Carried are fiction, based in fact. It's hard not to think of the book as completely nonfiction when reading it, especially since the author writes in the first person and the narrator shares the author's name.

O'Brien's book is real and raw, sometimes funny, often sad. The collection of stories is about friendship, love, hope and death as much as it is about the war experience itself. Several of the stories stood out for me, in particular the one in which Tim receives his draft letter. Opposed to the war, he considers dodging the draft. How does a person reconcile one's beliefs with one's duty? My own father enlisted in the military and so his going to Vietnam was not a forced issue, not really. What must it have been like for a man who didn't make that choice on his own, who was forced to fight in a war he didn't believe in? "On the Rainy River" struck a chord with me that still lingers in the back of my mind and probably will for a long time to come.

There are also stories about the first kill, about coping with death, how a soldier may do many brave things during a war, but it is what he fails to do or isn't able to do that gnaws away at him. The author captures the many faces of war: the friendships that form, the horrors, the pressure, pain and strengths of the men. And how fitting the title, The Things They Carried! Not only do these men carry heavy loads of physical items, they also bare psychological and emotional burdens.

In fiction, there is truth. Sometimes it is easier to get to the truth through fiction than through nonfiction. We can see into the heart of it much more clearly. Both Paco's Story and The Things They Carried are good examples of portraying the truth in fiction at its finest.

I topped my Vietnam reading spurt off with Jason Aaron's The Other Side, a graphic novel following the stories of two soldiers, one a U.S. Marine and the other from the People's Army of Vietnam. Illustrated by Cameron Stewart, the novel is both beautiful and harsh. For the American, Billy Everette, a farm boy from Alabama, going to Vietnam was not something he especially wanted nor did he believe he'd come home alive. He is haunted by the ghosts of fellow soldiers, scared and unsure of himself. He is fighting a war against communism, to help the Vietnamese people. Vo Binh Dai, also the son of farmers, sees the war more as a spiritual quest; it is his duty to protect his country from the outsiders, the Americans, who are bent on destroying everything the Vietnamese hold dear. Two different views, one war.

I wasn't overly impressed with the author's first volume of Scalped, I confess, but I was really taken with The Other Side. The artwork, above all, is what makes this graphic novel stand out. One of my favorite pages carried panels of the horrors of war while others of a beautiful butterfly. Those drawings said so much more than words could ever express. The Other Side is definitely worth checking out.

Paco's Story by Larry Heinemann (Vintage, 1986) - Rating: (Very Good)
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien (Broadway, 1990) - Rating: (Outstanding)
The Other Side by Jason Aaron & Cameron Stewart (Vertigo, 2007) - Rating: (Very Good)

Many thanks to Serena and Anna for hosting the Paco's Story read-a-long as well as the War Through the Generations Vietnam War Challenge. I still have one more book to read for the challenge to reach my personal challenge goal. There are three books in particular I would like to get to before the year is out, but if I read at least two of them, I'll be happy.

I currently am on an urban fantasy kick, having just discovered author Ilona Andrew's Kate Daniels' series. I am devouring the books and hope to post my thoughts on the first four books of the series at some point in the near future. There are quite a few movies I have seen recently that I also want to share with you.

You may have noticed my sporadic attendance here at Musings of a Bookish Kitty in recent months. I rarely talk about my work here, and while I won't go into details, I will say that I have been putting in a lot of overtime. In addition, my boss has stepped in to cover for one of her bosses who is now in a different position and, in the meantime, I am one of two who is acting in her stead, along with continuing with my usual duties. We've been told this will go on for awhile, most likely through the end of the year at the minimum. On the home front, my husband and I have been working on several different home projects in preparation for the eventual sale of our house. At times it seems silly given that our house will be torn down, but the more money we can get out of the city, the better off we'll be when we are ready to buy a new house. We finally got the official letter from the city promising an appraisal soon. It looks like the waiting is almost over. I did say almost, right?

That's a taste of what's going on in my life right now, among other things, anyway. I can hear the critics saying it's all about making time for what you love. While true to an extent, I've had to sacrifice somewhere. And right now, that's my blog. I am still reading. Just yesterday I was caught reading while waiting for a train to go by at an intersection. You have to read when you can, after all.

I appreciate all of you who still stop by and visit--more than you know. I am not commenting on your blogs nearly as much as I'd like, but I do visit when I can. I hope to make the rounds soon to say hello and let you know I'm still alive and kicking.

So, tell me what you all are reading these days? Anything you think I should jump on right away? What has been going on in your life?

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and happy reading!

Source: The Other Side was a gift from my husband, which he purchased. The other two books were both purchased by me.

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