Review of Diary of a Talking (war) Dog

[abstactlemon]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Diary of a Talking (war) Dog" by Daniel Tierney.]

---

4 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

This is my fifth book about the Vietnam War, give or take a book or two, and it’s always fun to see how authors execute their own stories while still modeling them around the core concept of the war. However, Diary of a Talking (War) Dog by Daniel Tierney takes an approach that I haven’t seen anywhere else. It is a non-fiction book that follows the author, First Lieutenant Tierney, and his journey in the United States Air Force. However, the lieutenant wasn’t fighting on the front lines; he worked an administrative job. This book showcases Tierney’s perspective on the tedium of war, and it does so in a humorous way that is easy to digest.

The author’s writing style is a big part of why I really enjoyed this book. Tierney has a way of writing that completely engages you and makes you want to keep reading. As I mentioned, it’s a very humorous book, but that doesn’t stop it from delving into deeper topics. It covers the abandoned children of war or the devastation that war can cause. This is a sentence that really shows how tonally heavy this book can be; “This poor kid, I thought, who had probably grown up in some small rural town, was going to a war in a place he’d barely heard of, for reasons he probably didn’t understand (did I, did McNamara, did anyone?)”

Tierney talks about his disillusionment with wars, even without having a job on the front lines. It’s not a glorious and romantic thing, as Hemingway led him to believe. It’s brutal, senseless, and leaves destruction in its wake. Tierney conveys this in his piece by coating it in a light layer of sardonicism but without being preachy.

There were some pictures at the end of the book that really sold the feeling of reading someone’s diary, which was obviously Tierney’s intention. It was a nice touch, and I thought it was worth mentioning.

I really couldn’t think of anything I disliked about this book. If I was nitpicking, then maybe I’d say the humor won’t be to everyone’s tastes. Other than that, however, I have to give this book 4 out of 4 stars. Everything I mentioned above made this a simple choice, but I think the star of the show was Tierney himself. I recommend this book to those who enjoy war stories, those who want to know what war is truly like, and also those just looking for a good read.

******
Diary of a Talking (war) Dog
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon