There It Is: A Canadian in the Vietnam War [Hardcover]

Les Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 13, 2000

Written with honesty and humour, There It Is brings us Les Brown’s compelling, grunt’s-eye view of his tour in the Vietnam War.

In the raw language of soldiers, Brown describes what it was like to move through dense jungle in unbearable heat; to live in a world of perpetual danger and disease; to confront the enemy in battle; and to see his buddies die. Brown tells of his struggle to survive, a struggle which ultimately leads him to take a risky, rebellious stand.

Featuring a scene-setting introduction by Global Television News anchor Peter Kent, There It Is is a powerful, personal account of war, and a surprising reminder of the role played by thousands of Canadians in Vietnam.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Few books, if any, have conveyed the demoralizing senselessness of the conflict as concisely.…Brown’s descriptive passages of life in a combat unit will ring true to anyone who has been a soldier.”
–Globe and Mail

“Of the countless books, magazine articles, documentaries, and even feature movies, nothing quite comes as close to capturing the madness that was the Vietnam War as There It Is.”
–esprit de corps

“Brown’s story captures the futility, the chaos, and the anarchy of combat from the perspective of an infantryman, a proud ‘grunt.’”
–Winnipeg Free Press

From the Back Cover

“Few books, if any, have conveyed the demoralizing senselessness of the conflict as concisely.…Brown’s descriptive passages of life in a combat unit will ring true to anyone who has been a soldier.”
–Globe and Mail

“Of the countless books, magazine articles, documentaries, and even feature movies, nothing quite comes as close to capturing the madness that was the Vietnam War as There It Is.”
–esprit de corps

“Brown’s story captures the futility, the chaos, and the anarchy of combat from the perspective of an infantryman, a proud ‘grunt.’”
–Winnipeg Free Press

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: McClelland & Stewart; First Edition edition (May 13, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0771016921
• ISBN-13: 978-0771016929
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,826,026 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An eye-opening antiwar memoir!, March 12, 2002

By 

"anarchie" (Culver City, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: There It Is: A Canadian in the Vietnam War (Paperback)

This book had a profound effect on me in the way it illustrated how the "spiritual awakening" and prosperity of Canada during the 60's was paid for with the blood of America's children. I find it sickening how Canadians have distanced themselves from this war and condemned innocent veterans, most of whom were just out of highschool at the time...while at the same time praising the draft dodgers who headed north and assimilated into the Canadian population. These veterans need to be treated with the respect they deserve once and for all.

In his autobiography, "There It Is", Les Brown tells of his experiences as a Canadian born teenager, drafted into the US Army after returning to his parents home in California after a summer vacation in his native Quebec. You feel the helplessness he must have felt while trapped in the Kafkaesque draft system -one moment surfing the golden California beaches, the next on the front lines in South East Asia.

Lost in the green whirlwind that is the US Army, the young soldier quickly adapts to grunt life -finding brotherhood among those poor souls lost in the anarchy of a deteriorating war effort. As it becomes more and more clear that the American leadership has failed, Les becomes increasingly defiant. While in the most dangerous jungles he refuses to carry an M-16 and even goes AWOL for week surfing the beaches of Vietnam. A truly courageous Anti-War memoir, "There It Is" brings to the public consciousness the demons harbored by one man but belong to us all.

5.0 out of 5 stars An eye-opening anti war memoir!, March 12, 2002

By 

"anarchie" (Culver City, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: There It Is: A Canadian in the Vietnam War (Paperback)

This book had a profound effect on me in the way it illustrated how the "spiritual awakening" and prosperity of Canada during the 60's was paid for with the blood of America's children. I find it sickening how Canadians have distanced themselves from this war and condemned innocent veterans, most of whom were just out of highschool at the time, as "baby-killers" while at the same time praising the draft dodgers who headed north and assimilated into the Canadian population. These veterans need to be treated with the respect they deserve once and for all.

In his autobigraphy, "There It Is", Les Brown tells of his experiences as a Canadian born teenager, drafted into the US Army after returning to his parents home in California after a summer vacation in his native Quebec. You feel the helplessness he must have felt while trapped in the Kafkaesque draft system -one moment surfing the golden Calfornia beaches, the next on the front lines in South East Asia.

Lost in the green wirlwind that is the US Army, the young soldier quickly adapts to grunt life -finding brotherhood among those poor souls lost in the anarchy of a deteriorating war effort. As it becomes more and more clear that the American leadership has failed, Les becomes increasingly defiant. While in the most dangerous jungles he refuses to carry an M-16 and even goes AWOL for week surfing the beaches of Vietnam. A truly courageous Anti-War memoir, "There It Is" brings to the public consciousness the demons harboured by one man but belong to us all.