Customer Reviews

The Scariest Place in the World: A Marine Returns to North Korea

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

An extremely well-written book. However, if Seinfeld was a show "about nothing" then this book a book "about nothing."

The plot: A reluctant James Brady succumbs to the blandishments of his employer, Parade Magazine, to revisit the scene of his combat tour in the Korean War and the subject of his book, The Coldest War, and write about the experience. On this journey he is accompanied by another aging warrior, Eddie Adams, the Pulitzer Prize winning photographer (General Loan capping a captured VC in Saigon during Tet 1968). Brady hopes, apparently, to regain some of his lost youth in the experience.

Brady and Adams make the trip but Brady is disappointed at every turn. He tries repeatedly to get American officers to refer to the troops in 2ID as a "tripwire" and is miffed when they won't. The troops on the DMZ have hot food and hot showers. They live in concrete bunkers with TV and internet access. And so on and so on. The trenches and barbed wire are gone. His ROK Army host (doesn't speak English which is a disqualifier from command, apparently) tries to be polite to the traveling geezers and receives scorn for his efforts. Nothing is ever quite as hard as it was back in '52.

Brady comes across as an embittered cynic who can't resist taking gratuitous swipes at the US Army, the ROK Army, and strangely the British Army's Gloucestershire Regiment for reasons that are never really clear other than his need to be an embittered cynic.

Fortunately I checked this book out of the library so I was only out of my time.

I am fascinated by North Korea, so when I first spotted this on amazon.com a couple of months ago, I said to myself, "Sounds like a Korean War vet went to North Korea on a tour and got to see some interesting things or maybe it's book about the DMZ. God knows that would be interesting!!"

Was I ever wrong. I think a much better title would be, "A Korean War veteran remembers being in Korea and whole bunch of other things not terribly interesting to anyone other than fellow veterans and a few historians."

I don't like being harsh, but most of this book consists of the author's memories of the 1950s and a good deal doesn't even take place in Korea. As far as the "North Korea" part goes, I didn't see any references about him actually going into the DPRK. Going to North Korea is surprisingly not all that hard, since you can apparently step across the line in Panmunjon without getting your head blown off by the KPA guards there.

In short, I'd avoid this book if you're looking for any insights about North Korea or even what it's like to serve in the Republic of Korea today. I can only hope that someone out there is writing a book about the DMZ.

Man... Talk about crabby... Everyone else who's reviewed this book so far here don't seem to be impressed. But I always enjoy James Brady's writing and this book was no exception. It's a memoir, of course. The underlying theme of the book is the march of time and how one looks back at -- or in this case, returns to -- a specific geographic place where youthful impressions were made, ideals died or changed... Where a young, unsure Marine officer discovered he did, in fact, have what it took to lead Marines in combat.

Those looking for edge-of-your seat combat with Marines gunning down on-rushing human waves of Chinese infantry will be disappointed. This book is more like a love letter to youth and to the Marine Corps. And taken in that context, it's a fine book and a satisfying read.

I loved this book. I served in Korea with USMC during the exact same time frame. It brought back many memories

Well, yes, the title is misleading. And those of you

who expect to find another novel about the Korean War

are going to be disappointed. It is not a book about

North Korea, it is a book about a man looking back at

a life well lived, remembering people who deserve to

be remembered.

Jim Brady must have fallen asleep at his word processor while re-reading "Goodbye Darkness" by William Manchester, then awakened to write his latest book. Mildly interesting in the beginning, this tale of old soldiers revisiting battle sites is predictably similar, and disappointing. After all, most of the readers probably sense that the South-North Korean DMZ environment is -- while still "scary" -- nothing like the atmosphere during the furious outpost fights of 1952-1953. Therefore it is hard to identify with Brady's professed disappointment with this trip. Salting the reported junket for a newsmag article with snippets from his own "The Coldest War" doesn't help -- one should put this new book down and read that one instead, his first Marine Corps-in-Korea tale, and far better.

I bought this book as a xmas present for my grammpa, he was a marine who fought in Korea the same time the author did....He is half was through it, and he is really enjoying it. Can't say enough good things about it!

As a previous reviewer I thought that Brady's book would be more of a focus on the DMZ and perhaps show some insight into "the scariest place." I did enjoy his war time reminiscences but that wasn't why I purchased his book. I didn't particularly care for his 'how he belatedly was awarded the Bronze Star,' and chumming around with colonels and generals at galas and such as it sounded like 'how great I am after all.' Oh, and by the way, Senator Chafee was my CO. I got tired of Mr. Brady selling his earlier pub,"The Marines of Autumn" (which is a fine read) but in particular I did not like him pimping (perhaps a bit too strong) his "The Coldest War." There are sections of the book where he cites this book seemingly every other page. After awhile I started to feel a bit sorry for Mr. Brady which is too bad as I'm sure that he was a fine officer for his Marines of Dog Company. It's an ok book for what it is but it really isn't about "the scariest place."

The Scariest Place in the World by James Brady. Published by St. Martin's Press 11 April 2006. Paperback. ISBN 0312332432.

$14.95US.

The Scariest Place in the World is the latest missile by James Brady to remind the world that the Korean "Police-Action" should not be limited to a paragraph or two as in the recent history books.

It was a "real" war, fought by "real" men, who "really" died leaving empty chaits at many a table around the world.

The book is written speaking of the realities of war in a "tough-love", macho, politically incorrect style that will jar the reader awake causing them to remember those three years (1950-53) of warfare in which 37,000 American service men and women paid the ultimate price to stop the onslaught of communist aggression.

Captain Brady tells of his indoctrination in the United States Marine Corps which contributed in forming the basis of his love of the Corps but more so the love of the men he served with, partied with and fought with.

The book is a journey back in time, (remindful of "The Viet Journal" by James Jones), through the rigors of basic training providing backbround for stories for one's children and grandchildren that deserve to be told.

There are biographical sketches of Senator John Chafee, Maurice "Mack" Allen, John Fitzgerald, Nathaniel "Taffy" Sceva, et.al., which are written lovingly as a tribute to the lives of these men and the women who loved and supported them. The memory of the funeral of Senator Chafee must have been most difficult to attend as it was a memory.

The book is not devoid of humor as at times Brady's telling of an incident brought on a chuckle or two. But it would have had to been exerienced to understand the reason for the chuckle. In the same vein, a tear was shed at times by the memory stirred.

The unabshed emotion(s) of the author are as open as any I have read. Brady doesn't mask his love for his compatriots-in-arms, expressing his love not for dramatic flare, but to tell them and the world "This is how I feel and it is also the Raison d' etre for the book".

James Brady dedicated the book to all who fought in Korea and provided to those who will not make the journey back a return from the comfort of an easy chair.

It is an easy read and thoughful. Try it!

This book was ok. Part of the problem was that the author tried too hard to make this book comparable with a WW2 book. This book was more about his own emotional experience with the Korean War and less with the actual unit experience. It glosses over the major battles of korea and focuses more on his latter day experiences with the korea war. For a more action packed novel, i would would reccomend another book.