Street Without Joy cover art

Street Without Joy

The French Debacle in Indochina

 Preview

Get 30 days of Standard free

£5.99/mo after trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options

Street Without Joy

By: Bernard B. Fall
Narrated by: Derek Perkins
Try for £0.00

£5.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for £15.05

Buy Now for £15.05

About this listen

In this classic account of the French war in Indochina, Bernard B. Fall vividly captures the sights, sounds, and smells of the savage eight-year conflict in the jungles and mountains of Southeast Asia from 1946 to 1954. The French fought well to the last, but even with the lethal advantages of airpower, they could not stave off the Communist-led Vietnamese nationalists, who countered with a hit-and-run campaign of ambushes, booby traps, and nighttime raids. Defeat came at Dien Bien Phu, in 1954, setting the stage for American involvement and opening another tragic chapter in Vietnam's history.

©1964 Bernard B. Fall (P)2013 Tantor Asia Europe France Military Southeast Asia War Vietnam War French Indian War
All stars
Most relevant
Well written, well read book. The book contains a good mix of background contextual information, details of individual key participants, personal anecdotes of Bernard's time in the region. The tragedy unfolds and keeps unfolding right to the end. I wasn't expecting the book to go as far as the early 60's, which was a bonus, and unfortunately becomes a prophesy for the avoidable bloodshed of the 70's.

The real tragedy of this book is that the lessons have still not been learnt by the western leaders even today :-(

Excellent analysis still relevent today (sadly)

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Fascinating listening, especially as it was written just before America's involvement in Vietnam began to involve putting lots of combat units on the ground. The author was killed by a landmine on the titular street without joy in 1967 which gives this work an added dimension.I think it bears up really well and was gripped from start to finish.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The author himself, who isn't shy of talking about his own experiences and opinions

What about Derek Perkins’s performance did you like?

His voice is a good choice, his pronunciation practiced and he even gets away with doing a few accents

If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Before the war you knew, there was the one you don't

Any additional comments?

I hope there are more audiobooks from this author on here

Old Indochina Hand tells it like it was

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Found this a very interesting take on what would be the build up to a bigger conflict in SE Asia.
Considering when it was written I found all the information useful and very gripping.

Compelling

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

What did you like most about Street Without Joy?

Clearly the history. It is a war which is rarely discussed, especially with the American involvement so soon afterwards. This was written while the US was still in Vietnam so his descriptions of the combat and conditions resonate with what we know of the US War.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Street Without Joy?

The story of the Jewish refugee from WWII who found his way into the French Foreign Legion and into Vietnam to confront an enemy from his past. That is a story crying out for a film to be made.

What about Derek Perkins’s performance did you like?

It wasn't business like which some historical narrations can be, he came across as interested in what he was reading.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The suffering on all sides was terrible.

Any additional comments?

Fine historical knowledge gained from this book particularly so as the war isn't that well covered. I learned things I hadn't known and my respect and pity for the French soldiers as well as admiration for the Vietnamese has increased tenfold.

It is also interesting to note that the US repeated so many of the French failures in Vietnam while the VC kept to broadly the same tactics. The blurb for the book states this is now required reading at American military schools as examples of counter insurgency successes and failures. I would hope such lessons are learned well to keep American soldiers safe in current wars.

Fascinating

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Would you listen to Street Without Joy again? Why?

I have read this at least three times and will do so again.

What other book might you compare Street Without Joy to, and why?

The Last Valley by Martin Windrow. Windrow revisits the pre-cusors to Dien Bien Phu, the battle itself and the aftermath. Although written thirty years later when considerably more French and North Vietnamese governmental records were available, the foundational details remain the same with similar, if not the same conclusions.

What about Derek Perkins’s performance did you like?

It was fine.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Complete puzzlement in how the battle came to pass and the fact that US did not learn from the mistakes of the French in Indo-China.

Any additional comments?

A thumpingly good book.

Missed opportunity for the US

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews