I compare every book I read about Vietnam to The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien. And I truly doubt that any other book on this subject will ever come even remotely close to the sheer greatness of that remarkable work. As a result, my rating of other books in this genre is probably a little bit lower than it might have been otherwise. However, this particular book was, nonetheless, an enjoyable read. What I really liked was that I could still clearly see the essence of the Jack character from This Boy's Life in the Tobias of In Pharoah's Army. He is still striving and struggling to match up to the better person he envisions himself to be in his mind. It's a sentiment that I can very much relate to. It makes me think about my own aspirations and the constant battle within myself to become the best version of who I want to be.

This is a truly good book, but unfortunately, it falls a bit short in terms of depth for my personal taste.

As Wolff chronicles a year's military tour in Vietnam, he manages to present that perilous and horrifying situation with remarkable clarity. In fact, his description is as vivid as any I have ever come across in my reading.

He starkly reveals the dehumanizing aspects of war, the difficult compromises that soldiers are forced to make, and the sacrifices of conscience that are an inherent part of being in the military.

Despite its brevity, the book does offer valuable insights into the experiences and challenges faced by those serving in the Vietnam War.

However, I couldn't help but wish that Wolff had delved even deeper into these complex themes, perhaps exploring the long-term consequences of war on the soldiers' lives and psyches.

Nonetheless, it is still a worthwhile read that provides a thought-provoking perspective on a dark chapter in history.

Genial

Genial is a wonderful trait that many people admire. A genial person is warm, friendly, and approachable. They have a kind smile and a pleasant demeanor that makes others feel comfortable in their presence. Genial people are often good listeners and are always willing to offer a helping hand or a kind word. They have a positive attitude towards life and are able to find the good in every situation. This makes them a joy to be around and a valuable asset to any social group or community. Whether it's at work, school, or in their personal lives, genial people are able to build strong relationships and make a positive impact on those around them. In a world that can sometimes seem cold and unfriendly, the presence of a genial person can be like a ray of sunshine, brightening up the day and bringing a sense of warmth and happiness to all those who encounter them.

Tobias Wolff is widely regarded as one of the masters of American short fiction. He is not only an award-winning author but also a professor of creative writing. Given his reputation, it comes as no surprise that his memoir of Vietnam is of high quality, and indeed, it is very good.

Wolff's decision to go to war was born out of a sense of having exhausted his options in civilian life. In the genteel 1960s, he was expelled from an elite boarding school in his final semester. He then signed up as a merchant sailor but missed his boat. With the Army always in need of recruits, he enlisted. Even as a youth, Wolff had dreams of becoming a writer, and the authors he idolized, such as Norman Mailer and Hemingway, had all served in the military. His father's dereliction during World War II also served as an example. Wolff believed that war would, in one way or another, make him a man.

Wolff thrived in the military. He progressed from basic training to paratrooper training and then to officer candidate school. He trained as an artilleryman but was mediocre at best, finishing last in his class. However, he was able to stay on because at Fort Sill, OCS ended with humorous skits and songs, and he was the only one in his training company who could write and organize a play. The Army made him an officer so that he could produce a farce. After that, he went to language school to learn Vietnamese, lived as a civilian in Washington DC for a year while having an intense romance with a woman named Vera, and finally was deployed to Vietnam.

Wolff's experience of the war was rather unusual. He was assigned as an advisor to an ARVN artillery unit outside My Tho in the Delta. In 1967, as the war heated up, My Tho remained relatively peaceful. Wolff and his American comrade, Sergeant Benet, an African-American career soldier, set up a comfortable arrangement, trading counterfeit VC items with a nearby American unit for steaks, liquor, and electronics. The artillery unit rarely patrolled. Of course, it was still a war, and there was always the risk of death by mine, sniper, or accident, but it was as safe a war as one could expect.

The Tet Offensive changed everything. Wolff's artillery unit attacked My Tho, causing great destruction and punishing both guerrillas and civilians. The fear and the massive devastation transformed what had once been an oasis of peace into a charnel house. The American war machine, it seemed, could only destroy and not save.

Wolff is a master of the short story form, and this book is filled with brief literary sketches that capture his encounters with the illusions of mastery and heroism. For example, there is the scene where Wolff decides to save a puppy that an ARVN sergeant is about to make into stew. There is also the incident where Wolff allows a clumsy new captain to wreck a shantytown with the downdraft from a helicopter. Throughout the book, Wolff meets people in Washington DC, San Francisco, and Vietnam, and realizes that above all else, he does not want to die in a combat zone.

While Wolff's memoir lacks the raw intensity of books like A Rumor of War, Where The Rivers Ran Backwards, or even Tim O'Brien's work, it is still a well-crafted piece of writing. It is a war memoir that has been filtered through the lens of the MFA workshop, and while it may lack some of the grit and authenticity of other accounts, it is still a worthwhile read.

This book truly took an upward turn towards the conclusion.

It incorporated snippets of extremely dry, self-deprecating, and sardonic humor, all blended in with Wolff's extremely concise, Hemingway-esque writing style.

Despite the rather weighty subject matter of the Vietnam War, it reads like a remarkably light memoir, with profound moments skillfully interwoven here and there.

This is largely because Wolff managed to obtain a comfortable position as an adviser, far away from the "frontline" combat. He is a self-confessed coward and, upon reflection, not a particularly likable protagonist.

Most of the time, he comes across as a preening, arrogant, selfish, and immature liar. Nevertheless, you find yourself rooting for him and continue to read.

It must be a feat of prose that manages to achieve this.

As a Vietnam Era Veteran myself,

I was truly captivated by this book.

The author's writing style was engaging and held my attention from start to finish.

Even though my role in the region was in support,

his vivid description of the troops' life and the conditions they endured in Vietnam felt incredibly believable and, dare I say, even fairly entertaining.

His account of his experiences, from pre-service days, through boot camp and specialist training,

to his arrival in Vietnam and what he witnessed there,

and finally picking up the threads of his life after leaving the military,

resonated deeply with me.

It encompassed everything from humorous anecdotes to serious, life-altering events.

Anyone who has served in our military during any conflict will likely find a connection with what Tobias Wolff has shared in this book.

Moreover, it may also prove to be enlightening for those who have not directly experienced the military life.

It offers a unique perspective into a world that many may not fully understand.

Overall, it's a must-read for anyone interested in military history or the personal experiences of those who have served.

Wolff has an extraordinary knack for finding himself in situations that, in hindsight, test him profoundly.

This ability may be attributed to his remarkable capacity for juxtaposing and transforming the concrete into the conceptual.

While it may not be as great a book as This Boy's Life, it still managed to resonate with me on a deep level.

I would highly recommend reading this book, but it would be beneficial to read TBL first.

This way, you can better appreciate the nuances and connections that Wolff makes in his work.

Overall, it is a thought-provoking and engaging read that offers unique insights into the human experience.

This book counts as 2 books.

If you have a penchant for reading good war books, then this one is truly up your alley. It delves deep into the battle aspect as well as the complex mind state during war. It explores the before, during, and after of a war.

The Vietnam War was an extremely bad war. It had a profound impact on both the landscape and the minds of the people involved. It was not a war that suited the American troops. All the veterans could think about were their traumatizing experiences from the war. The deafening noise of explosions, landmines, and claymores still echoed in their minds and continued to scare them to this very day. It took them over 20 years to overcome the pain of war. Moreover, back home in America, there was a great deal of anti-war sentiment and activities going on. America was not in a good state at that time, and the situation only deteriorated as time passed.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in majoring in War Science in college. It is also a great read for anyone who has an interest in war and wants to learn about the far-reaching effects of war.

If you have read his memoir, This Boy's Life, I would highly recommend that you read this one as well.

The voice he employs in the aforementioned book reverberates throughout this one. It functions as a sort of "sequel" in a way, as he enlisted in the military following the events described in This Boy's Life, as is mentioned within the book.

I had anticipated that the book would be a remembrance of tales from the battlefield and how these conflicts had transformed him. However, I was incorrect. Instead, it is a recollection of certain incidents that occurred prior to the war, encompassing a woman he was dating at that time, his interactions with some local Vietnamese individuals, and several events that took place after the war.

It forms a pleasant juxtaposition with This Boy's Life, since that book was centered around coming-of-age, whereas this book is about rectifying the wrongs he committed during that period of his life, including reconciling with his neglectful father and evolving into the person he is today.

It contains a great deal of humor, which I found to be alleviating considering that the book pertains to a harsh and grisly subject.

I absolutely adored this Vietnam War memoir. It followed closely behind his brother's memoir about life with a con artist father, and this book filled in all the missing pieces with the younger brother's own experience.

There is an abundance of dark war humor throughout the pages, along with many searing remembrances of near misses, the Tet Offensive, racism, and lost friends. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the story of the pet dog.

It serves as yet another poignant reminder of what a colossal mistake the Vietnam War was and the countless lives it cost.

Thank you, Tobias Wolff. You are truly great. Your ability to bring this story to life and make the reader feel as if they were right there in the thick of it is remarkable. It's a must-read for anyone interested in learning more about the Vietnam War and the impact it had on those who served.

This is an absolutely fantastic book that delves deep into the Vietnam War. It is a semi-memoir, yet it has been artfully changed to create a more engaging novel.

Surprisingly, this is not a violent book at all. So, those who are reluctant to read about graphic and disturbing things should not be intimidated by this novel.

Tobias Wolff, the protagonist, makes for an interesting read. His lack of motivation in everything except chasing girls is quite a unique trait. It is truly fascinating to see how these people navigate through life with such a mindset.

My favorite part of the book is undoubtedly the end. It showcases that he finally finds the courage to stand up for himself. The book concludes with him having a much better view of himself than he could have ever imagined possible throughout the course of the story. It is a powerful and inspiring ending that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.

Overall, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in the Vietnam War or in stories of personal growth and transformation.

Just like Wolff did in "This Boy's Life," he writes here in a language that is direct, sparse, clear, and not in any way to solicit our readers' pity. He's one of the most crisp authors I've encountered, and it's goddamn beautiful.

Here's an example that speaks to what I've noticed while watching like 100 apocalypse movies over the past two months. It shows that a single human will do anything to all the other creatures of the world if it helps him survive.

“They knew that once they were among the people we would abandon our pretense of distinguishing between them. We would kill them all to get at one. In this way they taught the people that we did not love them and would not protect them; that for all our talk of partnership and brotherhood we disliked and mistrusted them, and that we would kill every last one of them to save our own skins. To believe otherwise was self-deception. They taught that lesson to the people, and also to us. At least they taught it to me.”

Despite "In Pharaoh's Army" having all the aspects that make books pure gold, I rate it just 3 stars because I couldn't relate to it the way I related to his book about just being a boy. I've never killed and can't imagine doing it.

The end of this book, though, is a treasure. It takes place after Wolff had finished his time in the military. There is one part about the sadness of seeing parents age and die, another part that calls back to the destruction of war, and a couple parts about writing and storytelling. This one is my favorite:

"I couldn’t find the right tone [while retelling a story at a bar]. My first instinct was to make it somber and regretful, to show how much more compassionate I was than the person who had done this thing, how far I had evolved in wisdom since then, but it came off sounding phony. I shifted to a clinical, deadpan exposition. This proved even less convincing than the first pose, which at least acknowledged that the narrator had a stake in his narrative. The neutral tone was a lie, also a bore. How do you tell such a terrible story? Maybe such a story shouldn't be told at all. Yet finally it will be told. But as soon as you open your mouth you have problems. Problems of recollection, of tone. Ethical problems. How can you judge the man you were now that you've escaped his circumstances, his fears and desires, now that you hardly remember who he was? And how can you honestly avoid judging him? But isn't there in the very act of confession an obscene self-congratulation for the virtue required to see your mistake and own up to it? And isn't it just like an American boy to want you to admire his sorrow at tearing other people's houses apart? And in the end who gives a damn who is listening? What do you owe the listener, and which listener do you owe?"

Wolff's writing in this book is a complex exploration of his experiences. The language he uses is vivid and engaging, yet at times, it can be difficult to fully understand his perspective. The examples he provides, such as the one about the creatures in the apocalypse, make the reader think about the darker side of human nature.

The end of the book is particularly thought-provoking. Wolff's reflections on writing and storytelling raise important questions about how we communicate our experiences and the ethical implications of doing so. His struggle to find the right tone when retelling a story is something that many writers can relate to.

Overall, "In Pharaoh's Army" is a well-written and interesting book. While I may not have rated it as highly as some others, it still offers valuable insights into Wolff's life and the human condition. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in memoirs or in exploring the themes of war, morality, and storytelling.