Un novato es ascendido tras concretar una gran hazaña eliminando un nido alienígena. Ovacionado por todos sus compañeros después de recibir la medalla de honor, es trasladado a el equipo especial. Su misión, el destino de la humanidad. En un ultimo ataque forzado por los aliados para acabar finalmente con los Tungs. Pero que seria de nosotros si todo lo que nos cuentan es mentira. Descubrir la verdad en una guerra. Tener en las manos la verdad absoluta redactada por un enemigo. ¿Podrías decidir quien es el bien y quien el mal? Todos tomamos decisiones, la joven leyenda debería tomar solo una, a consecuencia de la extinción de la raza humana.

I came to this book in a rather indirect way. Some years ago, I heard a radio interview with the author, Monique Brinson Demery, in which she described her ongoing efforts to meet the mysterious Madame Nhu (1924-2011) and earn her trust. It was a fascinating story. One that stimulated some part of my memory that contained a scrap of knowledge as to whom Madame Nhu was and her role in the leadership of South Vietnam between 1954 and 1963.

The Vietnam War, though the American phase of it largely took place within my lifetime, I knew little about. Nor did I for many years have an interest in trying to understand that war. I was but an infant when LBJ first committed U.S. military forces to South Vietnam in March 1965. And by the time our POWs had been repatriated from North Vietnam and the U.S. had washed its hands of Vietnam, I was in elementary school. Another couple of decades would pass before I began to look into the factors, personalities, and events that led to Vietnam being engulfed in what was a civil war between 1945 (when the French - the former colonial master - returned, intent on reasserting its authority in Indochina) and 1975, when the Communists triumphed and reunified the country. Reading "The Best and the Brightest" by David Halberstam in the mid 1990s was my starting point.

Demery tells a story that gives the reader access into the life of Madame Nhu, her family (who had long figured prominently in Vietnamese history), Demery's own relationship with Madame Nhu (who could be both kind and intransigent when it suited her), and the history of Vietnam from the late 19th century to November 1, 1963 (when both Madame Nhu's husband and her brother-in-law the President of the Republic of Vietnam were murdered in a coup).

For anyone curious to know why Vietnam continues to impact itself upon the American psyche, this is a book well worth reading.

I was skeptical when I started reading this book. Knowing that Ventura's political career flamed out, I had my doubts, but I've always found Ventura to be an interesting and colorful character. What I found was that Jesse Ventura presented logical arguments in a clear and concise fashion. His viewpoints were well thought out and explained well. I even found myself agreeing with some of these points. Some I thought were out in left field, but even when I disagreed with him, he still put together sound thoughts. The book was also entertaining. Even if you don't subscribe to former governor/wrestler's political ideas, you should still find this to be a good read.

Carl Alves - author of Blood Street