Two Vietnam veterans meet twenty-two years after the war in a V.A. hospital. As these two men--one black, one white--tell their stories, they tell the story of the war itself and of all the lives it consumed, especially poor black lives.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Dirty Work
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. Learn more. |
Book Description
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
First Sentence
This the trip I took that day, day they brought Walter in. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
This the trip I took that day, day they brought Walter in. Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Hardcover
Sitting outside at a cafe in MA, I hear the guy next to me talk of Vietnam in terms that made it seem to have happened last week. It is difficult as a member of the generation growing up in the shadows of that war to understand the effects it had on the people who were there. Larry Brown brings that reality to light. He is frank and authoritative in his telling of two souls tortured by the physical and emotional hell they endured. I found myself moved by his accuracy in description of the south and the people who live there. You cannot read this book without relating the characters to people in your own life. I very much enjoyed this book. I recommend it to everyone interested in understanding the war.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Believable characters written superbly on a timeless subject. Powerful, original, and very moving.
7 Dec 2010
By Paul Harris
Format:Paperback
Difficult to find words to express how much this short novel moved me...
Larry Brown has a way with his writing that takes you right under the skin of his characters. They are so vivid and believable. Dirty Work's two main protagonists are both physically and mentally scarred Vietnam veterans who share adjoining beds in a VA hospital 22 years after their war. Both Mississippians, limbless Braiden is black and faceless Walter is white. Both are from poor and troubled backgrounds. They find rare solace in their ability to confide in each other, something that their lives have usually been barred from.
The book is entirely written in the first person with short, punchy, and more or less alternate chapters in the voice of each man - something that I very quickly adjusted to after a tricky opening dozen or so pages... This book is very powerful and deeply affecting, and I'm pretty sure I will return to it again. The subject it addresses is as relevant today as it ever was -
"I know where you been, man. I've decided it's all the same. it's just the places and the reasons that change. Or maybe just the enemy. Hell. Let's open us another beer."
Larry Brown has a way with his writing that takes you right under the skin of his characters. They are so vivid and believable. Dirty Work's two main protagonists are both physically and mentally scarred Vietnam veterans who share adjoining beds in a VA hospital 22 years after their war. Both Mississippians, limbless Braiden is black and faceless Walter is white. Both are from poor and troubled backgrounds. They find rare solace in their ability to confide in each other, something that their lives have usually been barred from.
The book is entirely written in the first person with short, punchy, and more or less alternate chapters in the voice of each man - something that I very quickly adjusted to after a tricky opening dozen or so pages... This book is very powerful and deeply affecting, and I'm pretty sure I will return to it again. The subject it addresses is as relevant today as it ever was -
"I know where you been, man. I've decided it's all the same. it's just the places and the reasons that change. Or maybe just the enemy. Hell. Let's open us another beer."
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.3 out of 5 stars
18 reviews
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
incredible debut novel from a master craftsman
23 Sep 1999
By Johnny Roulette (bconner1@mindspring.com)
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
Dirty Work is the captivating debut novel from the finest novelist of this generation. Hailed as a modern Johnny Got His Gun, it lives up to and, at times, surpasses such comparisons. Brown's creative way of alternating the perspective, chapter by chapter, between the two main characters works beautifully. It's a fast and compelling read. The dark clouds that permeate Brown's style of storytelling are devoid of silver linings. The emotional landscape is often more stark than the gloomy physical settings where his stories unfold. I have turned many people on to this gem and all have come away as loyal Larry Brown fans. I do not think it's possible to be disappointed with this novel. Dive in with absolute confidence that Mr. Brown will take you where you need to go! You will want more when you are finished.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A most personal, touching story about the tragedy of war
11 Mar 2005
By A. Wells
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Paperback
If you're prepared to step into a not-so-well-known zone of emotion, turmoil, introspection, strife, heartbreak, and seemingly infinite, dogged self-questioning, then this story may begin to have a lasting effect on you. It is a brief but powerful exploration into a tumultuous, emotional maelstrom about men who have been at war and live its most personal aftermaths. This novel absorbs you, and if you are so inclined, produces an empathetic connection with you that may take a while, if it ever does, for you to break.
Dirty Work is a glimpse at a pivotal moment in the lives of two men who are seemingly brought together for an important purpose. Both are victims of war through devastating wounds; physical, mental, and emotional; and are also victims of the aftermath of their recoveries. They each lived through their physical injuries but found, alas, that their survival placed them in another type of war; a war waged in the way that people react to them and in how they are expected to act around them.
Being from different races and backgrounds, the main characters, Braiden and Walter, irreparably scarred by the Vietnam conflict, are brought together in the confines of a veterans' hospital and are initially wary of each other. But as they soon discover very quickly through their stories to one another, quickly imparting emotional and unspoken understandings, they are bound to form a special bond for a special purpose.
The short time period covered in the "present" part of this story is told amidst non-stop, brief volleys of story swapping and philosophizing from Braiden and Walter. They speak of times when they were young, while in the war, about times after their war experiences, and about their present circumstances. Their exchanges are gripping, and you come to know each of these men at a level that gives you something akin to an emotional bond with them. They stay with you long after you close the back cover of the book.
Dirty Work is a glimpse at a pivotal moment in the lives of two men who are seemingly brought together for an important purpose. Both are victims of war through devastating wounds; physical, mental, and emotional; and are also victims of the aftermath of their recoveries. They each lived through their physical injuries but found, alas, that their survival placed them in another type of war; a war waged in the way that people react to them and in how they are expected to act around them.
Being from different races and backgrounds, the main characters, Braiden and Walter, irreparably scarred by the Vietnam conflict, are brought together in the confines of a veterans' hospital and are initially wary of each other. But as they soon discover very quickly through their stories to one another, quickly imparting emotional and unspoken understandings, they are bound to form a special bond for a special purpose.
The short time period covered in the "present" part of this story is told amidst non-stop, brief volleys of story swapping and philosophizing from Braiden and Walter. They speak of times when they were young, while in the war, about times after their war experiences, and about their present circumstances. Their exchanges are gripping, and you come to know each of these men at a level that gives you something akin to an emotional bond with them. They stay with you long after you close the back cover of the book.
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
You Will Remember This Book
7 Mar 2006
By theegg
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:Hardcover
I'm new to reviewing books on Amazon and have started out with reviews of my newest favorite author, Larry Brown. For great southern storytelling I love Brown's books "Fay", "Joe" and "Father and Son", and if you are a fan of any of those you probably love them for the same reason I do. But it's what is in "Dirty Work" that proves that Larry Brown was one of the very very best. I didn't know where I'd land once I started reading this book, but it took me to places that just astonished me. The narrative changes in its chapters never became stale or contrived and the development of the characters through thoughts and minimal expression is masterful. It's a powerful book.
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 18 reviews
4.3 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
