| |  | Author: Dieter Dengler
Publisher: Presidio Press
Category: Book
Buy New: $16.50
New (3) Used (8) from $16.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  16 reviews
Sales Rank: 112269
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 228
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 9 x 6 x 1
ISBN: 089141293X
Dewey Decimal Number: 959.70437
EAN: 9780891412939
ASIN: 089141293X
Publication Date: January 14, 1997
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Most powerful book I've ever read. August 13, 2006
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
Mine will be the eleventh review of this book and consistent with my reviewing colleagues, I too give this masterpiece a 5-star rating. So, Dieter, wherever you are, you are 11 for 11. Not too shabby. (For those of you who didn't know, Dieter passed away in 2001 from ALS.)
But what's so good about it? In a word, honesty. He simply told it like it happened, confident the story would do the work. No bluster, no bravado, and best of all, it does not read like a medal citation the way so many first-hand accounts of this genre do. Just simple honesty.
A collateral benefit of this story is how different we modern westerners are from the Third World. Today, we struggle over dealing with unsavory characters, whether torture can play a valid role in the 'War on Terror,' whether it's okay to incarcerate someone without due process. People of the Third World would think those issues are absurd, they have no such issues, might is right. I hope we continue to struggle and I hope we ultimately get the right answer because I shudder to think what kind of a nation we would become if we allow ourselves to lapse into the Third World's law of the bush.
Third worlders aren't all bad. Dieter himself was surprised at the impact the occasional act of kindness had on him as he moved through his gaunlet of horror. And these acts were by no means casual. If the perpetrators had been caught, they would have been severely punished, possibly executed.
Bottom line: if you have a copy, keep it safe. This book is not likely to be reprinted anytime soon.
-- Ejner Fulsang, author of "A Knavish Piece of Work," Aarhus Publishing
Remember the 377 August 20, 2004
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
This reviewer has read several P.O.W. tales. Each is disturbing yet stirring. Each paints a picture of physical and mental courage in face of overwhelming physical, military, personal odds. What sets "Escape from Laos" apart is the sheer mystery surrounding the Indochina war in that mysterious landlocked country. Even those of us who served in Vietnam (but were spared combat) can at least relate geographically to many stories. We could locate Cu Chi, An Khe and Khe Sanh on a map. But Laos? To orientate ourselves, EFL is the tale of a Navy Pilot, Dieter Dengler and his escape from a Pathet Lao POW camp in eastern Laos. My edition's one map shed no further geopgrapical light on the situation. Inferior maps no longer surprise this reviewer. Dengler escapes his surprisingly undisciplined guards easily enough. But what amazes the reader, almost boggles the mind, is the sheer geographical challenge he faced. Could remotest and wildest Vietnam be so brutal? And how did the guy feed himself in the bush and deal with the "animal creatures" encountered along the way. I wasn't aware-but surprised! - That the PL and VC tried to lure rescue choppers to their doom with phony escapees signaling for rescue. I also wasn't aware -but was surprised -that POWs ATE the rats they captured! We gave them to our mamasan to dump. Dengler (obviously) made it to freedom but his good news opens up another unpleasant subject. Over 500 men went missing in Laos. We know that our sniveling Ambassador to Vientiane, one William Sullivan, actively discouraged rescue operations. But only 10 men emerged alive from the 500! One was Dengler.9 more were released but via HANOI! Where are the others? At the time of this review, 377 men remain unaccounted for in Laos. It is sad and strange that such a wonderful tale has to share such an unpleasant spotlight but we simply cannot ignore the other MIAs. Yet the bottom line here is Dengler. His heroic escape should be an inspiration to all of us. He is a shining credit to this country and to the Navy. Period!
Haunting, rare first-hand account. March 3, 2002
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Approximately 600 American pilots were shot down in Laos, but just 10 or so came out alive. Mr. Dengler's account is like a vivid nightmare. I read it years ago after discovering it at the library and have never forgotten it. It's even more haunting to think of the fate of those pilots who survived yet never escaped.
Could not put this book down until 3 in the morning. August 15, 1999
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
I had met the author about 10 years ago through a family relative. Did not know of his hair raising Viet Nam saga until after several months later. I received a signed copy from him and started reading late one night. I had to pry the book out of my hands at 3 am. I finished the book the next evening. It is the most riveting account I have ever read. A tremendous account of triumph over an impossible situation. By a grateful friend.
Rivetting, insightful, inspirational March 14, 1999
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
As a US Navy SEAL in the post-Viet Nam era, I had heard Dengler's name often mentioned as a pioneer in the development of survival, evasion, resistance and escape (SERE) training. I was fascinated by reading about Dengler's actual experiences; those same events and challenges that were so costly for him personally but that provided a cornerstone in the training of others who may one day face similar trials.
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