Medic!: The Story of a Conscientious Objector in the Vietnam War | 
 enlarge | Author: Ben Sherman
Publisher: Presidio Press
Category: Book
List Price: $6.99
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Avg. Customer Rating:  17 reviews
Sales Rank: 195300
Media: Mass Market Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 304
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.9
ISBN: 0891418482
Dewey Decimal Number: 959.7043092
EAN: 9780891418481
ASIN: 0891418482
Publication Date: June 1, 2004
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
“An amazing book with an ending that made my jaw drop. A vivid glimpse into the experience of a human mind in the Vietnam War.” —Andrew Wakeling, 18 “I'd like to see this read in high school history classes covering the Vietnam War period, read by young men AND young women.” —Ginny Wakeling, his Mom “I don’t usually read books outside school, but I couldn’t put this one down. My dad and I need to talk.” —Ryan Forest, 19 “This guy got it right. I know. I was a medic too. Yes, my son and I need to have the talk I’ve been avoiding for thirty years.” —Don Forest, his Dad “Everyone who has registered in the Selective Service should read this book. I also found that my mother (48 years old) liked the book a lot. Maybe it shouldn’t only be targeted at just men.” —Angela Lopez
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| Customer Reviews: Read 12 more reviews...
 I love his writing style September 30, 2008
I have only read two books, in my twenty five years, from cover to cover. Both took nearly two months to complete, I'd read ten minutes at a time, or more.
I had been browsing through Borders, on Saturday evening, looking for Candy Bombers. They didn't have it. While I was faux browsing, waiting for someone to move, something popped out on the shelf. Medic! I work as an EMT in a small town, very rural, area. That had nothing to do with my interest, I just threw it in there. Members of my family had been in every way, for the past 150 years. Literally. They were killed at Five Points, Virginia, in the Civil War; Sainteny, France; and Cambodia. The last, was a feature of a thirty-years later, letter, that made national news. I'm fond of Military history, battlefield medicine, that laid the path for my career today, in Emergency Medical Services.
I'm a picky reader, and I'm critical of authors, their style either grabs me, or pushes me away. I have hundreds of books that I bought, only to use a paragraph, dozens that pushed me away, two that I enjoyed. Thousands in all, enough to have a library, in my home. I'm an author myself, co-author, I've written hundreds of articles and essays, and publish two books. I'm not great, I just have a really good hobby, and I can type.
Nearly ten hours ago, I sat down to finally read my September copy of JEMS. The Journal of Emergency Medical Services. I wasn't comfortable, I looked around, and laid down JEMS. I picked up Medic!, and now it's quarter to three on a Tuesday morning.
I read Medic!, in just under ten hours. Good book, skilled author. I'm posting it to a friend that is stationed over seas in the morning. Good literature must not sit on a shelf, it should be passed on.
very well written August 5, 2007
When I first started reading this book I couldn't put it down and was disappointed that it wasn't very long. Since I finished it, I have reread parts of it because I like them so much. "Medic" is written like a novel (as was mentioned in previous reviews), which makes the book extremely easy to read, since it's more than a list of what the author did. The fact that the book seems like a novel is not a fault. It allows you to get into the book and I don't think that the historical value of the narrative was diminished by it. I got into all of the characters in the book, all of whom were portrayed in good detail. The characters and their plights gave good insight into how war affects those involved emotionally. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a good book or who is interested in Vietnam War literature.
 "We're here for each other ..." August 1, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Ben Sherman was a conscientious objector who nonetheless served in Vietnam as a medic. As a combat medic myself, much of what he retells here is spot on. However, parts of the book seemed a bit contrived, hence the 3 stars.
Sherman's courage is beyond reproach - to go into a combat zone unarmed (even as a medic) takes real stones. The fear, apprehension and constant wondering if he was "good enough" to do right by his soldiers was eerily familiar. His anguish and self-blame at those he could not save speaks volumes about his character. The descriptions of Vietnam and of his experiences in (and out) of combat are vivid. However more than once I couldn't help but think that he was retelling sea-stories or dramatizing - particularly in the epilogue where he retells meeting the family of a fallen comrade. While this may have happened, it seems inplausable and feels as if it were written for emotional impact.
Volumes have been written about Vietnam, many of them memoirs from those who served on the ground. While _Medic!_ offers a new perspective (from that of a CO - conscientious objector), it is not among the better of the lot.
Memoir or novel? August 20, 2006
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Reviewer Mazza (11.15.04) mentions that the book "reads more like a novel than a memoir." Exactly, and that's the problem---which is it? As reviewer Bunch (1.24.06) notes, there are several events that don't ring true. For example, in 1985 the author and a friend visited a deserted Wall at 10 o'clock at night. As he knelt and wept in front of the name of a soldier whose life he had been unable to save in `69, who should appear but that same man's mother and brother (to whom he apparently said nothing). There are many books written by Vietnam vets. Read this one if you aren't troubled by repeated dramatic coincidences.
unique, interesting perspective of vietnam August 8, 2006
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
I found the book to be a pretty sharp criticism of the U.S. Army and how it treated its own soldiers. The fact that Sherman was in more danger from his fellow G.I.s than the Viet Cong is very troubling but we hear these stories all the time.
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