House to House: Playing the Enemy's Game in Saigon, May 1968 (ISBN 0760323305)

Accurate and Not Pretty:
Well written, well researched and best of all an accurate and not pretty description of what we all know was an very ugly war. I was there. Dustoff Freddy

Excellent coverage of Mini-Tet:
This book provides an excellent overview of a little known battle during the Viet Nam war, Mini Tet. It is, however, more than a simple account of a battle; it provides one of the best explanations I have read on why the battle occurred and why the North Vietnamese were successful in winning the all important "hearts and minds" battle for the citizens of Saigon. The book was particularly interesting to me as a soldier who took part in the battle. Many of the names and places were familiar to me, but like many "grunts" I knew very little of what was actually going on. This book finally explained what I was doing and why.

House to House:
Well written. Readership for Vietnam War may be flagging due to focus on Iraq. Key characters well portrayed but minor characters sometimes appear to be confusing as if author is attempting to acknowledge absolutely everyone he has interviewed. The result is a need to reread some pages to straighten out the narrative. Some tendency to be negative about higher ranking seniors who may simply be doing their jobs but may have, in the process, offended those who are excessively critical of them.

Unflinching:
A brutal and unflinching chronicle of house-to-house fighting in the Cholon District of Saigon during May 1968. A grunt's eye-view of war. Extensive interviews with 9th Infantry vets add depth and a 'you-are-there' feeling. Another great job by Nolan.

Time Warp: Remembering Saigon:
Keith Nolan's book, "House to House" is a vivid account of the Battle of South Saigon which occurred in early May of 1968. It is compounded out of scraps of interviews from persons who were there and, supposedly, from official records such as unit journals and after-action reports. The author, however, was not there. The book captures some of the violence and confusion of the battlefield, often to the point of exaggeration. Perhaps this could not be helped. The official records were exaggerated. Memory warps with the passage of time which results in sequences of events and time lines becoming distorted. The author sometimes relies on the recollections of a single witness when characterizing certain persons, including myself, and makes no effort at balance. In my case, he used the device of a pseudonymn to mask a package of falsehoods which resulted in a complete mis-characterization amounting to libel. The theme and tone of the entries indicate that he relied on a single informant and he made no attempt to interview me in order to get a more balanced view of the events of 7-10 May. That is bad journalism. And it distorts history. I took over a company of men during a battle within 24 hours of arriving in the unit and got them through a difficult period of time consisting of three actions in four days with a minimum of loss. No one died under my command. I am proud of that. When the final accounts are tallied, simple good sense counts for more than than the rashness which filled too many graves. Willard F. Hinkley