Rating: 
Summary: READ THIS BOOK!!!!
Review: As an author and a Vietnam vet I've read more than 1,200 books on the Vietnam War. I can say without doubt that Into the Green by Cherokee Paul McDonald is one of the top five. If you're looking for the details, the emotions, the terror, the fears, the humor, and the nightmares, read Into the Green. It explains why, for many, there exists a brotherhood of warriors, and for others only an empty place in their souls. Share McDonald's experience, and discover the "why's" of warfare. I hope this is not his last book.
Rating:
Summary: READ THIS BOOK!!!!
Review: As an author and a Vietnam vet I've read more than 1,200 books on the Vietnam War. I can say without doubt that Into the Green by Cherokee Paul McDonald is one of the top five. If you're looking for the details, the emotions, the terror, the fears, the humor, and the nightmares, read Into the Green. It explains why, for many, there exists a brotherhood of warriors, and for others only an empty place in their souls. Share McDonald's experience, and discover the "why's" of warfare. I hope this is not his last book.
Rating: 
Summary: Beautiful, but flawed
Review: Being the "girl he left behind", I admit this is a completely biased review. I remember many of the peripheral events Paul describes in this book, but I never knew that my mother wrote him a Dear John letter on my behalf. I have not seen Paul in over 30 years, so you can imagine my surprise when I learned he stood at the top of a mountain and yelled out his pain to the Vietnam skies. (Even though I rated right up there with the Opan Cadet and the ex-girlfriend). He was my first true love and I will always remember him well.
Rating:
Summary: Into the Green: A Reconnaissance by Fire
Review: Cherokee Paul McDonald reached his hand into my gut with this incredible book. I was hesitant to buy it since the publisher is not known for publishing military history. And the cover art and design doesn't bespeak the contents of your typical Vietnam War memoir, as I'm used to seeing with publishers such as Ivy and Presidio. Was this another guilt-ridden confession of dark deeds committed during wartime? A Philip Caputo clone? Another "Suicide Charlie?" Future script material for Oliver Stone? Something the college pukes of the 60's could read and feel good about? Shame on me for waiting so long to get into it. As I slipped into the green with McDonald, I found this memoir to be one of the most compelling Vietnam War books I've ever read, and I've read more than a few. Stange to say, it's not a page turner, unless you're turning back to re-read the vignette you've just finished. When you finish most of these stories, you don't immediately jump to the next. At least I didn't. I found myself sitting there semi-stunned, ruminating over what I had just been hit over the head with, savoring the imagery, turning back to sift through the author's finely wrought prose again. The writing style and diction are superb. Reading this collection of stories is like being inserted into the green itself. You smell the smells, hear the sounds, see the sights. But beware! It can break your heart. I am not ashamed of the tears that flowed after having finished the final chapter. Man, it blew me away. I love how McDonald confronts the war journalist. In my view they were all rotten bastards. I love how he uncovers the vile self-righteousness of the anti-war maggots, like opening the lid of a trashcan to let the sun shine on a bevy of writhing fly larvae. I love how he rebukes the lying and duplicitous Wunderkind, MacNamara, a man who can never wash the blood from his hands no matter how many books he writes. Buy this book and descend into the green with Cherokee Paul McDonald. It's a beautiful, hard-hitting read.
Rating:
Summary: INTO THE GREEN
Review: I found this book heartbreaking to read. Being divorced from a Viet Nam Vet, Special Forces, I wished that I knew then what I know now. My EX could never speak about the subject. It was like watching a giant of a man come completely unglued. After reading Cherokee Paul's version, I now understand why. The disrespect that the Americans showed these men upon returning to their country is a disgrace. Although, I am from the same generation, I am proud to say that I never took part in any of the demonstrations. Getting into this book brings you closer to understanding the horror that they were faced with. I believe the writer describes the events as he actually remembers them. I would highly recommend reading this book, its what I call "Heavy" and must be read slowly to appreciate!!
Rating:
Summary: Filled with searing images
Review: I think this book deserves to rank with Dispatches, by Michael Herr, and A Rumor of War, by Philip Caputo, (tho both are mentioned with some disparagement by the author) in the way of powerful Vietnam memoirs, tho I still think the greatest Vietnam books I have read are Fortunate Son, by Lewis B. Puller, Jr., and (the best of all) We Were Soldiers Once... And Young, by Harold G Moore and Joseph Galloway. The book is episodic, and thus has no narrative line, which I would have preferred, but the accumulation of accounts is searing. The account of his return home is horrific, and no matter what one thinks of the Vietnam War, for him to have had to undergo what he relates is shocking and extremely anger-inducing, and I wish he had told us that he did to the persons who encountered him what he must have felt like doing. A great book.
Rating: 
Summary: " Into the Bull " or " War Stories as I knew it "
Review: If you have ever spent any time with old fisherman or long time hunters, you know they tell tall tales. Unbelieveable stories of enormous bass or incredible hunts that one is not really expected to believe. The stories are often just cliche ridden recitations of old jokes or anectdones out of Reader's Digest. What these old story tellers did for fishing and hunting, Paul McDonald has done for the Viet Nam war. The book is not a continuous narrative, but a series of vignettes of the Viet Name experience. Name any of what have now become cliches of the Viet Nam war, and it is in this book. VC and NVA prisoners being thrown from choppers - It's in there. Beautiful prostitute that turns out to be VC - It's in there. Clueless new officers who do not know there job - It's in there. The dialogue between the author and his father that occurs when he tells his father that he has enlisted is laughably artifical. No Hollywood screenwriter could have come up with a more predictably scripted exchange. If you have ever seen one Viet Nam war movie or read anything at all about the Viet Nam war, then skip this book. It has nothing to add. Like someone who has just listened to a fish story, I do not what to believe. The author either went to Viet Nam and lived every single situation that is now a predictable part of every Viet Nam war story without having a single unique experience to tell, or he has distilled the stories and experiences of others into the Reader's Digest condensed version of fighting the Viet Nam war.
Rating:
Summary: Into the Green: a rare read
Review: Into the Green by Cherokee Paul McDonald is a great book. Into the Green is filled with action, suspense,and interesting clues as to what a soldiers life is like. This book is perfect for males like myself who require some action, and lude humor to keep them tied to a book. Not only does the book portray an accurate picture of what soldiers experienced during the Vietnam war,it also does so in a way that will make you feel as if you were there. McDonald's short, yet deep chapters are filled with emotions like fear, and anger, which are hard to find by simply reading a book, but he pulls it off. McDonald uses impressive imagery when describing the lush jungles of Vietnam. Cherokee Paul McDonald's struggle through the jungles of Vietnam is a rough awakening to the effect war has on a soldier. Overall this a very well written, interesting novel which will keep you hooked the whole way. I highly reccomend this book whether you are an avid war reader, or have never read a book about war.
Rating: 
Summary: Hmmm?
Review: It seems the book was written in haste?. Two instances of this that easily come to mind are these: On the back flap (as well as in the editorial reviews here) it states that the author spent three years as an FO in Vietnam. According to the author (in the book)he spent three years in the Army and 11 months as an FO in Vietnam. Secondly, In the last story he talks about his friend that was killed in 1969 and reflecting on their youth at the funeral that they were both only 19. But in the beginning of the book he says he joined the service one year out of high school in 1966 and did three years. The numbers don't match. Things like this along with every poular cliche associated with the Vietnam experience being included in the book lead me to believe that this book is perhaps a non-fiction intertwined with a creatively abstract writers flare. It leaves you quite unable to take it to heart.
Rating:
Summary: if you don't think you like books about war, think again
Review: This is a great book because it takes a different approach from most war memoirs. Instead of giving a day-by-day recount of events, McDonald shares his experiences through short snapshots of episodes which are more easily digested than long winded narratives. He also includes simple and poignant details that allow the reader small insights into the emotional turbulence that affected everyone involved in Vietnam in a different way. If you don't think you like reading about war, try Into the Green. I think its humanity will appeal to most people, and it helped me gain a better understanding of a very misunderstood time in America's history.
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