For the Sake of All Living Things [Mass Market Paperback]

John M. Del Vecchio (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In part two of the trilogy begun in The 13th Valley , events leading to the 1970s Cambodian holocaust are described through the eyes of a tragedy-stricken, revenge-minded family. "This exhaustive, emotionally powerful novel ends on a note of desperate irony that sums up the Kafkaesque absurdity of Cambodia's torment," PW commented.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Bantam (December 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553288423
• ISBN-13: 978-0553288421
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.1 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #829,545 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Story, November 28, 2009

By 

Old Engineer - See all my reviews

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This review is from: For the Sake of All Living Things (Hardcover)

I served in Viet Nam, and I have read many books about that war. When I read John Del Vecchio's "13th Valley", it took me right back to the sights and smells of the country and experience - more so than any of the other books I have read. It, too, was a work of fiction, but it was one of the most real books I've read on experiencing the war.

If he did half as good a job in portraying the actuality of the Cambodian war(s), then I would also rate it as a masterpiece. If he used the same technique in For the Sake of All Living Things that he used in 13th Valley, then having all the facts match is of little importance, especially for a work labeled as fiction. In the Viet Nam book the historical battle details were fictional, but they drew from a composite of actual ones in such a way that they became as real, or even more so, than a more factual, historical accounting might have been able to achieve.

In 13th Valley he took the reader, step by step, down the road from a 'normal' guy-next-door to someone who has completely lost himself in the war. That story was the best portrayal I have ever read of how easy it is to go down that path. In for the Sake of All Living Things he takes a similar approach with an innocent Cambodian youth who is transformed into a hard-core Khmer Rouge cadre. If you have ever wondered how humans could be so cruel to other humans - then you will likely find some answers in watching that transformation.

I recommend this book at the top of anyone's reading list who has even a slight interest in war and/or the conflict(s) in SE Asia. The only qualification is for those who have a hard time sleeping after reading disturbing accounts - in that sense it is a very hard book that will not easily leave your mind. But in all other respects it is an 'easy' book, in that the pages will turn themselves until you suddenly find yourself at the back cover.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be required reading for anyone who thinks they can make the world a perfect place., June 18, 2007

By 

Nit (Usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: For the Sake of All Living Things (Mass Market Paperback)

I read this book when I was 12, It made an Impression on me to say the least... It has to Be the best Novel I have ever read. It completly Changed my mind about the possiblity for creating a perfect society on earth. The reason One of the reviewers hates this book so much Is he is an appolagist for his Comrades... What Happened in Cambodia (Kampuchea) Is Not an issolated incedent... It happened in the USSR... It happened in Communist China with Mao's great Leap Foreward... It happened in the French Revolution... The Enlightened class ( Pol Pot and his fellow travelers) thought they could make a perfect society by killing everyone who didnt fit the mold of a dumb ugly peasant... The killed the rich... they killed anyone who was foriegn...they killed you if you spoke french or english.. They killed you for being a Doctor, Lawyer , Engineer, Wealthy merchant.. For being pretty... and by doing this and having everyone live in peace and harmony in the jungles creating a "New Cilvilization that would bring The Golden Age" their world would be perfect... Pol Pot killed over 2 million of his own people...he had only 6 million to start with... And he was a university professor... and those of you that think those radicals who spend their lives spreading poison by teaching soft minds... think again... Do your self a Favor and READ THIS BOOK.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true must read., June 20, 2009

By 

C. Kerstann (Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: For the Sake of All Living Things (Hardcover)

If you have any interest at all in the Viet Nam war or South East Asia this is a must read. The book not only covers the horror of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge but examines the culture of the Cambodians. I read an average of 5 books a month and this is one of the best I've ever read.