...And a Hard Rain Fell

A GI's True Story of the War in Vietnam

De: John Ketwig

Narrado por: Danny Campbell

A classic, must-listen Vietnam war memoir

The classic Vietnam war memoir, ...and a hard rain fell is the unforgettable story of a veteran's rage and the unflinching portrait of a young soldier's odyssey from the roads of upstate New York to the jungles of Vietnam. Updated for its twentieth anniversary with a new afterword on the Iraq War and its parallels to Vietnam, John Ketwig's message is as relevant today as it was twenty years ago.

"A magnetic, bloody, moving, and worm's-eye view of soldiering in Vietnam, an account that is from the first page to last a wound that can never heal. A searing gift to his country."-Kirkus Reviews

"Solidly effective. He describes with ingenuous energy and authentic language that time and place."-Library Journal

"Perhaps as evocative of that awful time in Vietnam as the great fictions . . . a wild surreal account, at its best as powerful as Celine's darkling writing of World War One."-Washington Post

©2002, 2008 John Ketwig (P)2024 Tantor

His hatred for the military and war

It was a good story. very descriptive I felt like I was there in a lot of the book. Sadly I got the feeling he was angry at me for wanting to hear his story. he had a lot of pent up anger. I'm glad he got it off his chest. I should say I hope he got it off his chest.

Don’t waste your time on this book.

His Pissing and moaning was endless. I went through basic at Fort Brag, yes Fort Bragg not Liberty, sure training was hard but not the Hell he describes. I think his story is embellished with a lot of half truths . He’s not the guy I would have a beer with!

Sobering account of how lives are changed by war and the politics and greed that escalated the conflict to obscene human costs.

Sad and realistic narrative that shouldn’t have happened . For those that missed this conflict because of our age I think back to how Vietnam has scarred us.

Heart wrenching, eloquent, and devastatingly truthful

One of if not the best memoirs I’ve read about the Vietnam War. Immersive. Thought provoking. Honest. A glimpse into the totality of one person’s experience of war, enlistment to present day. Written with an empathetic and truthful lens.

to much whining

the main character whines his way through the story. I know it's his story, but too much for an entire book.

Never had dreams about the emotions I've felt until I read this book. This one is real.

I am an OIF vet and have been listening to Audible for about 15 years. Ive found it a little therapeutic to listen to these "old bread's" stories. I guess its more reassurance that im normal for having these thoughts and mindsets. I just shy away from anything Iraq and Afghanistan. I recently listened to this book from GA to TX on a work trip and got to the 5 hours left mark. I wont finish it.
I have not ever listened to a book that has brought back all the emotions and thoughts a soldier has when in country, assemulating from that environment where chaos is the only normal to one of luxury and not being able to relate with anyone. The book touches on the anger and resentment felt towards civilians who could give a rats a**, as long as their Starbucks order was right, even the reactions to Uncle Sam's green weenie.. BOHICA. This one is raw and real.

How a selfish individual stayed doped up in Vietnam

This has to be the most disgusting personal account of someone's experience in Vietnam. My take home was how a weak individual smoked a lot of dope while in the Army and thinks even now that this is the worst country in the world, and I absolutely do not recommend anyone wasting their $ on this trash

Spoken Like a True REMF

I can't believe I listened to this whole book but I wanted to give the author his due. The more I listened the more disgusted I got. I have several friends who served in the rear in Vietnam and some of them have the same bullshit slant as Mr. Ketwig. This is a very disrespectful book to true Vietnam Combat Veterans and I would not recommend it to anyone!

That black granite wall in Washington is a place to give honor and respect to those who performed their duty in Vietnam.

This book is exhausting……

If the author removed 80% of the whining, this would be a great book. I have four hours left and I don’t know if I’m gonna finish it because I can’t stand all the whining. It’s physically exhausting me hearing him complain all the time. There’s been books where guys have had hand to hand combat for 2 days straight watching their buddies die all around them and they complained a hell of a lot less. This is brutal.

Warped perspective

This story was written by a truck mechanic. There’s loads of innuendo in this story. He falls in love with a bar whore in Malaysia and can’t follow through with his commitment to her. He smokes too much weed and loses perspective. He accomplished nothing in Vietnam and spun this book out of his own frustrations and opium laced beliefs.
There are thousands of Vietnam vets ( I am one) that were proud of what they did there to support the mission we had. I cannot recommend this book to anyone, especially a vet.