In this intensely personal account, Barry Heard draws on his own experiences as a young conscript, along with those of his comrades, to look back at life before, during, and after the Vietnam War. The result is a sympathetic vision of a group of young men who were sent off to war completely unprepared for the emotional and psychological impact it would have on them. It is also a vivid and searingly honest portrayal of the author's post-war, slow-motion breakdown, and how he dealt with it.
Well Done, Those Men attempts to make sense of what Vietnam did to the soldiers who fought there. It deals with the comic absurdity of their military training and the horror of the war they fought, and is unforgettably moving in recounting what happened to Barry and his comrades when they returned home to Australia. As we now know, most Vietnam vets had to deal with a community that shunned them, and with their own depression, trauma, and guilt. Barry Heard's sensitive account of his long journey home from Vietnam is a tribute to his mates, and an inspiring story of a life reclaimed.
By:
Barry Heard Imprint: Scribe Publications Country of Publication: Australia Dimensions:
Height: 210mm,
Width: 135mm,
Spine: 27mm
Weight: 478g ISBN:9781921844942 ISBN 10: 1921844949 Publication Date:25 July 2012 Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format:Hardback Publisher's Status: Active
Reviews for Well Done, Those Men: memoirs of a Vietnam veteran
'This is a powerful, beautifully written book that should be read by everyone who wants to understand the evil, senseless personal damage done by war.' - Bruce Elder, Sydney Morning Herald
Joint winner of State Library of Victoria Summer Read 2007 (Australia)
Winner of National Year of Reading Our Story - Victoria 2012 (Australia)