Customer Reviews

The Ghosts of Vietnam: A memoir of growing up, going to war, and healing

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This book is an honest self-published memoir. One would think from the title that it is a story about a gung ho fighter who is going to tell us about his heroics during the war. Then he gets back to the U.S., meets the Anti-War Movement and starts the PTSD screw up (drugs, booze, sex, rock and roll and divorces). Also, there is the usual picture of the soldier on the front cover duded out with his flack jacket. This is the usual memoir of a Vietnam vet.

But this book takes another path. The author (an MP) admits that he never fired his gun in action, although he was under fire from time to time. No, this is a wonderful story of a hick teenage kid growing up, loving and having a child with a Vietnamese woman. He abandons his lover; finally gets over the booze and a divorce, marries again, goes the religious route and settles down. But he continues to live with his guilt.

He finally makes peace with himself after he searches for his long lost daughter and finds out what happened. It is a sad ending. But Stewart weathers the storm and comes out a hero, although he started out as a schnook. The book is well written and has good pacing, but it should have been proofed to eliminate what I consider to be too many typos. I did the same thing with my first book. Spell check, proofread, what's that? I just wanted to get it "finished." Now I have to send errata sheets with the book.

Once again, as a memoir writer myself, I find it sad that the only memoirs that sell are those written by famous people. I say it is too bad because "ordinary" people also have great stories to tell. This is a great non-fiction story that has the feel of a fictional novella. The book proves that you never know whether a book is good until you start reading it. This one grabs you and carries you through. I liked it.

I really enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it. I like how the author described his childhood and took us with him on a realistic account of his life in Vietnam. Few authors have been able to do this without getting political. I felt for his loss of his daughter and how these past ghosts stayed with him for so many years. A lessor man would have forgotten all about his girlfired in Vietnam and went on with his life. Jim carried with him his past and he did something about it. It was a great read and I highly recommend it. I too served in combat in Vietnam and know what he wrote about to be true and unusuallly frank. LT. Charles E. Gibb, Ph.D. USN Ret.

There is a bigger story in "The Ghosts of Vietnam." Yes, it is about the Military Police and their role in the Vietnam War but this heart-wrenching tale is also about finding love for the first time in a country that is being torn apart. Tenderness and caring is rare during wartime conditions, especially when it is a true story like this one. Jim Stewart, writing from his heart, lets the chips fall where they may and shoulders his responsibility for the outcome. If you haven't been in the military, or didn't serve in Vietnam, you will be surprised at his description of life in Saigon as a war raged throughout the countryside. This book could only have been written by someone who saw it firsthand. Well done, Jim.

Jim Stewart has written a powerful and touching memoir, a spiritual and heart-warming portrayal of a man lost by his memories of the woman and child he left behind in the Vietnam War. Years later he writes, "When we left Vietnam we all took our own pieces of this country and carried our own individual experiences with us. Some reluctantly, chased in the dark by nightmares, others gladly remembering even the toughest of times as the best of times. There are ghosts that chase us."

Compelling and engaging, Stewart's poignant story of love, loss and redemption is filled with memorable characters and emotional (as well as humorous) vignettes. Once you start "The Ghosts of Vietnam," you won't be able to put it down; and after you've read this haunting and inspiring book, you will not be able to get it out of your mind.

Sincerely, Diana J. Dell, author, "A Saigon Party: And Other Vietnam War Short Stories" and "Memories Are Like Clouds."

Jim Stewart is a very lucky man to have lived through four years of Vietnam without shooting his weapon. This story is true because I lived it too. We were called in within months of each other and I was an MP in Vietnam. I admire him because I never escorted convoys. I always thought those guys had to be suicidal. This is a book that is easy on the eyes and one chapter easily goes on to the next because it becomes an addiction. The story slowly wraps around you until it has you captive. As a hardened Vietnam veteran MP, the story had me bawling like a baby and just when it squeezed the last ounce of guts from my wretched body it eased up and assured me everything was going to be allright. My wife also read it and couldn't put it down. I want the movie rights.

I finished this book and I absolutely loved it. The writing is clear and the stories are touching. This book was truly a page turner, and the moment I began reading it, I couldn't put it down. Read this book! You won't regret it.

This book has a really spiritual tone to it. It was very humorous and lighthearted most of the time, but took a serious turn later on when telling the story of his Vietnamese daughter left behind. It kept me interested throughout. I loved the ending. It lifted me up and gave me hope. Good, good read.

I thought this would be mainly a war book, but it isn't. It's a complete other side to the war that I never knew existed. It's often humorous, irreverent and the author is not afraid to make fun of himself. The book does turn serious about half way through and I enjoyed the story regarding his family and the search for his daughter. Both humorous and sad, it was an excellent read.

This is not a story of combat, blood and guts or self proclaimed heros. This is a book about a young man's journey through Viet Nam. It will make you laugh. It will take you to the brink of tears. If you want to get inside the head of a man that's been there. Here is your book. It's a story about a man's love of country, fellow soldiers and a Vietnamese girl and of tragedy. As a Viet Nam vet I can relate to this book as I'm sure many other vets can. It's a good read and a good addition to any library.

Jim Stewart's THE GHOSTS OF VIETNAM is not your typical Vietnam story. It's short on combat, but long on emotional material.

Jim Stewart grew up in rural northeastern Maryland. After the loss of his father on the day he was supposed to graduate high school, he doesn't know what to do with himself, and joins the Army. Despite almost being disqualified for loss of hearing, he becomes a military policeman and deploys to Vietnam, where he falls in love with Mai, and after two tours in Vietnam he returns as a civilian government employee to spend more time with her. He fathers a child, but she refuses to come to America and he feels he can't stay anymore, so he reluctantly returns to the states. He struggles with the fact that Vietnam felt like home, but "home" in the US does not. Eventually he finds his way, and through a new love finds teh strength to reach out and find Mai to close that chapter in his life.

The author writes with pure emotion, with a knack for capturing conversation between he and his family, he and Mai, and he and has fellow soldiers. This adds a high degree of credibility to the book. I was also impressed with how much of his upbringing he shared, specifically about the relationship between he and his father, which set the stage for some of the later actions in his life.

Vietnam vets can certainly relate to this book, as well as anyone who has had to bridge a culture gap for the sake of love.

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