Of Rice and Men
A Novel of Vietnam
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Of Rice and Men
Narrated by:
Paul Michael
Buy Now for £12.99
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Narrated by:
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Paul Michael
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By:
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Richard Galli
About this listen
Brash, eye-opening, and surprisingly comic, Of Rice and Men displays the same irreverent spirit as the black-comedy classics Catch-22 and MASH–as it chronicles the American Army’s little known “Civil Affairs” soldiers who courageously roam hostile war zones, not to kill or to destroy, but to build, to feed, and to heal. Unprepared, uncertain, and naive, they find it impossible to make the skeptical population fall in love with them.
But it’s thrilling to watch them try.
Among the unforgettable characters: Guy Lopaca, an inept Army-trained interpreter who can barely say “I can’t speak Vietnamese” in Vietnamese, but has no trouble chatting with stray dogs and water buffalo. Guy’s friends include “Virgin Mary” Crocker, a pragmatic nurse earning a fortune spending nights with homesick soldiers; Paul Gianelli, a heroic builder of medical clinics who doesn’t want to be remembered badly, so he never goes home; and Tyler DeMudge, whose cure for every problem is a chilly martini, a patch of shade, and the theory that every bad event in life is “good training” for enduring it again.
Pricelessly funny, disarming, thought-provoking, as fresh as the morning headlines, and bursting with humor, affection, and pride, Of Rice and Men is a sincere tribute to those young men and women, thrust into our hearts-and-minds wars, who try to do absolute good in a hopeless situation.©2006 Richard Galli; (P)2006 Books on Tape
Critic reviews
Advance praise for Of Rice and Men
“Of Rice and Men honors the American men and women who served in Vietnam, and shows respect for the Vietnamese people, yet it is still able to make us laugh at the war’s expense. In the deft hands of Richard Galli, we laugh out loud and cry out loud, as well. This is the most unforgettable story of Vietnam that I have ever read.”
–Robin Moore, author of The Hunt for Bin Laden
"Richard Galli's wonderful novel "Of Rice and Men" is every bit as much a Vietnam war novel as the best combat stories, but warmer, more real, and exquisitely funny. Who knows if the combat troops had been there to support the mission of the folks who built, farmed and healed, rather than the other way around, the outcome of the war might have been different."
--Phillip Jennings, author of Nam-A-Rama
“Some good laughs, some wonderful scenes. A creative, new-generation film director might turn this into Vietnam’s M*A*S*H.”
–John M. Del Vecchio, author of The 13th Valley
“Of Rice and Men is wonderful and wonderfully well written. It’s a singular addition to the literature of the Vietnam War; a refreshing tour de ‘farce’ of the first order.”
–Bernard Edelman, author of Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam
“Of Rice and Men honors the American men and women who served in Vietnam, and shows respect for the Vietnamese people, yet it is still able to make us laugh at the war’s expense. In the deft hands of Richard Galli, we laugh out loud and cry out loud, as well. This is the most unforgettable story of Vietnam that I have ever read.”
–Robin Moore, author of The Hunt for Bin Laden
"Richard Galli's wonderful novel "Of Rice and Men" is every bit as much a Vietnam war novel as the best combat stories, but warmer, more real, and exquisitely funny. Who knows if the combat troops had been there to support the mission of the folks who built, farmed and healed, rather than the other way around, the outcome of the war might have been different."
--Phillip Jennings, author of Nam-A-Rama
“Some good laughs, some wonderful scenes. A creative, new-generation film director might turn this into Vietnam’s M*A*S*H.”
–John M. Del Vecchio, author of The 13th Valley
“Of Rice and Men is wonderful and wonderfully well written. It’s a singular addition to the literature of the Vietnam War; a refreshing tour de ‘farce’ of the first order.”
–Bernard Edelman, author of Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam
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