The Cat from Hue: A Vietnam War Story by John Laurence at over 800 pages details Laurence’s coverage of the Vietnam War for CBS news. Through three tours: 1965, 1968, and 1970, Laurence gives us an intimate portrait of America’s most unpopular war. What strikes the reader is the utter waste of such conflicts. Even in a so-called “good” war, fought for defense or noble values, people die without rhyme or reason. The chaos is palpable. But Vietnam was a war that did not need to be fought, and that makes Laurence’s accounts so fraught. We know this war will end badly; we know the waste and death is for no great cause.
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