Lieutenant Dangerous

A Vietnam War Memoir

By: Jeff Danziger

Narrated by: Jeff Danziger

Length: 5 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

"A must-read war memoir...with zero punches pulled, related by one of the most incisive observers of the American political scene." (Kirkus, starred review)

"Funny, biting, thoughtful and wholly original." (Tim O'Brien, author of The Things They Carried)

Jeff Danziger, one of the leading political cartoonists of his generation, captures the fear, sorrow, absurdity, and unintended but inevitable consequences of war with dark humor and penetrating moral clarity.

If there is any discipline at the start of wars it dissipates as the soldiers themselves become aware of the pointlessness of what they are being told to do.

A conversation with a group of today’s military-age men and women about America’s involvement in Vietnam inspired Jeff Danziger to write about his own wartime experiences: “War is interesting,” he reveals, “if you can avoid getting killed, and don’t mind loud noises.”

Fans of his cartooning will recognize his mordant humor applied to his own wartime training and combat experiences: “I learned, and I think most veterans learn, that making people or nations do something by bombing or sending in armed troops usually fails.”

Near the end of his telling, Danziger invites his audience—in particular the young friends who inspired him to write this informative and rollicking memoir—to ponder: “What would you do?... Could you summon the bravery—or the internal resistance—to simply refuse to be part of the whole idiotic theater of the war?... Or would you be like me?”

©2021 Jeff Danziger (P)2021 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Lieutenant Dangerous is, the author notes, a "sad story, full of waste and loss." It's powerful. Put it next to Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried" on your bookshelf.”—Laurie Hertzel, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

An "important book . . . at times mordantly funny, at others sparking with anger."—The Washington Post

"By turns funny, sad, horrifying, and thought-provoking . . . reads like a cross between Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 and the television show M.A.S.H.”—The Christian Science Monitor

Quick listen, a bit choppy storyline

Better than I expected - worth a read/listen. Very frank recounting of one soldier’s experience in Vietnam and the Army. A few places the story could have been edited better but overall pleasant and easy to listen to.

Excellent

This was so much better than many of the other Vietnam books I have read. Thanks.

timely memoir

given the Afghan fiasco this personal account of futility of Vietnam is a reminder of the lessons we SHOULD have learned but didn't heed!

Good perspective

Incredible book that I learned a lot about that time in American history. But the conclusions about the future of the army and parallels with other wars interesting but not supported.

A look to the past, a warning for the future.

A sad and scary story of the past and the future. The voice is clear and understandable.

WOW

Im not sure what to think. I understand why he is so negative on America but this is still the best country in the world. I dont know if he believes that.

One of the best

He’s a wonderful narrator for his own experience. Sardonic sarcastic moving and angry. I loved it and loved his encounter with Neil Sheehan too. I wish him well and hope he has found some peace

Don't waste your time

Full of inaccuracies. If you are antiwar, antimilitary, and anti-America, then this is the book for you.

Fact or Fiction. What army was this guy in?

Danziger says over and over that he hated the military. I spent time in the US Army at the same time he did. I found some small bits and pieces that did not work as well as they should. If they were in my area of authority I did my best to fix the problem. I managed to live through combat while acting as a responsible and competent officer. I send my door gunner and crew chief Christmas presents. They saved my and their lives more than once. He started his enlistment with a lie. He took the oath with no intention of honoring it.

A holier-than-thou memoir

Author's elitist attitude towards his fellow servicemen was wholly distasteful. While the US military certaonly has its share of deficiencies, Danziger paints everyone other than himself as the problem.