Reviews
Praise for Hue 1968 " Hue 1968 unravels one of the great mysteries of our time-how a puny force of North Vietnam regulars and local sympathizers could without warning occupy South Vietnam''s second largest city, hold it for a month, then disappear into the mountains, beyond reach and largely unbloodied. It turns out the force wasn''t puny, but fanatical warriors who gripped their prey by the throat and wouldn''t let go. They were unfazed by waves of counter-attackers, Vietnamese and American soldiers, but mostly Marines rushed in to defeat them. Hue 1968 shows the enormous challenges facing both sides and how they overcame them, or tried to. Did the Battle of Hue end up as a victory or defeat? The answer depends on who''s asking and who''s telling. Bowden takes on both roles and does it well." -Lieutenant Colonel Charles A. Krohn (ret.), author of The Lost Battalion of Tet " Hue 1968 is, by far, the most comprehensive (and balanced) coverage on this battle I''ve seen. Like never before, I''ve come to realize how narrow a perspective we low-level participants unavoidably had. While giving due respect to the abilities, actions and fighting spirit of the U.S. and ARVN Marines and soldiers who participated, Mark Bowden brought clarity to the larger intelligence, political and strategic shortcomings that made the prosecution of this battle so much more challenging and costly than it needed to be." -Brigadier General Mike Downs, USMC (ret.) "The longest and fiercest fighting of the Tet Offensive took place in and around Hue in early 1968 where Communist North Vietnam suffered a terrible military defeat. Yet the fight for Hue became a political victory for the leaders of North Vietnam and a turning point for US involvement and support for the war. Through searing personal accounts of many on both sides who were there, Mark Bowden reveals the intensity of the fighting. Relying on archival documents now available after 50 years, he also examines the considerations and decisions of political and military leaders at the highest levels. This book is a tragic tale of misunderstanding but also one of great heroism and sacrifice by those who fought in the streets of Hue and in the nearby rice paddies and villages." -Brigadier General Howard T. Prince II, USMC (ret.), Commanding Officer, Bravo Company, 5/7 Cavalry, 1968 "Mark Bowden uniquely describes the battle from both sides of the front lines and vividly captures the remarkable courage and valor of those that participated in the crucible of war that was Hue City in January to March 1968. Surely to be an historical standard for the recollection of that Tet 1968 battle." -Colonel Chuck Meadows, USMC (ret.), Former Commanding Officer of Golf Company 2ndBn 5thMar "I am a US Marine Vietnam veteran who participated as a tank crewmen in the Tet 1968 battle for Hue City. I have read just about every written account of the month-long battle, and I have to say that all of the other well-written, well-documented accounts of the battle pale in comparison to Mark Bowden's Hue 1968 . There is no more complete, accurate and detailed book. It reads like a novel even though is it made up almost exclusively of very personal accounts." -John Wear, president of the USMC Vietnam Tankers Association Praise for Mark Bowden "Amazing . . . One of the most intense, visceral reading experiences imaginable." - Philadelphia Inquirer , on Black Hawk Down "Mark Bowden has a way of making modern nonfiction read like the best of novels." - Denver Post , on Killing Pablo "One of America's pre-eminent practitioners of long-form journalism." - Dallas Morning News , on The Three Battles of Wanat, Praise for Hue 1968 An Amazon Best Book of the Month in history An Amazon best history book of the year so far "An extraordinary feat of journalism . . . Through his scrupulous day-by-day reconstruction of this battle, Bowden encapsulates the essential lessons of the Vietnam War . . . Hue 1968 is also an exploration of what is common to all wars: humankind''s capacity for violence, cruelty, self-sacrifice, bravery, cowardice and love. Mr. Bowden undertakes this task with the talent and sensibility of a master journalist who is also a humanist and an honest man . . . the book is full of emotion and color . . . You will find the reading gripping." --Karl Marlantes, Wall Street Journal "A remarkable book." --Dave Davies, NPR''s Fresh Air "Bowden . . . applies his signature blend of deep reportage and character-driven storytelling to bring readers a fresh look at the 1968 battle in the Vietnamese city of Hue . . . [A] compelling and highly readable narrative . . . A meticulous and vivid retelling of an important battle." --Linda Robinson, New York Times Book Review "An instantly recognizable classic of military history . . . Bowden tells this story with a power and a wealth of detail that no previous history of this offensive has approached." --Steve Donoghue, Christian Science Monitor "A gripping, and timely, history . . . powerful . . . [ Hue 1968 ] is likely to claim a place on the shelf of essential books about the Vietnam War. Based on hundreds of interviews, news accounts, histories and military archives, the book combines intensive research with Bowden''s propulsive narrative style and insightful analysis . . . What sets Bowden''s account of the battle apart is his skill at moving from the macro--the history of the war, the politics surrounding it, the tactics of the battle--to the micro: the individuals, American and Vietnamese, who fought it and tried to survive it." --Colette Bancroft, Tampa Bay Times "Bowden is one of the great journalists of our generation, and with this book he provides a captivating account of the pivotal battle that did so much to alter the trajectories of not just the Vietnam War, but also American politics and our nation''s global posture. With its capacious research that includes the perspectives of combatants and civilians, Vietnamese and Americans, presidents and privates, it epitomizes what a definitive account should be." -- Foreign Policy "A masterful blood-and-guts account of the decisive battle in the Vietnam War . . . The heart and soul of Hue 1968 lies with its vivid and often wrenching descriptions of the ''storm of war'' as soldiers and South Vietnamese citizens experienced it." -- Minneapolis Star-Tribune "Bowden''s excellent Hue 1968 . . . gives us the clearest picture yet of what happened in Vietnam and in Hue, where today tourists casually shoot pictures where murderous shots once were fired." -- USA Today , 4 out of 4 stars "For readers who enjoy learning about battle tactics and bloody encounters, Bowden delivers, as he did in Black Hawk Down . The book offers so much more than that, however. For readers who care little about military strategy or precisely how each combatant died, Bowden offers copious context about why it matters what occurred in Vietnam at the beginning of 1968--why it mattered so much then, and why it matters so much in 2017 . . . Bowden is masterful in introducing characters whose names have often never appeared in the news but whose actions help explain the complications for the United States of becoming involved in faraway wars involving nearly invisible enemies." --Steve Weinberg, Philadelphia Inquirer "Dazzling . . . Bowden''s account of the battle delivers gut punches from start to finish . . . Most impressive of all, Bowden deftly blends clear descriptions of complex troop movements with careful attention to the human impact of the fighting . . ., Praise for Hue 1968 "An extraordinary account of the most important and costly battle of the Vietnam War." --Don McCullin, legendary photojournalist "In this meticulous retelling of one critical battle, Mark Bowden captures the nuanced and often invisible threads of America''s political, military and cultural blindness in Vietnam. Hue 1968 is the new classic about America''s Vietnam War." --Elizabeth Becker, author of When the War Was Over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Revolution "A stirring history of the 1968 battle that definitively turned the Vietnam War into an American defeat . . . Building on portraits of combatants on all sides, Bowden delivers an anecdotally rich, careful account of the complex campaign to take the city. One of the best books on a single action in Vietnam, written by a tough, seasoned journalist who brings the events of a half-century past into sharp relief." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "An epic masterpiece of heroism and sacrifice, and a testament to the tragic futility of the American experience in Vietnam." -- Booklist (starred review) " Hue 1968 unravels one of the great mysteries of our time--how a puny force of North Vietnam regulars and local sympathizers could without warning occupy South Vietnam''s second largest city, hold it for a month, then disappear into the mountains, beyond reach and largely unbloodied. It turns out the force wasn''t puny, but fanatical warriors who gripped their prey by the throat and wouldn''t let go. They were unfazed by waves of counter-attackers, Vietnamese and American soldiers, but mostly Marines rushed in to defeat them. Hue 1968 shows the enormous challenges facing both sides and how they overcame them, or tried to. Did the Battle of Hue end up as a victory or defeat? The answer depends on who''s asking and who''s telling. Bowden takes on both roles and does it well." --Lieutenant Colonel Charles A. Krohn (ret.), author of The Lost Battalion of Tet " Hue 1968 is, by far, the most comprehensive (and balanced) coverage on this battle I''ve seen. Like never before, I''ve come to realize how narrow a perspective we low-level participants unavoidably had. While giving due respect to the abilities, actions and fighting spirit of the U.S. and ARVN Marines and soldiers who participated, Mark Bowden brought clarity to the larger intelligence, political and strategic shortcomings that made the prosecution of this battle so much more challenging and costly than it needed to be." --Brigadier General Mike Downs, USMC (ret.) "The longest and fiercest fighting of the Tet Offensive took place in and around Hue in early 1968 where Communist North Vietnam suffered a terrible military defeat. Yet the fight for Hue became a political victory for the leaders of North Vietnam and a turning point for US involvement and support for the war. Through searing personal accounts of many on both sides who were there, Mark Bowden reveals the intensity of the fighting. Relying on archival documents now available after 50 years, he also examines the considerations and decisions of political and military leaders at the highest levels. This book is a tragic tale of misunderstanding but also one of great heroism and sacrifice by those who fought in the streets of Hue and in the nearby rice paddies and villages." --Brigadier General Howard T. Prince II, USMC (ret.), Commanding Officer, Bravo Company, 5/7 Cavalry, 1968 "Mark Bowden uniquely describes the battle from both sides of the front lines and vividly captures the remarkable courage and valor of those that participated in the crucible of war that was Hue City in January to March 1968. Surely to be an historical standard for the recollection of that Tet 1968 battle." --Colonel Chuck Meadows, USMC (ret.), Former Commanding Officer of Golf Company 2ndBn 5thMar "I am a US Marine Vietnam veteran who participated as a tank crewmen in the Tet 1968 battle for Hue City., Praise for Hue 1968 An Amazon Best Book of the Month in history "An extraordinary feat of journalism . . . Through his scrupulous day-by-day reconstruction of this battle, Bowden encapsulates the essential lessons of the Vietnam War, lessons that we seemingly forgot when conducting our wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, lessons we need to go over now so that we never forget them again . . . Bowden undertakes this task with the talent and sensibility of a master journalist who is also a humanist and an honest man . . . the book is full of emotion and color . . . Here the best and worst of human behavior is exposed in glaring light. You will find the reading gripping." --Karl Marlantes, Wall Street Journal "A remarkable book." --Dave Davies, NPR''s Fresh Air "A masterful blood-and-guts account of the decisive battle in the Vietnam War . . . The heart and soul of Hue 1968 lies with its vivid and often wrenching descriptions of the ''storm of war'' as soldiers and South Vietnamese citizens experienced it." -- Minneapolis Star-Tribune "Bowden''s excellent Hue 1968 . . . gives us the clearest picture yet of what happened in Vietnam and in Hue, where today tourists casually shoot pictures where murderous shots once were fired." -- USA Today , **** out of four stars "An extraordinary account of the most important and costly battle of the Vietnam War." --Don McCullin, legendary photojournalist who covered the Battle of Hue "In this meticulous retelling of one critical battle, Mark Bowden captures the nuanced and often invisible threads of America''s political, military and cultural blindness in Vietnam. Hue 1968 is the new classic about America''s Vietnam War." --Elizabeth Becker, author of When the War Was Over: Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge Revolution "A stirring history of the 1968 battle that definitively turned the Vietnam War into an American defeat . . . Building on portraits of combatants on all sides, Bowden delivers an anecdotally rich, careful account of the complex campaign to take the city. One of the best books on a single action in Vietnam, written by a tough, seasoned journalist who brings the events of a half-century past into sharp relief." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "An epic masterpiece of heroism and sacrifice, and a testament to the tragic futility of the American experience in Vietnam." -- Booklist (starred review) "Excellent . . . Bowden has done a superb job of telling the story as he did with Black Hawk Down ." -- Washington Times "In his monumental new book, Bowden . . . gives voice to dozens, including Nguyen Quang Ha, whose five-man team emerged from underground caves to strike the first blow for North Vietnamese forces, Bob Thompson, a career marine officer charged with taking back the US stronghold at the Citadel, President Lyndon Johnson and General William Westmoreland in Washington, DC and reporters David Halberstam, Michael Herr, Gene Roberts, Walter Cronkite and others who changed the way Americans perceived the war." --Jane Ciabattari, BBC.com " Hue 1968 unravels one of the great mysteries of our time--how a puny force of North Vietnam regulars and local sympathizers could without warning occupy South Vietnam''s second largest city, hold it for a month, then disappear into the mountains, beyond reach and largely unbloodied. It turns out the force wasn''t puny, but fanatical warriors who gripped their prey by the throat and wouldn''t let go. They were unfazed by waves of counter-attackers, Vietnamese and American soldiers, but mostly Marines rushed in to defeat them. Hue 1968 shows the enormous challenges facing both sides and how they overcame them, or tried to. Did the Battle of Hue end up as a victory or defeat? The answer depends on who''s asking and who''s telling. Bowden takes on both roles and does it well." --Lieutenant Colonel Charles A. Krohn (ret.), author of The Lost Battalion of Tet " Hue 1968 is, by far, the most comprehensive (and balanced) coverage on this battle I''ve seen., Praise for Hue 1968 "A stirring history of the 1968 battle that definitively turned the Vietnam War into an American defeat . . . Building on portraits of combatants on all sides, Bowden delivers an anecdotally rich, careful account of the complex campaign to take the city. One of the best books on a single action in Vietnam, written by a tough, seasoned journalist who brings the events of a half-century past into sharp relief." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) " Hue 1968 unravels one of the great mysteries of our time--how a puny force of North Vietnam regulars and local sympathizers could without warning occupy South Vietnam''s second largest city, hold it for a month, then disappear into the mountains, beyond reach and largely unbloodied. It turns out the force wasn''t puny, but fanatical warriors who gripped their prey by the throat and wouldn''t let go. They were unfazed by waves of counter-attackers, Vietnamese and American soldiers, but mostly Marines rushed in to defeat them. Hue 1968 shows the enormous challenges facing both sides and how they overcame them, or tried to. Did the Battle of Hue end up as a victory or defeat? The answer depends on who''s asking and who''s telling. Bowden takes on both roles and does it well." --Lieutenant Colonel Charles A. Krohn (ret.), author of The Lost Battalion of Tet " Hue 1968 is, by far, the most comprehensive (and balanced) coverage on this battle I''ve seen. Like never before, I''ve come to realize how narrow a perspective we low-level participants unavoidably had. While giving due respect to the abilities, actions and fighting spirit of the U.S. and ARVN Marines and soldiers who participated, Mark Bowden brought clarity to the larger intelligence, political and strategic shortcomings that made the prosecution of this battle so much more challenging and costly than it needed to be." --Brigadier General Mike Downs, USMC (ret.) "The longest and fiercest fighting of the Tet Offensive took place in and around Hue in early 1968 where Communist North Vietnam suffered a terrible military defeat. Yet the fight for Hue became a political victory for the leaders of North Vietnam and a turning point for US involvement and support for the war. Through searing personal accounts of many on both sides who were there, Mark Bowden reveals the intensity of the fighting. Relying on archival documents now available after 50 years, he also examines the considerations and decisions of political and military leaders at the highest levels. This book is a tragic tale of misunderstanding but also one of great heroism and sacrifice by those who fought in the streets of Hue and in the nearby rice paddies and villages." --Brigadier General Howard T. Prince II, USMC (ret.), Commanding Officer, Bravo Company, 5/7 Cavalry, 1968 "Mark Bowden uniquely describes the battle from both sides of the front lines and vividly captures the remarkable courage and valor of those that participated in the crucible of war that was Hue City in January to March 1968. Surely to be an historical standard for the recollection of that Tet 1968 battle." --Colonel Chuck Meadows, USMC (ret.), Former Commanding Officer of Golf Company 2ndBn 5thMar "I am a US Marine Vietnam veteran who participated as a tank crewmen in the Tet 1968 battle for Hue City. I have read just about every written account of the month-long battle, and I have to say that all of the other well-written, well-documented accounts of the battle pale in comparison to Mark Bowden''s Hue 1968 . There is no more complete, accurate and detailed book. It reads like a novel even though is it made up almost exclusively of very personal accounts." --John Wear, president of the USMC Vietnam Tankers Association "A masterpiece of intensely dramatic nonfiction . . ., Praise for Hue 1968 " Hue 1968 unravels one of the great mysteries of our timehow a puny force of North Vietnam regulars and local sympathizers could without warning occupy South Vietnam''s second largest city, hold it for a month, then disappear into the mountains, beyond reach and largely unbloodied. It turns out the force wasn''t puny, but fanatical warriors who gripped their prey by the throat and wouldn''t let go. They were unfazed by waves of counter-attackers, Vietnamese and American soldiers, but mostly Marines rushed in to defeat them. Hue 1968 shows the enormous challenges facing both sides and how they overcame them, or tried to. Did the Battle of Hue end up as a victory or defeat? The answer depends on who''s asking and who''s telling. Bowden takes on both roles and does it well." Lieutenant Colonel Charles A. Krohn (ret.), author of The Lost Battalion of Tet " Hue 1968 is, by far, the most comprehensive (and balanced) coverage on this battle I''ve seen. Like never before, I''ve come to realize how narrow a perspective we low-level participants unavoidably had. While giving due respect to the abilities, actions and fighting spirit of the U.S. and ARVN Marines and soldiers who participated, Mark Bowden brought clarity to the larger intelligence, political and strategic shortcomings that made the prosecution of this battle so much more challenging and costly than it needed to be." Brigadier General Mike Downs, USMC (ret.) "The longest and fiercest fighting of the Tet Offensive took place in and around Hue in early 1968 where Communist North Vietnam suffered a terrible military defeat. Yet the fight for Hue became a political victory for the leaders of North Vietnam and a turning point for US involvement and support for the war. Through searing personal accounts of many on both sides who were there, Mark Bowden reveals the intensity of the fighting. Relying on archival documents now available after 50 years, he also examines the considerations and decisions of political and military leaders at the highest levels. This book is a tragic tale of misunderstanding but also one of great heroism and sacrifice by those who fought in the streets of Hue and in the nearby rice paddies and villages." Brigadier General Howard T. Prince II, USMC (ret.), Commanding Officer, Bravo Company, 5/7 Cavalry, 1968 "Mark Bowden uniquely describes the battle from both sides of the front lines and vividly captures the remarkable courage and valor of those that participated in the crucible of war that was Hue City in January to March 1968. Surely to be an historical standard for the recollection of that Tet 1968 battle." Colonel Chuck Meadows, USMC (ret.), Former Commanding Officer of Golf Company 2ndBn 5thMar "I am a US Marine Vietnam veteran who participated as a tank crewmen in the Tet 1968 battle for Hue City. I have read just about every written account of the month-long battle, and I have to say that all of the other well-written, well-documented accounts of the battle pale in comparison to Mark Bowden's Hue 1968 . There is no more complete, accurate and detailed book. It reads like a novel even though is it made up almost exclusively of very personal accounts." John Wear, president of the USMC Vietnam Tankers Association Praise for Mark Bowden "Amazing . . . One of the most intense, visceral reading experiences imaginable." Philadelphia Inquirer , on Black Hawk Down "Mark Bowden has a way of making modern nonfiction read like the best of novels." Denver Post , on Killing Pablo "One of America's pre-eminent practitioners of long-form journalism." Dallas Morning News , on The Three Battles of Wanat
