Yawn. Yet Another Vietnam Memoir, this time by someone who commanded a radio intelligence detachment– and not very well at that. Kidder’s previous work, including the seminal Soul of a New Machine, was so good that I was willing to take a flyer on this book. Unfortunately, it’s a dull book that primarily succeeds in painting a picture of Kidder as a self-involved son of the privileged classes who doesn’t have the faintest clue, or even interest, in leading his men. He’s opposed to the war and brags to his anti-war friends back home about what a tough hombre he is; meanwhile, he’s cowed by the men he’s ostensibly commanding. Kidder writes with humor and a seemingly authentic voice, but he surely doesn’t paint a flattering or engaging picture of himself. Not recommended.
Paul's Down-Home Page 
I don’t know for sure, but you almost make it sound interesting… at least, a “this is how I screwed up when I was in command of a radio intercept unit in Vietnam” sort of memoir could be interesting, to someone who was in a similar unit somewhere else.
(In other words, I’m trying to figure out if this would be a book my dad might find interesting).
It wasn’t *uninteresting*, but I wasn’t overly impressed with it. I do have to give Kidder props for not trying to make himself look better than he apparently was at the time; that kind of honesty is refreshing.