Street Without Joy

The French Debacle in Indochina

By: Bernard B. Fall

Narrated by: Derek Perkins

Length: 13 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

In this classic account of the French war in Indochina, Bernard B. Fall vividly captures the sights, sounds, and smells of the savage eight-year conflict in the jungles and mountains of Southeast Asia from 1946 to 1954. The French fought well to the last, but even with the lethal advantages of airpower, they could not stave off the Communist-led Vietnamese nationalists, who countered with a hit-and-run campaign of ambushes, booby traps, and nighttime raids. Defeat came at Dien Bien Phu, in 1954, setting the stage for American involvement and opening another tragic chapter in Vietnam's history.

©1964 Bernard B. Fall (P)2013 Tantor

In 1964 this was our Vietnam textbook

September 1964 I graduated from Infantry OCS at Fort Benning Georgia. The US involvement in Vietnam consisted of Special Forces advisors, but we were fairly certain that we would end up in Vietnam. We knew very little of how the Viet Cong or the North Vietnamese regulars operated, and this was our textbook, but I failed to pay attention. I was ready to go to war. November 1965 I was a platoon leader in the First Infantry Division, the first part of our buildup in Vietnam. Two months later I was at Walter Reed Army Hospital after encountering an anti-personnel device. Three months after that my replacement was killed in an ambush. Indeed our involvement in Vietnam was a Street Without Joy. An excellent book, and a very professional narration by Derek Perkins. Just learn from it.

Great Background to Subsequent Books

If you're interested in one of the later books on Vietnam such as Sheehan's or Karnow's, this is an excellent background on the French experience with colonial Vietnam before, during, and after WWII, and how it led to the transition to American involvement.The book is a little technical, and may seem obscure, but I would recommend powering through it before one of the later books on the U.S. in Vietnam, as it will lend excellent context.

will we never learn?

We are, sadly, repeating the mistakes of the Vietnam war in the Middle East - i.e. seeking a military solution to a political dilemma. Our officers in Iraq should have been reading STREET WITHOUT JOY instead of SEVEN PILLARS OF WISDOM!

The Neverending Debacle

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

It was, but I think I'll have to spend more time listening to it again, as I frequently do with histories. It's hard to keep things straight, partially because it's hard to keep a timeline in one's head as the events go from disaster to disaster. What's a flash-back? What's in order? I'm not sure.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

A better flow time-wise would be better. It's hard to keep all the place names straight and move from one event to another, unsure if they're directly connected, how they relate to each other... sometimes it's clear. Other times, not so much.

Which character – as performed by Derek Perkins – was your favorite?

His French accent is great so any time there's an actual conversation, he adds flavor to it quite well.

Did Street Without Joy inspire you to do anything?

It inspired me to read more about the French war in Vietnam.

Any additional comments?

Generally, this is an interesting subject and really shows how skilled, operationally, Giap was. He made mistakes, but the strategic plan was spot-on.

Still great after all these years.

What did you love best about Street Without Joy?

It showed how a great military force that adapted to the terrain still got beaten. The French forces were made up of so many brilliant soldiers and they were creative in dealing with their enemies, but were undone by political factors that they did face, but not as well as their enemies.

Excellent

an exceptional and almost wholly unbiased analysis of the French war in Vietnam from 1946 to 1954, with its major focus on the French operations from 51 to 54. the book is written as a manual for politicians and soldiers fighting a revolutionary war. one if the best I've ever read.

A truly prophetic book

Bernard Fall becomes a prophet regarding the wars in Vietnam. Unfortunately, he died during the American Vietnam War, but he has left a legacy of prophecy regarding western involvement in Southeast Asia; specifically Vietnam. Exquisitely documented, Fall describes the military and political failures of the French in trying to hold on to their Indochina Colony. Most American military officers have read this book, unfortunately after the war had ended; they, along with their enlisted counterparts, they clearly agree that the French disasters described in the book, re-awakened during the American attempt to westernize Vietnam. "Street Without Joy" is a testament, although barely heeded, to politicians who want to convert the world to their ideals and systems of government.

Great firsthand insight to first indochina war

Bernard Fall gives a great firsthand perspective of the French conflict in Indochina. He also provides a brief glimpse into how America was slowly pulled into the conflict.

A Must Read

This man knew more in early 1960's on the geopolitical landscape of Southeast Asia than most experts today. Fascinatining, insightful, brilliant.

Street Without Joy: The French Debacle in Indochin

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

a very good book about the roots of the american vietnam war. great narrative and entertaining person gallery.

Missed opportunity for the US

Would you listen to Street Without Joy again? Why?

I have read this at least three times and will do so again.

What other book might you compare Street Without Joy to, and why?

The Last Valley by Martin Windrow. Windrow revisits the pre-cusors to Dien Bien Phu, the battle itself and the aftermath. Although written thirty years later when considerably more French and North Vietnamese governmental records were available, the foundational details remain the same with similar, if not the same conclusions.

What about Derek Perkins’s performance did you like?

It was fine.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Complete puzzlement in how the battle came to pass and the fact that US did not learn from the mistakes of the French in Indo-China.

Any additional comments?

A thumpingly good book.

Old Indochina Hand tells it like it was

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Fascinating listening, especially as it was written just before America's involvement in Vietnam began to involve putting lots of combat units on the ground. The author was killed by a landmine on the titular street without joy in 1967 which gives this work an added dimension.I think it bears up really well and was gripped from start to finish.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The author himself, who isn't shy of talking about his own experiences and opinions

What about Derek Perkins’s performance did you like?

His voice is a good choice, his pronunciation practiced and he even gets away with doing a few accents

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Before the war you knew, there was the one you don't

Any additional comments?

I hope there are more audiobooks from this author on here

Book without a soul

Had the book's own intro not been so gushing in self praise, maybe I'd be less disappointed.
It's a disjointed collection of "stuff that happened" with no attempt to connect to the human tragedy. Phenomenal grasp of stats, dates and data - totally lacking in any connection to the people who fought it. The author's lack of sympathy with the Vietnamese cause translates into a total failure to communicate the scale of their achievement. Installing artillery around Dien Bien Phu was a task akin to building the pyramids - Fall talks about it like it was a supermarket delivery. There's a short para at the end that attempts to dismiss the claim that had France granted HCM independence - this and what followed could have been avoided. It's trite and unconvincing.
The translation is lazy - the montagnards were mountain tribes - not mountaineers. .
Then there's the narrator - by far and away the worst performance I've heard. His French accent is inspired by Sellars' Clouseau - even then he can't hold it for full sentences on many occasions. His pronunciation of Hue is unique - in fact every Asian word is spat out as though he is thrilled to be rid of it. He should have done the whole thing in his English accent or better still passed on the assignment.
Hastings and Sheehan are far better writers on the subject - even handed and able to communicate the terrible sacrifice of soldiers - and the cynical incompetence of the western politicians.

Excellent analysis still relevent today (sadly)

Well written, well read book. The book contains a good mix of background contextual information, details of individual key participants, personal anecdotes of Bernard's time in the region. The tragedy unfolds and keeps unfolding right to the end. I wasn't expecting the book to go as far as the early 60's, which was a bonus, and unfortunately becomes a prophesy for the avoidable bloodshed of the 70's.

The real tragedy of this book is that the lessons have still not been learnt by the western leaders even today :-(

Excellent

Loved it!
Most memorable moment? The tennis match.
Like to see " Hell In a Very Small Place" on Audible. Fall s account of the battle of Dien Bien Phu.

Compelling

Found this a very interesting take on what would be the build up to a bigger conflict in SE Asia.
Considering when it was written I found all the information useful and very gripping.

great.

the French armies struggle in Indochina was costly .
there failure to adapt and their arrogance was ultimately there undoing..

rinse repeat... America..

Excellent listening

Informative
Contemporary first hand account reflects the conflict and writing style of the period. Like pretty much all post WWII conflicts fought by the West bar America, carried out on a shoe string budget and demonstrating the futility of the dying colonial era.

Great story, terrible pronunciation

Great book, still the best account of the French debacle in Indochina and although quite well read with the assumed French accent bringing the oral history to life, the pronunciation of Vietnamese place names and other nouns is unforgivably bad!

Fascinating

What did you like most about Street Without Joy?

Clearly the history. It is a war which is rarely discussed, especially with the American involvement so soon afterwards. This was written while the US was still in Vietnam so his descriptions of the combat and conditions resonate with what we know of the US War.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Street Without Joy?

The story of the Jewish refugee from WWII who found his way into the French Foreign Legion and into Vietnam to confront an enemy from his past. That is a story crying out for a film to be made.

What about Derek Perkins’s performance did you like?

It wasn't business like which some historical narrations can be, he came across as interested in what he was reading.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The suffering on all sides was terrible.

Any additional comments?

Fine historical knowledge gained from this book particularly so as the war isn't that well covered. I learned things I hadn't known and my respect and pity for the French soldiers as well as admiration for the Vietnamese has increased tenfold.

It is also interesting to note that the US repeated so many of the French failures in Vietnam while the VC kept to broadly the same tactics. The blurb for the book states this is now required reading at American military schools as examples of counter insurgency successes and failures. I would hope such lessons are learned well to keep American soldiers safe in current wars.