THE CAT FROM HUE: A Vietnam War Story

The cat is the least of it in this terrific, if overlong, opus that evokes the Vietnam War from an on-the-ground TV correspondent's point of view. During the war, Laurence put in three tours of television duty in the war for CBS News. He provides riveting, searingly evocative depictions of the U.S. Army, Marines and South Vietnamese Army in action in the American war's early days (1965–1966), at its height (in 1968) and during the 1970 Cambodian incursion. Laurence and his crew specialized in covering the war up close, and he saw more than his share of action. His depiction of the bloody 1968 battle of Hue—which Laurence accurately calls an "urban brawl between two armed and largely adolescent tribes, a street fight of fast action and merciless bloodletting"—is frighteningly realistic. Laurence spices his extremely readable narrative with many direct quotes taken from his audio and videotapes of the fighting men in action and, later, as they reflect on the war and their parts in it. He also gives a clear picture of his day-to-day life in the war zone, along with revealing wartime portraits of many other Vietnam War correspondents and photographers, including Peter Arnett, Morley Safer, R.W. Apple Jr., Gloria Emerson and others. Aside from the unrevealing title, the only problem with this book is Laurence's penchant for cramming in vignettes, as if he couldn't bear to leave anything out, perhaps telling us too much about himself in the process. High on the superfluous list is virtually the entire cat story, which involved Laurence's adopting and shipping home a bedraggled feline he rescued from the battle of Hue. Buffs will be riveted, though—as will anyone who survived the era. (Sept.)

Forecast:Look for steady sales among regular readers of Vietnamiana and excellent coverage via Laurence's media cronies. Despite its size, this book is a possible breakout among boomers, if not among those on either end of the age spectrum.