Book Review – The Sorrow of War, by Bảo Ninh | Rating 4/5 | Qualitative: I really liked it

Book Review – The Sorrow of War, by Bảo Ninh | Rating 4/5 | Qualitative: I really liked it A Stark, Unflinching Portrait of War This book offers a profoundly different perspective on the Vietnam War—one I was not accustomed to—told with striking clarity, raw emotion, and elegant simplicity by a North Vietnamese veteran. Through the eyes of the protagonist, Kien, we are guided into the heart of the sorrow that war inflicts on everyone it touches. His story is not just personal, but emblematic of an entire generation forced to confront loss, disillusionment, and the psychological ruins left behind. The narrative exposes the painful journey endured by every soldier and the society that bears the weight of conflict. From shattered dreams to the erosion of personal aspirations, and for those who survive, the enduring scars—memories, trauma, and the haunting presence of ghosts from a bygone era. This is a book that compels reflection—not just on the Vietnam War, but on all wars being fought even as these words are read. It reminds us that the sorrow, disfigurement, and long-lasting consequences of war are not bound by geography or time. They repeat, decade after decade. I strongly recommend this book for its brutal honesty, emotional depth, and powerful storytelling. It is a stark, unfiltered meditation on war—not only on what it does to individuals, but to the soul of a society. Happy reading. (text revised by a LLM)

- Pedro

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The 40 best books published so far this year (06’25)| From The Economist

The 40 best books published so far this year https://www.economist.com/culture/2025/06/05/the-40-best-books-published-so-far-this-year From The Economist Biography and memoir 1- Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America. BySam Tanenhaus 2-Careless People. By Sarah Wynn-Williams 3-The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI and the Race to Invent the Future. By Keach Hagey. 4-Source Code: My Beginnings. By Bill Gates 5-The Thinking Machine: Jensen Huang, Nvidia and the World’s Most Coveted Microchip. By Stephen Witt Business, economics and technology 6-Apple in China: The Capture of the World’s Greatest Company. By Patrick McGee. Scribner 7-The Art of Uncertainty: How to Navigate Chance, Ignorance, Risk and Luck. By David Spiegelhalter 8-Chokepoints. By Edward Fishman 9-The Corporation in the 21st Century: Why (Almost) Everything We Are Told About Business Is Wrong. By John Kay 10-Empire ofai. By Karen Hao 11-House of Huawei. By Eva Dou Culture and arts 12-Adventures in the Louvre: How to Fall in Love with the World’s Greatest Museum. By Elaine Sciolino 13-Bye Bye I Love You: The Story of Our First and Last Words. By Michael Erard 14-Fatherhood: A History of Love and Power. By Augustine Sedgewick 15-John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs. By Ian Leslie 16-Pronoun Trouble: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words. By John McWhorter 17-Raising Hare. By Chloe Dalton Fiction 18-Among Friends. By Hal Ebbott 19-Beartooth. By Callan Wink 20-The Dream Hotel. By Laila Lalami. 21-Flesh. By David Szalay 22-Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way. By Elaine Feeney 23-Ripeness. By Sarah Moss 24-Theft. By Abdulrazak Gurnah. 25-Twist. By Colum McCann 26-We Do Not Part. By Han Kang History 27-38 Londres Street: On Impunity, Pinochet in England and a Nazi in Patagonia. By Philippe Sands 28-The cia Book Club: The Best-Kept Secret of the Cold War. By Charlie English 29-The Einstein Vendetta: Hitler, Mussolini and a Murder That Haunts History. By Thomas Harding 30-Jesus Wept: Seven Popes and the Battle for the Soul of the Catholic Church. By Philip Shenon 31-The Last Days of Budapest. By Adam LeBor 32-Peak Human. By Johan Norberg 33-Strangers and Intimates: The Rise and Fall of Private Life. By Tiffany Jenkins 34-The Third Reich of Dreams: The Nightmares of a Nation. By Charlotte Beradt Politics and current affairs 35-The Party’s Interests Come First: The Life of Xi Zhongxun, Father of Xi Jinping. By Joseph Torigian 36-Righting Wrongs: Three Decades on the Front Lines Battling Abusive Governments. By Kenneth Roth 37-Russia’s Man of War: The Extraordinary Viktor Bout. By Cathy Scott-Clark Science and health 38-Doctored: Fraud, Arrogance and Tragedy in the Quest to Cure Alzheimer’s. By Charles Piller 39-Is a River Alive? By Robert Macfarlane 40-More and More and More: An All-Consuming History of Energy. By Jean-Baptiste Fressoz 41-Waste Wars. By Alexander Clapp.

- Pedro

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