A Rumor of War Review

     I read A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo, an actual veteran of the Vietnam War. This book is a true story about Philip Caputo’s service in the Vietnam War. Right off the bat, I REALLY enjoyed this book. It did not lie, and it did not cut back on details for the comfort of the reader. It was like I was actually there, with Philip Caputo.

One of the most famous and interesting aspects of the Vietnam War is the political unrest it caused, such as the anti-war protests back in the U.S. In the prologue of this book, a passage makes it clear that this was not about the political aspects of the war. It states “this book does not pretend to be history. It has nothing to do with politics, power, strategy, influence, national interest, or foreign policy; nor is it an indictment of the great men who led us into Indochina and whose mistakes were paid for with the blood of some quite ordinary men. In a general sense, it is simply a story about war, about the things men do in war and the things war does to them.” This is actually the first sentence of the book itself. From the beginning I knew that I would enjoy this book. While I was reading, I found it a very compelling story. It did not propose a moral, or a message. The book went into extreme detail of Philip Caputo’s role in the war as a lieutenant, and goes into the details of the variety of injuries occurring around him. It was the first time I found myself legitimately cringing while reading a book. I liked how it stayed away from things that were outside of Caputo’s experience, and focused on the tiny details of the war. It was a surreal experience, and really made me feel like I was there (I don’t care if that’s cliche it was true lol).

One of the most compelling aspects of the novel was the question of morals. The North Vietnamese Army liked to hide it’s members among villagers, which made it difficult for American GIs to find them and distinguish them from normal villagers. This resulted in a high amount of war crimes, village burning, and murders. These experiences are also present in this book, and the strong concrete beliefs in moral that I had, got completely destroyed. For example, there are many times where the villagers are beaten and tortured, for information on the Vietcong positions. At first glance it seems unnecessary and immoral which was my current belief. However what the book does to you is puts you in the perspective of the GI. The Vietcongs like to put booby traps everywhere, and one moment the platoon could be walking when a mine or tripwired grenade could go off. This constant fear drove this violence and in the moment, is perfectly justifiable. Of course I am not a war veteran so I can’t really say but these are the types of thoughts that this book sparks in the reader. It was a really eye-opening look into the experience of not only the Vietnam War, but the concept of War itself. 

I give this book a 10/10. I loved this book because of it’s brutal honesty and detailed accounts. It really showed the morals and suffering of war, and it was a surreal experience. Even though the book is extremely violent, and in some places slightly inappropriate, I think this book is a MUST READ if you want to get a taste of what war can be like.