Letters To Charlie: And One To Jane

by Fred Snyder

Daily letters written to my fiance from Viet Nam. Since I didn't want her to worry, I wrote about the people (I spoke Vietnamese) and the place. As we went from her not talking to me to being engaged in six dates, I thought she ought to know who she was going to marry. She waited for me and we were married. While this is a book women love, the content is such that it has been used in both high school and college courses on Viet Nam. The book, although drawn from a violent experience, is gentle, humorous, thought provoking, eclectic and completely different from other books. The last letter is one to Jane Fonda twenty-five years later. (She has a copy of the book.) Most frequent "It made me laugh and it made me cry." "Now I understand the war." "Now I understand my (husband, uncle, brother)." "Can be read at many levels." "Compelling." "Unusual." Had to self publish but am in my third print simply by word of mouth.

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of letters written by a Marine in Vietnam to his fiancee. Drafted in 1968, the author served in Vietnam most of 1969 and into 1970. His letters focus more on the day to day life rather than the combat (he says he didn't want to overly alarm his fiancee).

One fairly unusual aspect is that the author spoke Vietnamese when he arrived, so was able to speak with the people and get a perspective somewhat different from other soldiers.

Worth a read if you can find it.