DispatchesDispatches
Score Classic
What it's about
Michael Herr went to Vietnam in 1967 as a correspondent for Esquire and stayed through the siege of Khe Sanh, the Tet Offensive and the battle for Hue. Instead of news, he wrote about what the war felt like to the young soldiers fighting it: the fear, the drugs, the rock music, the dark humor and the strangeness.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Guardian's list of the best nonfiction of all time and is often called the best book about the Vietnam War. Herr went on to write narration for Apocalypse Now and co-write Full Metal Jacket.
You'll love it if you liked
The Things They Carried
The Sympathizer
Catch-22Good to know
It's fragmented and hallucinatory rather than a history. Violence and profanity are everywhere.
By the numbers
- Readers82 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics80 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller12 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #47 of the 198 history books we rank
- #78 of the 762 classics we rank
- #251 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
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Quick answers
Is Dispatches worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Guardian's list of the best nonfiction of all time and is often called the best book about the Vietnam War. It ranks #251 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 82.6 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Dispatches about?
Michael Herr went to Vietnam in 1967 as a correspondent for Esquire and stayed through the siege of Khe Sanh, the Tet Offensive and the battle for Hue. Instead of news, he wrote about what the war felt like to the young soldiers fighting it: the fear, the drugs, the rock music, the dark humor and the strangeness.
How long does it take to read Dispatches?
About 7 hours (297 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Dispatches?
If you liked it, try The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen or Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.