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Going After Cacciato |
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Tim O'Brien |
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National Book Award Winner
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Reading a little like Catch-22 by Heller, passing in and out of reality and different times, Going After Cacciato is an engaging and animated story about Vietnam. In it, Cacciato, a young, dumb kid, decides to walk to Paris from Vietnam. His squad, led by the aged Lieutenant Corson, follows him on the more than 8,000 mile trek accross China, India, Afhanistan, Greece, Switzerland, Luxembourg and finally France. The story is told from Spec Four Paul Berlin's point of view, or at least, with his inner thoughts and monologues. During the mission, a Vietnamese refugee named Sarkin Aung Wan joins the ragtag group with dreams of living in Paris with Spec Four, as she calls Berlin. Weaving past with present, this is a major accomplishment from a master writer. It is not very violent, yet very real, and should be read by anyone looking to discover another side to the enigmatic conflict known as the Vietnam War. "Leading to the mountains were four klicks of level paddy. The mountains jerked straight out of the rice; beyond those mountains and other mountains was Paris. The tops of the mountains could not be seen for the mist and clouds. Everywhere the war was wet." Readers might also enjoy: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
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