Diverting The Buddha (Paperback)

~ Bob Swartzel (Author)
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Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"Diverting The Buddha" examines the impact that the politically well connected have on our world. It is a large canvas novel that picks up were "The Quiet American" leaves off. As with the Graham Greene work, this novel looks at the carnage political elites create when they play with democracy.

This book is all about conscience and consequences. It looks at Round One of a real democratic struggle and depicts events that are eerily familiar today. By recreating a clash between those seeking well oiled commercialism and a band of Vietnamese pro-democracy stalwarts, "Diverting The Buddha" creates a thrilling narrative, one that boils with intrigue, mayhem and betrayal.

Praise for DIVERTING THE BUDDHA

"Set in the turbulent Vietnam War, Bob Swartzel's 'Diverting The Buddha' is a highly recommended political thriller. Two Vietnamese and two Americans find themselves swept into a deadly conflict that none of them can understand or control. Written by a veteran of the U.S. Army Signal Corps in South Vietnam who witnessed the brief-lived Buddhist democracy movement, Diverting The Buddha is a driving, powerful, entertaining novel marking Bob Swartzel as a writer of considerable accomplishments." Midwest Book Review May 2002 Small Press Edition

"This book certainly took me back to Vietnam. It is clear the author knows his subject!" Vietnam veteran and author Richard Cote

"Bob Swartzel's 'Diverting the Buddha' is an interesting and complex story of the 'behind the scenes' manipulation of the Vietnam conflict." Vietnam veteran and author Gordon Mathieson

"This is the story of the rise and fall of the Vietnamese Democracy movement. When I arrived in Hue, in 1966, U.S. Intelligence and military were sure that they had put democracy to rest and had pacified the city." Vietnam Veterans Against the War/AI News Letter January of 2002

About the Author

During the Vietnam War, Bob Swartzel witnessed the meteoric rise and subsequent unprecedented fall of a democracy movement, a grassroots movement led by the Buddhist monks of Vietnam. Because his signal unit provided communication for CIA, AID, State Department and NSC folks, Bob and his signal troop buddies heard things discussed that did not track with the official news being reported in the press. This discordance caused misgivings among many. These concerns never disappeared in Bob’s case. Over the years, as he stumbled upon more and more oh-by-the-way corrections of former government gospel truths, Bob began to consider the need for this novel. Bob holds an advanced degree in engineering and has worked in investment services. He now resides in South Carolina.

Product Details

• Paperback: 331 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (August 24, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588984222
• ISBN-13: 978-1588984227
• Product Dimensions: 21 x 8 x 5.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #6,841,780 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Diverting the Buddha, December 27, 2007

By	Melissa B. Levine "Independent Book Reviewer" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Diverting the Buddha (Paperback)

Author Bob Swartzel explores the inner workings of Vietnam during American occupation in the novel Diverting the Buddha. The lives of four people, two Americans and two Vietnamese are followed as violent protests break out in the city of Hue when citizens battle the native and U.S. governments for the freedom to create a democracy.

Specialist David Blake is a young soldier highly regarded by his superior, Sergeant Anderson, who recruits him to gather information about another soldier whose inappropriate behavior has brought an unwanted spotlight on Andy. Blake complies with orders while also pursuing his personal interest in a young Vietnamese college student named Hong who is also the daughter of a preeminent professor at the university she attends. Against her parent's wishes, Hong participates in student run political events and contributes to the university newspaper by capturing the images of government and religious leaders in her drawings. Even though he warns his daughter against political participation, Tien allows himself to become a significant player in negotiations between a lead Buddhist monk and a representative of President Lyndon Johnson. Amid calls for democracy and free elections among the students, an American banker, Malcolm Noble, works on making deals for his company, Trans Asian Bank, under the critical, although distant, eye of his boss, Buddy Ray.

Diverting the Buddha is a complex story that combines what is known about the war in Vietnam with fictional details based on the author's real life experiences as a soldier during the war. Swartzel skillfully describes the country's physical landscape as well as the political situation. In the book, the onset of student protests occurs when a Vietnamese government official ousts a beloved general from service. Loose agreements are formed to encourage violent demonstrations that serve as a distraction for unseemly acts that are being spearheaded by the U.S. government. As the details of the ploy the Americans have conducted against the monks is revealed, one of the main characters is killed, others are harmed and also threatened.

This book is a must read for bibliophiles who are passionate about war time stories and government corruption plots with ends stitched tightly together by characters who are fully formed and multi-layered.

5.0 out of 5 stars A driving, powerful, entertaining novel, May 16, 2002

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Set in the turbulent Vietnam War, Bob Swartzel's Diverting The Buddha is a highly recommended political thriller. Two Vietnamese and two Americans find themselves swept into a deadly conflict that none of them can understand or control. Written by a veteran of the U.S. Army Signal Corps in South Vietnam who witnessed the brief-lived Buddhist democracy movement, Diverting The Buddha is driving, powerful, entertaining novel marking Bob Swartzel as a writer of considerable accomplishments.