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Poisoned Jungle
The napalmed children peered at him, uncomprehending, not understanding what happened, and asked him to fix their burns, alleviate their pain. He tried to explain- such a terrible mistake. No words came out of his mouth.
Poisoned Jungle speaks to the long psychological tentacles war has on the lives it touches, and the difficulty of breaking free of them. Realizing changes have occurred deep within, Vietnam War medic Andy Parks must reconcile his new reality to establish a life worth living-not an easy task. How will Andy Parks ever dispel the images he brought home with him? He can't live with them or outrun them. Even in sleep, he finds no rest. In a powerful human saga, Andy teeters on the chasm of survivor's guilt, desperate to find equilibrium in his life. Deep down, he wants to live but doesn't know-how. Poisoned Jungle is an intimate glimpse into one veteran's struggle for meaning after experiencing the despair of war.
Poisoned Jungle speaks to the long psychological tentacles war has on the lives it touches, and the difficulty of breaking free of them. Realizing changes have occurred deep within, Vietnam War medic Andy Parks must reconcile his new reality to establish a life worth living-not an easy task. How will Andy Parks ever dispel the images he brought home with him? He can't live with them or outrun them. Even in sleep, he finds no rest. In a powerful human saga, Andy teeters on the chasm of survivor's guilt, desperate to find equilibrium in his life. Deep down, he wants to live but doesn't know-how. Poisoned Jungle is an intimate glimpse into one veteran's struggle for meaning after experiencing the despair of war.
- GenresWarHistorical Fiction
392 pages, Paperback
Published August 20, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 14, 2020
The book may be fiction, but at its core it isn't. The themes and events are explored in ways that could only come from experience. The book spans a period of 50 years and the full range of human experience. As the child of a Vietnam War veteran, reading this book revealed a lot to me. I've come to a deeper understanding of how the author's experiences as a veteran shaped his life and mine. It is an honest portrayal of how things were, but I've only been around for part of the story. Full disclosure. I'm biased because my father is the author of this work. That aside, I can personally attest to that many, many drafts and painstaking attention to detail that went into the creation of this book. Poisoned Jungle is well written and truer than the genre would have you believe. It is worth your time to read.
November 3, 2021
This is the best book I’ve read on this subject. First book by this author at my age. I’m really impressed by the scope from war days to current time. Helps explain why this war was such a mistake and the long term PTSD for all involved. Both countries.
This is warm, humane and realistic. Tough to balance but the author nailed it.
This is warm, humane and realistic. Tough to balance but the author nailed it.
July 22, 2021
Poisoned Jungle, James Ballard's debut novel, reflects the Vietnam War with graphic ferocity, portraying its horrible atrocities and evilness while rendering the historical context contemporary, vivid, and chaotic.
The story is a gripping depiction of war, with tremendous dark emotional and terrible ramifications. One caveat: it's hardly a happy-go-lucky story; nonetheless, it begs to be taken seriously. It demands to be told and retold, reminding us of the futility of the war. And Ballard is well-suited to write about the war having served in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta as a medic, witnessing firsthand its calamities.
The narrative is framed into three periods in the life of the narrator, Andy Parks, nicknamed Doc. In the first period, we read about twenty-year-old Andy in 1969, serving as a medic in the Ninth Infantry Division of the US Army in Vietnam. We are informed that he is one-quarter Cherokee, who grew up in Afton, in northeastern Oklahoma. Before the war, Andy had never heard of Vietnam.
The brief ten-week medic training Andy receives before his service in Vietnam never prepares him for the wounds, traumatic injuries, and dead bodies he would witness during his time in the infantry. Each life that was lost takes a part of Andy, and invariably leaves him wondering if he could have done more, not merely for his fellow buddies but likewise for the young children, women, and other civilians who were subjected to the carnage and mass deployment of napalm and Agent Orange.
In the second phase of Andy's life, he arrives home and experiences his own kind of upheaval and turmoil. Anti-war sentiment is rampant and he struggles to make some sense of his existence. The expected elation of surviving the war never actually emerges. The war stands between him and a return to normal life. He keeps on reflecting on the fate of the servicemen who were with him in his platoon and who are still waging war in the Delta. He is depressed, isolating himself, and slipping into alcoholism.
GI benefits were wanting, including badly needed medical treatment. Veterans are met with institutional responses marked by indifference. Basic human support and guidance in adapting to civilian life were never forthcoming. For example, when one of Andy’s friends is lying dying in a ward because of cancer after having been exposed to Agent Orange, the army declines to pay for his medical bills. The defoliant caused health issues not merely for the Vietnamese but also for the American soldiers who fought in Vietnam.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was again initially discounted, leading in many instances to severe psychological misbehavior. Andy was indeed hesitant to have kids of his own, for fear they would be born with birth defects, something that had cropped up with a sizable chunk of veterans who had handled Agent Orange. Eventually, he and his wife adopted two Vietnamese children.
He knew the war had not ended for him with the completion of his tour. Andy even goes AWOL when he is assigned to work as a medic in a veterans’ hospital to serve out his last six months of service. It is here where he comes in contact with the frightful suffering of the survivors of the war, and, in particular, Calvin, a veteran with extreme deterioration in all four limbs, leaving him dependent for basic bodily functions. One day, Calvin is discovered dead and Andy, who was the last one to see him, is charged with murdering him.
The third part of the tale finds Andy emigrating from the USA to northern Alberta, Canada. In the ten years since leaving his home in Oklahoma, he had not hung around in one place for more than a few months. While living in Alberta, he learns from a close war pal about one of his buddies who is on death row for murdering someone. It is in Alberta that he meets his future wife, Lisa. After marrying, they settle in the Peace River Region of Alberta where he becomes a beekeeper, selling honey for a living.
What makes this novel stand out is that it takes an unsung medic and uses his story as a vehicle to capture the heavy cost of the Vietnam War, inflicted not only on the Vietnamese but also on the American soldiers. Over fifty-eight thousand American service members died and over one hundred fifty thousand were wounded. And this is not considering the thousands that were psychologically and mentally damaged. Vietnam was the most heavily bombed country in history. U.S. bombers dumped twenty million gallons of herbicides to defoliate Viet Cong hiding places. It decimated over five million acres of forest and five hundred thousand acres of farmland.
Follow Here https://waa.ai/xHcl To Read Norm's Interview With James Ballard
The story is a gripping depiction of war, with tremendous dark emotional and terrible ramifications. One caveat: it's hardly a happy-go-lucky story; nonetheless, it begs to be taken seriously. It demands to be told and retold, reminding us of the futility of the war. And Ballard is well-suited to write about the war having served in Vietnam’s Mekong Delta as a medic, witnessing firsthand its calamities.
The narrative is framed into three periods in the life of the narrator, Andy Parks, nicknamed Doc. In the first period, we read about twenty-year-old Andy in 1969, serving as a medic in the Ninth Infantry Division of the US Army in Vietnam. We are informed that he is one-quarter Cherokee, who grew up in Afton, in northeastern Oklahoma. Before the war, Andy had never heard of Vietnam.
The brief ten-week medic training Andy receives before his service in Vietnam never prepares him for the wounds, traumatic injuries, and dead bodies he would witness during his time in the infantry. Each life that was lost takes a part of Andy, and invariably leaves him wondering if he could have done more, not merely for his fellow buddies but likewise for the young children, women, and other civilians who were subjected to the carnage and mass deployment of napalm and Agent Orange.
In the second phase of Andy's life, he arrives home and experiences his own kind of upheaval and turmoil. Anti-war sentiment is rampant and he struggles to make some sense of his existence. The expected elation of surviving the war never actually emerges. The war stands between him and a return to normal life. He keeps on reflecting on the fate of the servicemen who were with him in his platoon and who are still waging war in the Delta. He is depressed, isolating himself, and slipping into alcoholism.
GI benefits were wanting, including badly needed medical treatment. Veterans are met with institutional responses marked by indifference. Basic human support and guidance in adapting to civilian life were never forthcoming. For example, when one of Andy’s friends is lying dying in a ward because of cancer after having been exposed to Agent Orange, the army declines to pay for his medical bills. The defoliant caused health issues not merely for the Vietnamese but also for the American soldiers who fought in Vietnam.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was again initially discounted, leading in many instances to severe psychological misbehavior. Andy was indeed hesitant to have kids of his own, for fear they would be born with birth defects, something that had cropped up with a sizable chunk of veterans who had handled Agent Orange. Eventually, he and his wife adopted two Vietnamese children.
He knew the war had not ended for him with the completion of his tour. Andy even goes AWOL when he is assigned to work as a medic in a veterans’ hospital to serve out his last six months of service. It is here where he comes in contact with the frightful suffering of the survivors of the war, and, in particular, Calvin, a veteran with extreme deterioration in all four limbs, leaving him dependent for basic bodily functions. One day, Calvin is discovered dead and Andy, who was the last one to see him, is charged with murdering him.
The third part of the tale finds Andy emigrating from the USA to northern Alberta, Canada. In the ten years since leaving his home in Oklahoma, he had not hung around in one place for more than a few months. While living in Alberta, he learns from a close war pal about one of his buddies who is on death row for murdering someone. It is in Alberta that he meets his future wife, Lisa. After marrying, they settle in the Peace River Region of Alberta where he becomes a beekeeper, selling honey for a living.
What makes this novel stand out is that it takes an unsung medic and uses his story as a vehicle to capture the heavy cost of the Vietnam War, inflicted not only on the Vietnamese but also on the American soldiers. Over fifty-eight thousand American service members died and over one hundred fifty thousand were wounded. And this is not considering the thousands that were psychologically and mentally damaged. Vietnam was the most heavily bombed country in history. U.S. bombers dumped twenty million gallons of herbicides to defoliate Viet Cong hiding places. It decimated over five million acres of forest and five hundred thousand acres of farmland.
Follow Here https://waa.ai/xHcl To Read Norm's Interview With James Ballard
October 18, 2020
A Medic holds a special place in the hearts and minds of fellow soldiers. He is respectfully called "Doc" and thought to fix any ailment that arises, even when MD's don't have an answer. In Poisoned Jungle, Andy, a medic, suffers from guilt every time one of his fellow soldiers or an innocent civilian dies in his arms - guilty that he was unable to work magic and keep them alive.
When Andy finished his tour, he felt as if he were abandoning his fellow soldiers - this seems to be a true feeling experienced by most soldiers when leaving Vietnam as soldiers came and went as individuals and not as a unit. I know it did for me. He is later devastated when learning that three of his fellow soldiers died in an ambush soon after leaving, thereby, creating further guilt in thinking that if he were there, he might have been able to save them.
In an attempt to move on beyond his guilt, bad dreams, and feeling of survivor's guilt, Andy turns to alcohol, goes AWOL and ends up in jail. He is continuously asked to tell his thoughts, but unable to explain what he couldn't make sense of himself.
Over the next forty years, he only shares his thoughts with a select group of people and begins to put his experience in Vietnam behind him. PTSD is still not a recognized mental illness and the VA doesn't want to treat soldiers suffering from this malady. Agent Orange is touched upon and Andy loses close friends to illness caused by the defoliant. In fact, Andy and his wife adopt as he fears having a child born with deformaties caused by AO.
The author does a great job of moving the story along and giving readers a first-hand glimpse of PTSD and how war impacts soldiers. I highly recommend Poisoned Jungle to anyone who wonders why soldiers change and are not the same upon their return home. This story will help you understand!
When Andy finished his tour, he felt as if he were abandoning his fellow soldiers - this seems to be a true feeling experienced by most soldiers when leaving Vietnam as soldiers came and went as individuals and not as a unit. I know it did for me. He is later devastated when learning that three of his fellow soldiers died in an ambush soon after leaving, thereby, creating further guilt in thinking that if he were there, he might have been able to save them.
In an attempt to move on beyond his guilt, bad dreams, and feeling of survivor's guilt, Andy turns to alcohol, goes AWOL and ends up in jail. He is continuously asked to tell his thoughts, but unable to explain what he couldn't make sense of himself.
Over the next forty years, he only shares his thoughts with a select group of people and begins to put his experience in Vietnam behind him. PTSD is still not a recognized mental illness and the VA doesn't want to treat soldiers suffering from this malady. Agent Orange is touched upon and Andy loses close friends to illness caused by the defoliant. In fact, Andy and his wife adopt as he fears having a child born with deformaties caused by AO.
The author does a great job of moving the story along and giving readers a first-hand glimpse of PTSD and how war impacts soldiers. I highly recommend Poisoned Jungle to anyone who wonders why soldiers change and are not the same upon their return home. This story will help you understand!
October 15, 2020
Tight, clearly written and compelling, Poisoned Jungle confirms that wars never really end even after the shooting stops. James Ballard dives deeply into the search for peace and place following the trauma of Vietnam. His journey applies to all those who fought in any war and struggle to reconcile the brutality of combat with the best instincts of the human character. Ballard's writing is reminiscent of Tim O'Brien and Philip Caputo, both of whom investigated similar themes. Ballard's work is a significant contribution to the genre. His book resonates long after the reader puts it down.
February 2, 2021
Captivating from beginning to end. The author drew me in with his authentic characters and detail. I would highly recommend reading this book, you won’t put it down.
August 28, 2022
I had the good fortune to read the advance copy of this book. Many reviewers will say things like "Couldn't put it down" and such, but in my case it actually was close to being the truth.
The novel itself is definitely engrossing, and brings you right into the life of a combatant during the Vietnam War. You get to experience the horrors of war, and the frustration the soldiers themselves experienced had having to be there. While I've never experienced anything like this myself (and hope I never do) I'm sure their one year tour of duty, likely seemed almost never-ending. When you add to this the way they were treated by their government, and others when they returned it makes you very sympathetic to their plight.
The story takes you through the life of Andy Parks starting in 1969 when he was the medic in the Mekong Delta, and his dream that the seemingly endless war he was living thorough would be over for him when he returned home, but not realising that it would continue for many years afterward. We meet the various members of this unit, and watch as their lives unfold. We get a glimpse of what Andy experienced during his time there, and I'm fairly sure this was somewhat scaled back.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to find out what the life of a veteran is/was like for those who returned from Vietnam. I'm looking forward to James' next book which I've been told is in the works.
The novel itself is definitely engrossing, and brings you right into the life of a combatant during the Vietnam War. You get to experience the horrors of war, and the frustration the soldiers themselves experienced had having to be there. While I've never experienced anything like this myself (and hope I never do) I'm sure their one year tour of duty, likely seemed almost never-ending. When you add to this the way they were treated by their government, and others when they returned it makes you very sympathetic to their plight.
The story takes you through the life of Andy Parks starting in 1969 when he was the medic in the Mekong Delta, and his dream that the seemingly endless war he was living thorough would be over for him when he returned home, but not realising that it would continue for many years afterward. We meet the various members of this unit, and watch as their lives unfold. We get a glimpse of what Andy experienced during his time there, and I'm fairly sure this was somewhat scaled back.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to find out what the life of a veteran is/was like for those who returned from Vietnam. I'm looking forward to James' next book which I've been told is in the works.
September 1, 2021
This is a novel about Vietnam. And it's not just a war story. But much more. The lingering effects of a brutal and violent war, the long-term effects of Agent Orange and the PSTD many of those who participated in combat.
It's about the lifelong friendships soldiers create with those who have been through so much together. Nobody will really understand Vietnam except those who were there.
Those in combat had the most trying times. REMFs like myself were spared most of the danger and blood. But either experience will never leave you.
This is a good book. Well written and recommended.
It's about the lifelong friendships soldiers create with those who have been through so much together. Nobody will really understand Vietnam except those who were there.
Those in combat had the most trying times. REMFs like myself were spared most of the danger and blood. But either experience will never leave you.
This is a good book. Well written and recommended.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews