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Title: Glory Denied: The Saga of Jim Thompson, America's Longest-Held Prisoner of War by Tom Philpott, John McCain ISBN: 0-452-28316-7 Publisher: Plume Pub. Date: 26 March, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.52 (23 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: AN AMERICAN EPIC: ONE OF THE FINEST WAR BOOKS I'VE EVER READ
Comment: Colonel Jim Thompson's story is one of the most harrowing and powerful books I have read in recent years, and its themes are is so tragic and complex that it reminds me of a non-fiction rendition of Theodore Dreiser's "An American Tragedy." The appearance of this remarkable work comes at a time when we have been inundated by McWar books and sentimentalized combat movies that trivialize the sheer horror and devastation of war. "Glory Denied" has the opposite effect in that it re-creates the agony of the Vietnam War in absorbing and faithful detail, and enables a generation that was not alive in the decades of the 1960's and 1970's to understand how the war was played out, not only on the battlefield but in the living rooms, classrooms, and bedrooms of millions of homes across the nation. While the book succeeds as both a biography and as a uniquely original work of history, it is first and foremost a tribute to Colonel Jim Thompson, who, despite his many frailties and very human flaws, comes across as one of our bravest and most exemplary American war heroes. It is hard to imagine many other American soldiers who could have endured the same tortures experienced by Thompson over nine years of captivity. Despite treatment that rivalled the worst barbarity of the Nazi concentration camps, Thompson survived, his spirit unbroken and his patriotic love of America intact. Not only did Thompson survive, but he attempted to escape from his North Vietnamese guards and torturers no less than five times. I find it surprising that given such unprecedented valor, that Colonel Thompson has not been already awarded the Medal of Honor, and one can only hope that one of the positive results of the publication of "Glory Denied" will be that the military will reconsider its criteria and award Thompson this medal. The book is not without its controversies, the first being its unusual structure. This is not a third-person biography, and the oral history style may take some readers time (for some, up to 50 pages) to get used to. Some critics will no doubt suggest that Philpott should have resorted to a more conventional third-person style, which was used in the excerpt in "The New Yorker," but anyone who sticks with the story for a few chapters will become easily accustomed to the style and find it, as if watching a soap opera, quite dramatic throughout. Perhaps more controversial than the style is the depiction of Thompson's first wife, Alyce, who, in contrast to Odysseus's heroically faithful Penelope, chose to live with another man while Thompson was in captivity. Many readers and reviewers have already attacked Alyce for her behavior and the fact that she did not "stick by her man." Her behavior, particularly her decision not to tell her children that they had a father who had been imprisoned in Vietnam, is deplorable, but to cast her as the villain of the story is far too easy and simplistic. The book would never soar to the power it does without Alyce's own saga, which Philpott conveys with great empathy (and in doing so makes this book appealing to more female readers). Colonel Thompson remains extraordinarily bitter that his wife moved in with another man and that the Pentagon chose to name another prisoner as the longest held POW in Vietnam. His anger is warranted, but the military was all too eager to designate another man, a far more "appropriate" poster boy, as the longest-held POW, and the military shares as much of the blame as Alyce (the way Alyce was abandoned by other military wives following Thompson's capture was particularly appalling). As the years have passed, Alyce becomes an especially easy target, but the fact is that she was a woman alone in her twenties who felt that she could not possibly cope on her own. Moreover, it is clear from the start that Thompson was not an ideal husband or father -- he was not present at any of the childbirths of this children, for example -- and his actions following his release in 1973 suggest that infidelity was just one component of a shaky marriage that was destined to fail. The fact that Alyce's behavior is, in fact, so controversial makes "Glory Denied" a book that will be debated for many years to come, and Philpott should be lauded, not censured, for his accurate portrayal of Alyce's own private trauma. As much as "Glory Denied" is the story of one extraordinarily brave soldier, it is on a grander scale the story of America at war with itself. Through the eyes of Philpott, the Thompsons, despite all their human frailties, become America's family, their stuggles reflective of an agonizing civil war that threatened to destroy the nation for much of two decades. For us to look down on anyone of them is to look down on ourselves, and we should be all inspired by Colonel Thompson's unbelievably heroic story. I hope that Colonel Thompson will one day be able to sit down with his four children before it is too late, for the grave will be a barrier to all amends and all redress. Above all, "Glory Denied" will have a power to move you like few other books and will establish for Colonel Thompson a place in American military history that he so clearly has earned.
Rating: 5
Summary: Col. Jim Thompson is not alone...
Comment: Col. Thompson was without a doubt the most unique American prisoner of war in Viet Nam. Jim's recalcitrant adherence to military demeanor almost cost him his life, his sanity and, even after nearly nine years of torture and mistreatment, his freedom when he initiated a hunger strike -one day before his release. Ironically, all the recognition accorded this national hero did little to turn back the sands of time and recoup the life and loves he had left behind. Tragically, he continues to be a prisoner of his own memories -from which there is no escape. Kudos to author Tom Philpott for his unconventional portrayal of Col. Thompson's memoirs.
I would respectfully take this opportunity to submit that although Col. Thompson was indeed the longest held American POW in Viet Nam, there were numerous others on American (special ops) who were captured, tortured and consequently served from ten to twenty years -and even more, in hellish Cuban prisons. I was among them and could almost feel the despair and suffering as I read each page. In no way do I claim to have undergone such horrendous atrocities as Jim but many of my colleagues did and, ironically, their profiles closely parallel his own. Especially after their return...
Rating: 4
Summary: Another casualty of an unnecessary, immoral war
Comment: The list continues to grow, doesn't it? And, sadly, America has not learned its lesson from the debacle known as the Viet Nam war.
There had to be times when Jim Thompson asked himself "Was it REALLY worth it?"
It's easy to criticize Alyce, but that's the result when a society teaches women NOT to be independent.
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Title: Five Years to Freedom by James Rowe ISBN: 0345314603 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 1991 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Why Didn't You Get Me Out? by Frank Anton , Tommy Denton ISBN: 0312974884 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 01 June, 2000 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Passing of the Night: My Seven Years As a Prisoner of the North Vietnamese by Robinson Risner ISBN: 0345336771 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 December, 1992 List Price(USD): $4.99 |
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Title: A Code to Keep: The True Story of America's Longest-Held Civilian POW in Vietnam by Ernest C. Brace ISBN: 1555716237 Publisher: Hellgate Press Pub. Date: 25 November, 2001 List Price(USD): $14.95 |
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Title: Chained Eagle by Everett Alvarez, Anthony S. Pitch ISBN: 1556111673 Publisher: Penguin USA Pub. Date: 01 October, 1989 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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