A Bright Shining Lie cover art

A Bright Shining Lie

John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam

Preview

Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

A Bright Shining Lie

By: Neil Sheehan
Narrated by: Robertson Dean
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $43.99

Buy Now for $43.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using voucher balance (if applicable) then card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions Of Use and Privacy Notice and authorise Audible to charge your designated credit card or another available credit card on file.
Cancel

About this listen

One of the most acclaimed books of our time - the definitive Vietnam War exposé and the winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.

When he came to Vietnam in 1962, Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Vann was the one clear-sighted participant in an enterprise riddled with arrogance and self-deception, a charismatic soldier who put his life and career on the line in an attempt to convince his superiors that the war should be fought another way. By the time he died in 1972, Vann had embraced the follies he once decried. He died believing that the war had been won.

In this magisterial book, a monument of history and biography that was awarded the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction, a renowned journalist tells the story of John Vann - "the one irreplaceable American in Vietnam" - and of the tragedy that destroyed a country and squandered so much of America's young manhood and resources.

©1989 Neil Sheehan (P)2009 Random House
Military Politics & Government United States Vietnam War War Imperialism Air Force

Critic Reviews

"If there is one book that captures the Vietnam war in the sheer Homeric scale of its passion and folly, this is it." ( The New York Times Book Review)

What listeners say about A Bright Shining Lie

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    25
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    21
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    22
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Outstanding survey of America's war in Vietnam and out standing narration.

Excellent book. Excellent narration. John Van's story is the perfect conduit to the Vietnam War. The courage, the hubris, the moral integrity and the amoral failings all.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

One of the best war books ever

The best and most honest, and well researched books on the Vietnam/ American war ever written. This is the book every other Vietnam war books tries to be. Amazingly candid, unbelievably studied, and courageously researched, this book uses the equally dark and virtuous character of John Van to tell the Vietnamese war story. A stunningly rare 5 start book.

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

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.