A Country Such As This [Paperback]

James H. Webb (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1985

The innocence the 1950s and turbulence of the 1960s and 70s--years when America reached out and touched the heavens, only to be torn apart by internal conflict and a war in Southeast Asia--provide a dramatic setting for this unforgettable story of three men and the women they love carving a place for themselves in a society where the rules keep changing. Written by bestselling novelist James Webb, it has been hailed as a major work of our time and a stunning commentary of political and social life in America over nearly three decades. From the wars in Korea and Vietnam to antiwar protests in Washington and POW camps in Hanoi, from young love and parenthood to divorce and reconciliation, Webb's eye for detail, provocative insights, and subtle revelations have earned him the highest literary accolades. His convincing characters and gripping scenes fully engage the reader as the three Naval Academy graduates reevaluate their lives, their country, and the cost of success.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

James Webb, a 1968 U.S. Naval Academy graduate who served as Secretary of the Navy from 1987 to 1988, is one of the most highly decorated Marines of the Vietnam era. He is the author of the bestsellers Fields of Fire and Sense of Honor, among other books. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 553 pages
• Publisher: Bantam Books (Mm) (March 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553247344
• ISBN-13: 978-0553247343
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 3.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,524,458 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Webb's Timeless Classic, July 14, 2001

By 

Steve Iaco (northern new jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Country Such as This (Paperback)

"A Country Such As This" is a timeless classic that chronicles the enormous social, economic and political upheavals that roiled America throughout the 1960s and 1970s. James Webb, a foremost author, Vietnam combat veteran and future Secretary of the Navy, presents a moving and incisive allegory in the life experiences of three 1951 U.S. Naval Academy graduates. Red Lescynski, Judd Smith and Joe Dingenfelder are "blood brothers" who swear an oath of allegiance to their country and each other. But their lives are destined to be sundered by the epochal changes sweeping the country: economic dislocation, an epidemic of divorce and fractured families and, most of all, societal and political divisions wrought by U.S. policy in Vietnam. Particularly insightful is the ongoing dialogue between Smith, a conservative Republican, and the ultra-liberal Dorothy Dingenfelder (Joe's estranged wife), who clash repeatedly and vociferously. Red Lesczynski's brutal plight in North Vietnam POW camps are heart rending, as are his difficulties assimilating into a fundamentally changed American society after a seven-year absence. Webb's descriptions of the opprobrious conduct of the anti-war movement are priceless.

We are fortunate that 18 years after its initial publication, the U.S. Navy's publishing arm has re-published "A Country Such As This," enabling a new generation of Americans to benefit from Webb's sage wisdom.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant Epic Saga of the Turbulent Years of Our Century, May 4, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A Country Such As This (Paperback)

One of the most brilliant epic sagas ever to come out in recent years by someone who lived through these turbulent years. I must say that it neatly lays out some of the key events within the period 1951-76 using authentic characters that come alive with each crisp dialogue, paragraph and page. Mr. Webb certainly has a knack for keen observation of life both ordinary and extraodinary, thereby, making the novel more believable.

On the day of graduation from the Naval Academy in 1951, the three midshipmen-turned-officers vow to become blood brothers to meet back in twenty five years at the very womb that had nurtured them for four years.

Judsonia Smith the mountaineer hopes some day to be the Commandant of the Marine Corps. This was not to be, for despite his heroism as a Marine in Korea, he would find himself "flounder[ing] in the Pit." After his resignation from the Marine Corps, and a stint with the FBI, and a series of flirtation with Death, he becomes a pastor after accepting Jesus. As he discovers his new callings, he is finally reunited with the vain ex-wife he so dearly loves. A man of courage and integrity, he not only supports the war effort in Vietnam, but also does what he can to bring back his POW blood brother, Commander "Red" Lesczynski.

Red Lesczinski is the creme de la creme of his profession. He is one of the best pilots the Navy has ever produced, having flown with the Blue Angels. Aside from his brilliant flying career in the Fleet, he is a "closet intellectual" who finds himself entranced by the Japanese Bushido. Through his Japanese friend, he discovers that the Japanese draw their strength from remembering their fallen warriors. Unfortunately, his brilliance was never given a chance to fully blossom. Commander Lesczynski is captured by the North Vietnamese, and is forced to endure the agonies of the grueling captivity for seven years. He returns home embittered; Lesczynski cannot help but to notice a fundamental flaw in the c! ountry he so dearly loves. The crippled Navy commander takes his blood brothers to a cave in Saipan--once the site of a fierce battle between the US Marines and the Japanese--to show them the true meaning of strength; the power of remembering.

Joe Dingenfelder is the brainy type among the three central characters. While his classmates take commission in either the "goddamned" Navy or the Marine Corps, he takes his commission in the Air Force. He sat out the Korean War in the comfort zone of his graduate school, and falls in love with the feisty Dorothy Edelson. She is to prove a deadly trap for him, forcing him to quit his promising career as a missile engineer for the Air Force. He grows disillusioned by her activism full of contradiction and hypocrisy. He separates from his newly-elected Congresswoman wife, and chooses to start a new life in Saipan.

And so Mr. Webb introduces his once-innocent protagonists to point out what he believes to be the fundamental flaw of his beloved country: its shunning of the very warriors that have sacrificed everything for their country. He does this, at times, by juxtaposing the Japanese warrior culture to that of America's through the lens of Lesczynski's enlightenment .

Though at times, his assessment is a bit far-fetched as he had exaggerated the importance of Bushido, it is nonetheless powerful. He is vindictive of his generation for their cowardice, and delivers a remorseless judgment on them for their actions. I found this piece resonating with Mr. Webb's patriotism.This brilliant novel will turn your emotions upside-down. Great job, Mr. Webb!!

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars When did America change...?, February 27, 2000

By 

usna94 (Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Country Such As This (Hardcover)

Although this book is nearly 20 years old, its story, that of the transformation of America across the critical years of 1951 to 1976, is a must read for anyone of my generation (I was born in 1971) seeking to understand the recent history of our country beyond the cold facts of a textbook. It is a story of America upon which even modern documentaries hardly touch. Mr. Webb's narrative reminds us of our fathers' sacrifices. He reminds us that, despite the social climate of the volatile years of the Vietnam War in particular, there were men and women who were neither ashamed of their country nor unwilling to stand up for it. It is in that light that the greatest message of the book comes forth. He reminds us that, despite the aberrant behavior of the counter-culture and ranting and demonstrative noise of the anti-war demonstrators (both of which, in this presidential election year, will finally make their departure from the Washington), there were people who were willing to do what their country asked of them...because it was the right thing to do. Though fiction, ACSAT very much speaks to us from the reality that were the service families and proud Americans of the post-war generations. The story is gripping in itself, and the time it encompasses makes it a delight for any student of history to read.