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A Rumor of War
- Narrated by: L. J. Ganser
- Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
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A Rumor of War
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Summary
A platoon commander in the first combat unit sent to fight in Vietnam, Lieutenant Caputo landed at Danang on March 8, 1965, convinced that American forces would win a quick and decisive victory over the Communists. Sixteen months later, and without ceremony, Caputo left Vietnam a shell-shocked veteran whose youthful idealism and faith in the rightness of the war had been utterly shattered. A Rumor of War tells the story of that trajectory and allows us to see and feel the reality of the conflict as the author himself experienced it, from the weeks of tedium hacking through scorching jungles, to the sudden violence of ambushes and firefights, to the unbreakable bonds of friendship forged between soldiers, and finally to a sense of the war as having no purpose other than the fight for survival.
Most troubling, Caputo gives us an unflinching view not only of remarkable bravery and heroism but also of the atrocities committed in Vietnam by ordinary men so numbed by fear and desperate to survive that their moral distinctions had collapsed.
More than a statement against war, Caputo's memoir offers readers today a profoundly visceral sense of what war is and, as the author says, of "the things men do in war and the things war does to men".
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- K. J. Price
- 26-05-22
A great, great book
A must read/listen to book for those interested in war. I understand the authors standpoint although do not agree with it, however all books should allow for differing points of view other than you own.
A highly recommendable book, a must.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Gary G
- 27-04-21
great account from the soldiers side
took a while to get into it,but overall a great book. narrator was very good
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Andrew Robert Scott
- 02-10-24
War warts and all and brutally honest
An excellent account of one platoon commander in Vietnam.
You have periods of boredom filled with sheer terror.
The pen pushers obsession of keeping score of the body count.
And it goes on….
Excellent recount of his service and highly recommended.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ceeb
- 21-01-20
A Marine's experiences on War in Vietnam
Always been fasinated by the Vietnam conflict, in how a superior force is beaten back by unseen "Yellow Men" beaten by the environment, politics and the fogness of war, This has become my second favourite book of the conflict. Chicken Hawk by Robert Mason being the what I think the best written encounter of the War.
I'm not a fan of American Narrators in audible books but L.J Ganser does a fantastic job of putting you there, in fact couldnt imagine another accent or person to do this, At first I thought it was the Author narrating.
I highly recommed this book.
I feel I was born 20 years to late and 3000 miles away.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Adrian Chan-Wyles Ph.D
- 17-12-20
Stunning - Like a Sonic Boom!
I was 8 years old in 1975 when Ho Chi Minh City was finally Liberated by the North Vietnamese! When the NVA tank smashed its way into the grounds of what had been the US Embassy - we all cheered in the UK and held up pictures of Ho Chi Minh! Although around 3 million Vietnamese had been killed by the US - not to mention hundreds of thousands of innocent Cambodians and Laotian (compared to just 58,000 US KIA) - the author of this book refuses to take responsibility for the US policy of destruction of which he was a part. Instead, he asserts the fiction that the situation was 'equal' and that somehow the Americans were victims of their own policy. Furthermore, whilst the author seduces the reader with an engaging and well-written book full of reliable facts and figures - he also continues the Eurocentric 'lie' of Vietnam. He is as dishonest as he is honest. This is a typical symptom of US anti intellectualism - a malady that permeates the American system. Vietnam is not the first war the US lost. The US lost the war in North Korea. The Chinese Army destroyed the US Forces and pushed them out of the country they had invaded. US terrorists in Mexico were wiped out at the Alamo. After declaring war on Great Britain in 1812 - virtually every US Force sent to meet a small force of invading Scottish troops from Canada were soundly beaten. In the 1770s - entire American Armies ran away from British troops, etc. The list of reversals, lost battles and war defeats is endless for the US. Do not fall for this Amero-centric narrative of superficial, John Wayne nonsense. This book is about the use of force by the US to ruthlessly kill people of a different race because they want to be different. Vietnam was a War Crime committed by the United States.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Keith Paterson
- 01-05-23
Fascinating account with a front row seat
I’ve seen most films and plenty of documentary touchstones on this hideous war, but this was an altogether different experience. The narrator was extremely good and did a great job at drawing you inside the story. Highly recommend and a perfect place to start your true Vietnam education!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mac Donald
- 17-01-21
honest and gritty
I read a lot of books on war and this is gritty without the emphasis on action.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Martin
- 13-04-21
A Rumor Of War
I read this as a paperback in 1980 , (whilst a soldier myself ) and was much impressed at the time. I think it comes over even better on second hearing as an audiobook. An amazingly honest and well described picture of pitiless jungle warfare . A classic
Note ; I would like to know exactly what happened to all the men under his command who were Courts Martialled......
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- michael brookes
- 28-12-22
Great book about a sorrowful war.
At first I didn't get on with the narrator but as time went on he really grew on me, till a point where I though no-one could do this better. excellent book about first hand accounts.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Ossie
- 29-12-23
Vietnam War - yet another political failure
It was a thought provoking book but I believe the Vietnam War was even uglier than PC portrayals - especially from a Vietnamese perspective.
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