The Sorrow of War Audiobook By Bao Ninh cover art

The Sorrow of War

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The Sorrow of War

By: Bao Ninh
Narrated by: James Langton
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Bao Ninh, a former North Vietnamese soldier, provides a strikingly honest look at how the Vietnam War forever changed his life, his country, and the people who live there. Originally published against government wishes in Vietnam because of its nonheroic, nonideological tone, The Sorrow of War has won worldwide acclaim and become an international best seller.

©1991 Bao Ninh (P)2015 Tantor Biographical Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction War & Military Biography War Witty Emotionally Gripping China Imperial Japan

Critic reviews

"An unputdownable novel. It should win the Pulitzer Prize." ( The Guardian)

Featured Article: The Best Vietnam War Audiobooks, Fiction and Nonfiction


Over the past four decades, many people have written about the Vietnam War in an effort to make sense of the raging debates, the staggering death and destruction, and the lingering trauma. History is often complicated, biased, or missing key information, especially when it comes to war. Arm yourself with comprehensive knowledge of the conflict with our selection of titles detailing the Vietnam War, from fiction to nonfiction, personal stories to histories.

Featured Article The Best Vietnam War Audiobooks Fiction and Nonfiction
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I wish everyone could read this book. strangely enough I was reading it while watching Ken Burns Vietnam. the words of the author we're in perfect harmony with the words of our own soldiers

Wow!

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In May,1968, I was a 22 year old Marine infantry platoon commander. After one particular firefight I was searching the pockets of a dead NVA soldier looking for items of intelligence value like a diary. In the pockets of this one soldier I found a diary, a fountain pen, and then a photo which took my breath away. It showed him with his wife and two little kids, all smiling happily. I looked back at his expressionless face and, in my mind, spoke to him, saying,”I’m sorry you had to die today. Neither of us wanted to be here. I too have a wife and hope someday to have children like you.” Then the awfulness of the war washed over me. I’ve thought often about that brave former enemy. When I read “The Sorrow of War” I felt that it was him finally answering me, especially in this one passage:
“...he knew it wasn’t true that young Vietnamese loved war. Not true at all. If war came they would fight, and fight courageously. But that didn’t mean they loved fighting.
No. The ones who loved war were not the young men but the others like the politicians, middle-aged men with fat bellies and short legs. Not the ordinary people. The recent years of war had brought them enough suffering and pain to last them a thousand years.”
This book brought me a great deal of peace. I visited Vietnam a year ago. I wished I could bring my former foe back to life so we could be friends. That wish too is part of the sorrow of war.

My dead former enemy was speaking to me!

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This book is in the same league as All Quiet on the Western Front and even Forgotten Soldier. It was a far more coherent version of The things we carried and the prose if this book kept me glued to every word. A real classic.

An amazing book. I have read so many books from another perspective and this one blew my mind.

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I read the due to the fact that it had received so many favorable reviews from American authors such as Karl Marlantes who also served. I am very glad that I did. It is s very compelling and interesting book. As a Vietnam veteran myself I was surprised how much the then young North Vietnamese soldiers had in common with those who of were once young American soldiers. One of the best books ever written on the impact of post traumatic stress on those who experienced war.

A Book for Veterans Everywhere

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I have listened to over 60 books this year. nothing else came close. it should be ready in every US military school

Best Book I Read in 2022

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Would you listen to The Sorrow of War again? Why?

This is a hard book to digest in just one hearing or reading. It is profoundly sad and it is also a complex story.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Sorrow of War?

The train ride to the front line is haunting. Many things happen to the main character and his girlfriend -- mostly all bad.

Which character – as performed by James Langton – was your favorite?

Langton does a great job of switching to a female/lighter voice that permits suspended disbelief when he portrays females and some of the younger or weaker soldiers.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

The negative impact of war is greatly underestimated.

Any additional comments?

Especially interesting for Americans to hear the North Vietnamese perspective.

Amazing book -- touching narration

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This is an interesting book, sometimes hard to follow. As you get towards the end you start to understand, locking in all of your interest.

the book is interesting, but hard to follow

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