Customer Reviews

Dau

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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Beginning with Dau's first sentence, it becomes apparent that you are going to experience a young man's journey from innocence, through the hell of the Viet Nam War, to his struggle back to some form of emotional and physical normalcy. This book is real; it's raw; and, at times, surreal and mystical. I couldn't put it down. It's one of the best books about the Viet Nam War -- ever!

I've read many novels that came out of the Vietnam War. I was one of many little brothers who watched our older brothers go off to it so I have always been trying to understand it from a concerned spectator's point of view. This novel by Ed Dodge has increased my understanding significantly. The title means pain, and it is sometimes painful to read this story. The ending brought me to tears. This is an important book; it deals with post-traumatic stress disorder in a powerful and poignant way. Readers wanting depiction of action in Vietnam will also find no disappointment here. We often think of just the "grunts" when looking into Vietnam, but its scope involved all of our military in their own unique ways. I advise anyone interested in Vietnam to seek this book out. And as I am writing this on Memorial Day, to remember and honor men like Ed Dodge, who gave so much in the service of our country.

Dau means pain in Vietnamese, and you certainly get a feel of the pain the author must have struggled with while writing this book. The author spent 2 & 1/2 years in Vietnam as a mobility sgt and no doubt writing this novel was a therapuetic endeavor in coming to grips with his deep-rooted painful memories. There's a sense of detachment early in the book where the author seems wary in expressing his anguish. As the story unfolds, the pain of the main character and the author as well becomes more profound. The battle scenes are detailed and often extremely graphic, but not done for shock value. This is not a book to read for entertainment purposes, but to express the inhumane nature of war. The author writes well, often beautifully (especially the battle scenes), but sometimes awkwardly, and the final chapters when the main character returns home the book meanders. A more powerful ending could have been made with certain scenes deleted- too much time is spent in the mental hospital where the other patients are often portrayed in a condescending or humorous way. On the whole, you get a pretty good sense of what it was like. I'd also recommend Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried" which is even more powerful than this. Also, Amazon has the wrong cover photo- this is not "Exiles Trilogy" whatever that is.

Emotional, well written, and fascinating. Mr. Dodge presents a very interesting view of VietNam, and displayed a remarkable knowledge of the entire situation, both during and after the tour of duty. Well, simply put, EXCELLENT!

Great writing. Just as there are many secrets we are finding out about World War II, there are more that need to be exposed about Viet Nam. When do we see more from this talented writer?