A Bright Shining Lie
John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam
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Narrated by:
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Robertson Dean
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By:
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Neil Sheehan
About this listen
One of the most acclaimed books of our time - the definitive Vietnam War exposé and the winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.
When he came to Vietnam in 1962, Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Vann was the one clear-sighted participant in an enterprise riddled with arrogance and self-deception, a charismatic soldier who put his life and career on the line in an attempt to convince his superiors that the war should be fought another way. By the time he died in 1972, Vann had embraced the follies he once decried. He died believing that the war had been won.
In this magisterial book, a monument of history and biography that was awarded the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction, a renowned journalist tells the story of John Vann - "the one irreplaceable American in Vietnam" - and of the tragedy that destroyed a country and squandered so much of America's young manhood and resources.
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Before Madeleine Albright turned twelve, her life was shaken by the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia—the country where she was born—the Battle of Britain, the near total destruction of European Jewry, the Allied victory in World War II, the rise of communism, and the onset of the Cold War. Albright's experiences, and those of her family, provide a lens through which to view the most tumultuous dozen years in modern history.
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History from a Personal Perspective
- By Jeanette Finan on 02-22-13
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The Nightingale's Song
- By: Robert Timberg
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
- Length: 22 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Robert Timberg weaves together the lives of Annapolis graduates John McCain, James Webb, Oliver North, Robert McFarlane, and John Poindexter to reveal how the Vietnam War continues to haunt America. Casting all five men as metaphors for a legion of well-meaning if ill-starred warriors, Timberg probes the fault line between those who fought the war and those who used money, wit, and connections to avoid battle.
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Too Long
- By Tom Carroll on 11-15-18
By: Robert Timberg
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King of Spies
- The Dark Reign of America's Spymaster in Korea
- By: Blaine Harden
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1946, Master Sergeant Donald Nichols was repairing jeeps on the sleepy island of Guam when he caught the eye of recruiters from the army's Counter Intelligence Corps. After just three months' training, he was sent to Korea, then a backwater beneath the radar of MacArthur's Pacific Command. Though he lacked the pedigree of most US spies - Nichols was a seventh-grade dropout - he quickly metamorphosed from army mechanic to black ops phenomenon.
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Unplayable recording
- By Lin Tin-tin on 10-18-24
By: Blaine Harden
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After Fidel
- The Inside Story of Castro's Regime and Cuba's Next Leader
- By: Brian Latell
- Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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In this compelling, behind-the-scenes account, former top CIA officer and Cuba expert Brian Latell examines the extraordinary Castro brothers and the impending dynastic succession of Fidel's younger brother, Raul. Exploring the brothers' remarkable relationship, he reveals how Fidel and Raul have collaborated, divided responsibilities, and resolved disagreements for more than 46 years, a challenge to the notion that the little-known Raul has been an insignificant player.
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Very Informative Read
- By BH FL on 04-09-08
By: Brian Latell
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Conversations with Major Dick Winters
- Life Lessons from the Commander of the Band of Brothers
- By: Cole C. Kingseed
- Narrated by: Tom Weiner
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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On the hellish battlefields of World War II Europe, Major Dick Winters led his Easy Company - the now-legendary Band of Brothers - from the confusion and chaos of the D-day invasion to the final capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest. But Winters' story didn't end there; it was only the beginning. He was a quiet, reluctant hero whose modesty and strength drew the admiration of not only his men but millions worldwide.
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This one grows on you
- By David on 09-28-15
By: Cole C. Kingseed
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Operation Snow
- How a Soviet Mole in FDR’s White House Triggered Pearl Harbor
- By: John Koster
- Narrated by: Michael Kramer
- Length: 6 hrs and 23 mins
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On December 7, 1941, the nation of Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and prompted the United States’ entry into the bloodiest war in human history. Americans have long debated the cause of the bombing; many have argued that the attack was a brilliant Japanese military coup or a failure of US intelligence agencies or even a conspiracy of the Roosevelt administration. But despite the attention historians have paid to the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the truth about that fateful day has remained a mystery - until now.
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PUT IT IN THE FILE BLAMING FDR FOR PEARL HARBOR
- By Ron on 11-21-20
By: John Koster
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Trotsky
- Downfall of a Revolutionary
- By: Bertrand M. Patenaude
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins
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In Trotsky: Downfall of a Revolutionary, Stanford University lecturer Bertrand M. Patenaude tells the dramatic story of Leon Trotsky's final years in exile in Mexico. Shedding new light on Trotsky's tumultuous friendship with painter Diego Rivera, his affair with Rivera’s wife Frida Kahlo, and his torment as his family and comrades become victims of the Great Terror, Trotsky: Downfall ofa Revolutionary brilliantly illuminates the fateful and dramatic life of one of history's most famous yet elusive figures.
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Good Trotsky Book, BAD conclusions at end
- By Darius on 02-09-15
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The Devil's Chessboard
- Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government
- By: David Talbot
- Narrated by: Peter Altschuler
- Length: 25 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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An explosive, headline-making portrait of Allen Dulles, the man who transformed the CIA into the most powerful - and secretive - colossus in Washington, from the founder of Salon.com and author of the New York Times best seller Brothers.
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Disturbing. Makes you question the company line.
- By KTS on 02-06-16
By: David Talbot
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Eisenhower in War and Peace
- By: Jean Edward Smith
- Narrated by: Paul Hecht
- Length: 28 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Author of the best-seller FDR, Jean Edward Smith is a master of the presidential biography. Setting his sights on Dwight D. Eisenhower, Smith delivers a rich account of Eisenhower’s life using previously untapped primary sources. From the military service in WWII that launched his career to the shrewd political decisions that kept America out of wars with the Soviet Union and China, Smith reveals a man who never faltered in his dedication to serving America, whether in times of war or peace.
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Good, although biased, biography
- By Mike From Mesa on 10-15-12
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The Good Spy
- The Life and Death of Robert Ames
- By: Kai Bird
- Narrated by: René Ruiz
- Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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The Good Spy is Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Kai Bird’s compelling portrait of the remarkable life and death of one of the most important operatives in CIA history - a man who, had he lived, might have helped heal the rift between Arabs and the West. On April 18, 1983, a bomb exploded outside the American Embassy in Beirut, killing 63 people. The attack was a geopolitical turning point. It marked the beginning of Hezbollah as a political force, but even more important, it eliminated America’s most influential and effective intelligence officer in the Middle East - CIA operative Robert Ames.
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Biased but interesting
- By Peggy on 05-09-18
By: Kai Bird
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Enduring Vietnam
- An American Generation and Its War
- By: James Wright
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 15 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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The Vietnam War is largely recalled as a mistake, either in the decision to engage there or in the nature of the engagement. Or both. Veterans of the war remain largely anonymous figures, accomplices in the mistake. Critically recounting the steps that led to the war, this book does not excuse the mistakes, but it brings those who served out of the shadows. Enduring Vietnam recounts the experiences of the young Americans who fought in Vietnam and of families who grieved those who did not return.
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Great
- By Rebecca Delgado on 03-20-23
By: James Wright
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I KNEW This Book Would Sting Me . . . .
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Understanding Why We failed the People of Vietnam
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All of the reviews are correct.
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Almost as good as The Best and the Brightest
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A Filthy Way to Die
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The author, a retired Navy Commander, presents a unique view of the Vietnam War while providing an understanding of the horror, brutality, chaos, and insanity of war. His interviews with 61 members of the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1965 who served during the war in Vietnam include candid, first-hand accounts of American action on the ground, in the air, on the rivers, and offshore. Their stories involve Marines fighting bloody battles for hills soon abandoned after being captured; Naval aviators watching their wingman being shot down on missions targeting meaningless targets while Hanoi ...
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Mispronunciation of towns, regions, some terms
- By Michael D. Stuart on 04-05-24
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Kill Anything That Moves
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Americans have long been taught that events such as the notorious My Lai massacre were "isolated incidents" in the Vietnam War, carried out by a few "bad apples." However, as award-winning journalist and historian Nick Turse demonstrates in this pioneering investigation, violence against Vietnamese civilians was not at all exceptional. Rather, it was pervasive and systematic, the predictable consequence of official orders to "kill anything that moves."
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A book that shakes you to your core
- By Gary Yevelev on 04-26-15
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Westmoreland's War
- Reassessing American Strategy in Vietnam
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Westmoreland's War is a landmark reinterpretation of one of America's most divisive wars, outlining the multiple, interconnected aspects of American military strategy in Vietnam-combat operations, pacification, nation building, and the training of the South Vietnamese armed forces. Gregory Daddis offers a critical reassessment of one of the defining moments in American history.
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A Different Prospective Of General Westmoreland
- By Steve M on 07-29-23
What listeners say about A Bright Shining Lie
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- CrysMarie
- 01-11-20
Definitely one of THE important books I read this year.
This is really a fantastic piece to have an understanding of Vietnam. This isn't a poisonous manual about why you should hate this war and all wars. It's John Vann's life but it's a great vehicle of how and why things played out how they did.
It may not be what you were told. It may not be what you want to believe. It's worth reading & it's supported.
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- Kludged
- 01-20-20
This is THE book you should read on Vietnam
Powerful, gripping, tragic this is a must read on what happened in Vietnam. John Paul
Vann is a Shakespearean character with more flaws than most, but the author uses his work as a complete parable of what happened to the US in the Vietnam War.
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- Jan Armor
- 04-29-22
A tragic story
A tragic story well documented. Unfortunately we haven’t learned our lesson, probably never will. I was there for One year during Tet. The corruption on both sides made me sick. It all sounded familiar, and brought back the sadness I thought I had left behind from that ugly war.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Lucia Solorzano
- 05-29-21
A Sobering & Incredible Story
What a superbly reported & infuriating story! Sheehan documents a war filled with hubris through the portrait of an insightful but deeply flawed human being. This book remains a meaningful look at war & the lives it wastes and why that happens. A supremely worthy read.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Kialee C
- 10-29-20
Good book
This should be a second of third book on Vietnam if you're already not familiar with the overall saga of the war. Starts a little slow but definitely gets better as you get more invested into John Vann.
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- J. Herbst
- 05-25-16
Epic portrayal of the man and the war...
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the reading. It's an incredible book. I also want to say that having enjoyed a previous reading by Robertson Dean (The Power Broker), I actually sought out books for which he has narrated. The Vietnam War is a subject I can never seem to get enough of, so selecting this book was a no-brainer. I wish Dean narrated every book I was interested in - he's a great voice artist. Overall, the book is an amazing, insightful work. I own the hardcover version, as well.
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-05-18
Quixotic American Hero
Loved it! Being ex-US Army enlisted combat arms in the latter stages of the Vietnam War and later, everyone senior to me had survived at least one tour in 'Nam. Their tales of night patrols, interdiction raids and ARVN incompetence kept us greenies up late at night. This book is one of the best Vietnam era books I've read. Human foibles aside, John Paul Vann was a warrior-patriot loyal to his country.
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- Dominic Sanchez
- 03-15-16
A tale of a man and Vietnam
Great story told through the life of a very talented but flawed man in Vietnam.
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- Ronald G. Shenberger
- 02-12-21
A Bright Shining Lie
I picked this listen up after learning of Neil Shehan's passing. I was expecting a book about the Vietnam War. What was offered was a biography wrapped around that war. Unless Shehan possessed an actual journal of the protagonist, I do not know how he could know the level of detail that is offered from childhood until death. It reads more like a novel than an actual autobiography. It was a good listen and well done. I can recommend it.
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- Sonny Schovanec
- 06-14-22
Great Book
Great Book about the Vietnam War. More historical detail about firefights, battles and the politics of the war.
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