Written in 1996, this article explores the lives of five people who were deeply affected by the Vietnam War.

The first person is John, who served as a soldier in Vietnam. He witnessed the horrors of war firsthand and still suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Mary is the second person. Her husband was killed in action, leaving her to raise their children alone.

Tom, the third person, was a journalist who reported on the war. His experiences led him to become an advocate for peace.

The fourth person is Linda, who lost her brother in Vietnam. She has dedicated her life to helping other families who have been affected by war.

Finally, there is David, who was a young boy during the war. He grew up in a war-torn country and has seen the long-term effects of war on his community.

These five people's stories are just a small sample of the countless lives that were changed forever by the Vietnam War. Their experiences serve as a reminder of the importance of working towards peace and resolving conflicts through non-violent means.

It was an extremely interesting book that truly captured my attention from the very beginning. However, it was also a rather long read for me. The story was filled with rich details and complex characters, which made it both engaging and challenging to follow at times. I found myself getting lost in the world that the author had created, and I was eager to discover what would happen next on each page. Despite the length, I was determined to finish the book, as I was thoroughly enjoying the journey that it was taking me on. Overall, it was a great reading experience, and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good story.

Robert Strange McNamara was truly such a jackass.

He was a figure who made a series of decisions that had far-reaching and often disastrous consequences. His actions during certain historical events, such as his role in the Vietnam War, were highly controversial.

McNamara's approach seemed to be driven more by his own theories and ideals rather than a full understanding of the complex realities on the ground. His decisions led to the loss of countless lives and the destruction of many families.

Even after the war, his attempts to justify his actions and rewrite history were met with skepticism and criticism. Overall, Robert Strange McNamara will always be remembered as a jackass whose actions had a profound and negative impact on the world.

3.5 stars
This is an interesting and well-researched book.

The author has clearly put in a lot of effort to present a detailed and engaging story.

However, despite enjoying the read, I didn't feel that I came away with a better understanding of what drove the protagonist.

The book delved into many aspects of the protagonist's life, but perhaps it didn't explore their inner motives and desires in enough depth.

Nonetheless, it was still an enjoyable read that held my attention throughout.

I would recommend it to others who are interested in the subject matter or enjoy a good story.

Overall, it's a solid book with some areas that could have been improved upon.

The article is truly fascinating and insightful.

The author dedicated an amazing amount of research over a 15-year period. This extensive research has allowed for a deep exploration of the subject matter, uncovering details and perspectives that might otherwise have remained hidden.

One interesting sidelight is observing the author's feelings toward his subject. It adds an extra layer of depth to the work, as we can sense the passion and dedication that the author has put into this research.

Overall, the article is a remarkable piece of work that not only provides valuable information but also engages the reader on an emotional level. It is a testament to the author's hard work and commitment to his subject.

We can only hope that the author continues to explore this topic and share his insights with us in the future.

I really only picked this one up for the chapter on Norman Morrison. However, it was so compelling and so well done that I simply had to read it from cover to cover.

The way the author presented the story of Norman Morrison was truly captivating. It drew me in and made me eager to learn more about his life and the events that surrounded him.

Not only was the content of the chapter on Norman Morrison excellent, but the entire book was a pleasure to read. The writing was engaging, the research was thorough, and the overall structure was well thought out.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in history, or in the life of Norman Morrison specifically. It is a truly remarkable work that deserves to be read and appreciated.

Overall, I would rate this book 4.5 stars. It is not quite a perfect 5 stars, but it is very close. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

When I delved into Moneyball, I couldn't help but think, wouldn't it be wonderful if every aspect of life, not just baseball, could be guided by what the numbers truly reveal, rather than our stubborn preconceived notions. At the start of reading this book, I anticipated it would expose the darker side of that concept, the "be careful what you wish for" situation. After all, Robert S McNamara was a numbers-driven individual. His specialty, control accounting, was all about managing things based on numbers. After applying this approach to the Army Air Force and then to Ford Motor Company, he became Kennedy's Secretary of Defense and attempted to run the Vietnam war by the numbers. However, it turned out to be a disaster. But it wasn't the numbers that failed McNamara; it was something else. Hendrickson emphasizes that McNamara wasn't merely the cold, calculating person he was perceived to be. He did have a sensitive side, though it was rarely visible. McNamara's problem was that the numbers did disclose the truth about Vietnam to him. They indicated that the war couldn't be won. Yet, he persisted in promoting the war and sending thousands of soldiers to their deaths. Why? This isn't an easy question to answer, as McNamara himself has been reluctant to discuss the entire Vietnam affair. He has claimed that he was being loyal to his president (first Kennedy and then Johnson) by following their lead. Hendrickson suggests that he lacked moral courage or was addicted to his position of power. One thing Hendrickson is certain of is that McNamara lied. As the book progresses, he repeats this mantra more frequently: He lied, he lied, he lied. Hendrickson contrasts internal memos filled with doubts and suggestions for scaling back with the enthusiastic press releases from the same dates, which stated, "Everything's going great; we're making progress; we just need to continue."

But psychoanalyzing McNamara is only one part of Hendrickson's book. He also writes about the "five lives" mentioned in the title, individuals whose lives were somehow damaged by Vietnam. The first is James C Farley, a soldier who was featured in a Life Magazine photo essay. (All of these excellent pictures are available online.) The tragic mission concluded with Captain Farley hunched over a supply chest, crying. Next is Norman Morrison, a Quaker who set himself on fire to protest the war. Then there's Marlene Kramel, an Army nurse who emerged from the war emotionally stable but required multiple surgeries for mysterious tumors. After that, some members of the Tran family in Vietnam who endured imprisonments and torture. And finally, an unnamed artist who tried to kill McNamara by throwing him over the rail of the ferry to Martha's Vineyard. These five lives are interesting and provide historical insights into life during the Vietnam era. However, I thought that attributing all their sufferings to one man, even if that man was a liar and a moral coward and the Secretary of Defense, was a bit of a stretch.

Hendrickson writes lyrically, often zeroing in on details that hold emotional significance for him and returning to them: the young McNamara studying in his room under a cone of light, Farley bending over his box (and that box labeled "Valuables"), the smell of kerosene on the clothes of Morrison's baby daughter, the "stuff" that Marlene and the other nurses got on them (blood, muck, mud, toxic chemicals). Sometimes he writes fancifully, as when he describes a Vietnam protest winding its way toward the Pentagon as a "sea serpent." At times, I grew impatient with the more poetic touches, thinking to myself, come on, this is history, just present it straightforwardly. This is history, but Hendrickson's history is a world of intertwined significance, where a butterfly flutters its wings, or a man in an office writes a memo, and a man halfway around the world lays down his head and weeps. Hendrickson is deeply involved in his subject. He spent years researching and interviewing not only his subjects but also everyone who knew them. The facts he has amassed are impressive. In the end, I think it would have been more impactful if he had rambled and mused a little less and omitted some of the details.

This is a good book, no doubt about it.

However, the author's personal animosity towards McNamara seems to have influenced his perspective in certain aspects.

It's as if this intense dislike has caused him to lose some objectivity in his analysis.

A more impartial and balanced approach would have been far more beneficial.

By allowing personal emotions to overshadow the facts, the author may have missed out on presenting a more comprehensive and accurate picture.

Perhaps if he had been able to set aside his personal feelings and view McNamara's actions and decisions from a more detached standpoint, the book could have been even more valuable.

Nonetheless, despite this flaw, the book still contains many interesting and thought-provoking ideas that are worth exploring.

It serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining objectivity when writing about historical figures and events.