Customer Reviews

Searching for the Good : A Young Man's Journey to War and Back

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I received this book from a friend who had met the author and thought I'd be interested, since I was a Vietnam Vet also. Tom Brewer's book was a wonderful read. It brought back many memories, and I was pleasantly surprised by how well it was written. There is no stumbling through this book; you're quickly drawn into Tom's life and his experiences. And though all of us have unique experiences in life, Tom's memories are often similar to mine. I felt myself agreeing with Tom's expressions of patriotism in the 50s, the desire to "serve our country" for what it had given us, the need to "make up" for a relative who hadn't served in World War II, and the desire to help others and follow a code of behavior which was admired. I, too, was an officer in the US Army, stationed in the Mekong Delta, in a combat branch, though fortunately not in face to face combat. Tom helped me to feel what he felt and I strongly recommend the book to anyone wishing to participate in the Vietnam war and times through his first hand experience.

Though I respect Tom's experiences and commend him for his service, I can't say I agree with his conclusions about the War. However, that is what made the Vietnam era so very interesting and challenging. Every soldier's experience in Vietnam was somewhat different and each person's war was different, too. Some soldiers came home saying as Tom did, we could have won "if only", and others came home saying this war wasn't ours to win or lose, it was the South Vietnamese's. The same issues argued about in the United States were often spoken by the soldiers who served there. But the overall feelings of this war were well expressed by Tom.

We have every right to be proud of our service for most of us went to Vietnam because our country asked us to do so. We wanted to serve our country and we did it proudly! Thank you Tom for sharing your life with the rest of us.

This book eloquently captures the struggles and realities of Brewer's Vietnam War experience and his return after being wounded. This is hardly a "poor me" study but instead a thought provoking narrative about a time in US history that far too many of us don't understand.

Written in a very readable style it should be recommended reading for every high school/college student studying the Vietnam War and a must read for any teacher attempting to cover the topic.

In Searching For The Good: A Young Man's Journey To War And Back is the intense personal story of Thomas Brewer's personal sojourn from the unreflective patriotism 1950s, post-World War II childhood, to the font lines of the Cold War in Germany, to lethal and political ambiguous, controversial combat in Vietnam, to his post war struggle to build a life in a society that just wanted to forget it all. Highly recommended for military buffs, political science and social science students, as well as the non-specialist general reader with an interest in late 20th Century American history, Searching For The Good is part military memoir, part social/political analysis, and offers a unique, comprehensive, compelling perspective on the times and the events that shaped a generation of young men just like Tom Brewer.

I am giving this book to all my friends who were in Vietnam as a thank you. My high school and college years were spent debating the pros and cons of our involvement in this war that wasn't a war. Contemporaries were dying while we questioned and protested. Tom Brewer tells his story with such ease yet it is packed with poignancy. We didn't appreciate then how lucky we were to have such heroes. Worse yet we didn't recognize them for all their sacrifices on their return. There is no changing the past but I'll make a point of thanking all those that I know and making sure that my children read this book so they never forget a generation of men who are often forgotten.

"Searching for the Good" provides a man's self-reflection on his personal experiences during the Vietnam War. Written decades after his experience, this true story has captured the feelings and sentiments that were so fresh decades ago. But the story is also shaped by the wisdom and insights that only time can bring. Read this book if you know someone who lives with their own memories of Vietnam. Read this book if you want to know how the war impacted those young men who later ventured into corporate America. Read this book to understand one of the most pivotal times of the 20th century as told by one of millions who lived through it. Read this book.

This book takes you on the whole ride' a mans life and his journey there and back. A must read for anyone who wants to know the real story, no gloss just the real deal, a mans conclusions on war.

This is the finest Vietnam book ever written for folks who were in that war. The last chapters are the best.

I found this book to be mesmerizing. Each chapter left the reader with the desire to go on to the next one. The author starts out in Viet Nam with the events that led up to when he was seriously injured and was evacuated out. He then goes back in time to when he was eight years old and came to Michigan and lived near the old bomber plant at Willow Run. The timeline continues from there. He talks about how he went from playing childhood games of war using rotten tomatoes as hand grenades to actually going to war and being injured by a real one. He talks about his time there, as a combat infantry officer, and the aftermath. You will laugh, you will cry and you will be angry. The writing style is superb, filled with wonderful images and similies. For example, while on patrol in the jungle, "a hand suddenly shot up out of the ground like Jack and the Beanstalk." Written like fine literature, it is nevertheless a true story and should be read by anyone who has ever sent a loved one off to fight in a war. And by anyone who believes in searching for the good.