Overall rating and opinion of "Deadly Waters" by Randy Miller

Use this forum to discuss the November 2019 Book of the month, "Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War And Its Aftermath", by Randy Miller.
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djr6090
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Re: Overall rating and opinion of "Deadly Waters" by Randy Miller

Post by djr6090 »

Clemens Nickleby wrote: 01 Dec 2019, 20:08 War stories are always hard to read, but one usually comes away inspired by the courage of those who sacrifice and serve despite major obstacles. This book captured a slice of American history very thoroughly through its deep characterization and description of civilian and military culture and attitudes. Dialect is always a great way to enrich characterization, but it can sometimes be hard to achieve in print. Mr. Miller pulled it off superbly. Mr. Miller also gave very detailed and descriptive portrayals of what it is actually like to serve and fight onboard a Naval vessel. I enjoyed the book, but I did not enjoy the ending, and actually felt that it was not consistent with the main character's personality. In some ways, the story smacked of mild propaganda, leading the reader to the author's chosen conclusion. For any veterans, I would warn them away from the VA and encourage them to get help outside of their system, as it is a large socialist bureaucracy that does not have a good track record in effectively treating the servicemen in their care. I think Mr. Miller could have made his case stronger if he had included a little more information about Dioxin, its uses, and consequences. I would have enjoyed reading more about the people inside the VA who were battling to help the vets in their claims. Overall though, it's a good book and a beautiful snapshot of American life during the Viet Nam War.
I agree with about the part on people inside the VA battling to help the vets. They must be there somewhere.
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Post by anitamills293 »

I haven't finished reading the book yet, I began few days ago. But it's very good written!
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Post by mensah2 »

As long as it is war and action I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. It is action filled and very entertaining. I highly recommend it to all action lovers.
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Post by LyorBoone »

It's a great book for illustrating all the possible horrors of war. And it's pretty frightening how the country that spends the most on defense doesn't always take care of its soldiers. The story from beginning to end is a great one to ponder, and it concludes well, though not the happiest of endings. The only thing I find lacking is the unfocused journey in between. The story told from letters often feel unneeded, but some of the unfocused story points would make for great discussion in a history class. And the social commentary from it would benefit our school system greatly, seeing how social causes with good intentions can go on to act in extreme ways such as the devaluing of a human life, throwing ice cream on a poor veteran, just because they are on the opposite side of the spectrum from their view points. I one that likes to believe we are a more tame society now, but occasionally the news with have stories that break my suspension of disbelief. I find it to be a very relevant read!
“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme” - Mark Twain. Dare we say the same thing about every story that gets told in the world?
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Chipochashe
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Post by Chipochashe »

The book has a lot of positive comments. War is not an attractive topic for me, but it seems to be interesting and emotionally involving. i will consider reading it.
:D Only God gives the strength to smile in the face of death.
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IfeomaD
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Post by IfeomaD »

I love the writing style of the author. I don't really know much about war and the effect of war on soldiers and I'm glad I read the book. The book is very emotional and I love the characters. The story is well written and blended together.
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ReneeBrown
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Post by ReneeBrown »

I have always been interested in the Vietnam war so this book was a must read for me.
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ReneeBrown
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Post by ReneeBrown »

IfeomaD wrote: 21 Dec 2019, 02:09 I love the writing style of the author. I don't really know much about war and the effect of war on soldiers and I'm glad I read the book. The book is very emotional and I love the characters. The story is well written and blended together.
I also really enjoyed the writing style of the author. It is for sure a well-written book.
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Post by Tehreem_Khan »

I haven't read it yet, but based on the reviews and recommendations, I think I'll have to make space for it. It looks promising, especially the context of Vietnam War.
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Post by Nikolas Farmakis »

I rated this book with 3 out of 4 stars. I think this is a great book that shows the horrors that veteran sailors underwent in the Vietnam naval war. What I liked most about this book was that it was full of suspense, tension, and drama, as the author packed this book with action. It was a book that I found difficult to put down. I disliked the fact that it contained errors, and the words with an accent were also hard to read. I would recommend it to readers, especially to older veterans, as they will be able to relate to what the author is writing about.
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Post by N_R »

I always think that veterans rarely get the recognition that they need after they have endured such tragedies. I think that any book that highlights their challenges and ghosts needs to be read by all.
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Post by lucia_kizas »

I don't usually read war books or watch war movies... I think those are the worst moments of human history, but if the book is as emotional as I have noticed from the reviews and impressions, I might give it a try.
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gen_g
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Post by gen_g »

I haven't read this book yet, but I must say that I have seen quite a number of positive reviews. Might give this a go when I get the time!
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Post by solemn »

This is my first book by Randy Miller, and it was wonderfully written, with a heart-wrenching, engaging plot and endearing characters. I finished the book over the course of one day, which shows how much I withdrew from reality to enjoy it.
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Post by Nyambura Githui »

The author did a great job on the characters. The characters are very well developed and realistic.
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