The Greatest Beer Run Ever audiobook

Fascinating and funny true story of selflessness and friendship! “Peter Farrelly (Green Book) is set to write and direct The Greatest Beer Run Ever (working title), based on the novel The Greatest Beer Run Ever: A True Story of Friendship Stronger Than War by Joanna Molloy and John “Chickie” Donohue.”; IMDB shows stars (Russell Crowe, Zac Efron & Bill Murray). Though it says “Rumored” so it isn’t official yet. . This book was a nice change from my usual romance novels. It was a strange but true story of a man who went to vietnam during the height of the conflict to bring some joy to his neighborhood friends while they served their country. Many of the boys in the neighborhood had been dying after being shipped off to Vietnam and John “Chickie” Donovan and a few others were in a local bar chatting about the sad state of affairs in the country when boys are overseas fighting and dying then come home to be yelled at and spit on.One of the guys, nicknamed the Colonel, said that something should be done to lift their spirits and since they couldn’t come around the neighborhood and join the guys for a beer, that someone should bring one to them. A good old american beer instead of the crap they get in Vietnam which could taste like vinegar one day and fine the next. Not only that, but a hug, a message from home and some camaraderie. Chickie happened to have been in Vietnam before and was currently in possession of a merchant marine card. This meant he could sign on to any merchant marine vessel heading out to Vietnam to deliver ammo and supplies. So Chickie did just that. He picked up a case of beer and got on a merchant ship bound for Vietnam. He had a list of the neighborhood boys and what companies they were each in, so he could track them down. Chickie knew it wouldn’t be as easy as stopping in and finding them right away in the Port town. However, he lucked out right away in finding one of the guys who was an MP in the port town.The rest of the story is of Chickie’s outrageous and sometimes perilous adventures while trying to get to the rest of the boys. Chickie often had to resort to conning his way into and out of situations and at first he was surprised that some of his ad libbing even worked, but soon found out the reason. It was the first of many instances in Vietnam where officers would treat me with the utmost deference, and, at first, I couldn’t understand why. Then one day somebody told me: “Don’t you get it, pal? They think you’re CIA! Because why the hell else would you be here? In jeans and a plaid shirt, no less.” What follows is a truly informative and sometimes hilarious story of Chickie’s journey through Vietnam. It is quite an interesting tale of a regular guy going out of his way at his own expense and putting himself in danger in order to bring a bit of hope and home to his fellow man. I really liked this story and the fact that it is true makes it even better. I was laughing hysterically at times, the storytelling is so good. See below for a link to a youTube documentary featuring Chickie and friends telling a shortened version of the story in their own words...Documentary video by featuring Chickie: https://youtu.be/D4WAUmyKDq0I voluntarily read & reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts & opinions are my own. Blog|Goodreads|Facebook|Instagram|Twitter|BookBub

I don't have anyone in my life like Chickie and, chances are, you probably don't either. Somebody with the love, the moxie, the street smarts, and the sheer dumb luck that propelled them, at the age of 20, into an active warzone to deliver beer and greetings from home to his lucky friends. Those boys had a bond clear and present throughout the story of their lives. I really started to focus on this and just marveled at the conditions that built such a strong sense of friendship and community in the New York City locus of the story. Luckily, this book includes a chapter devoted to the unusual conditions of time and place that strengthened the social network of the residents of Inwood, Manhattan. Inwood is described as a densely populated urban center adjacent to a large old-growth forest park and a creek. Kids growing up here could run straight from their closely packed homes to a forest playground at a time when they were encouraged to stay out of the house all day. The area was somewhat stable and home to generations of relatives and families with many children. This was a tribe which probably maxed out the number of social connections the brain can handle. This book made me nostalgic for something I never had, but at least I enjoyed the vicarious experience.

I got lucky. My draft number came up when I turned nineteen, but by then it was a lottery and my number was high. I never got the call, but despite protesting against the War, I always thought of those who were sent overseas, and then dumped on when they returned home... if they returned home. I knew many of them. It wasn't fair. It hadn't been their choice at all, so I have had a conflicted collection of feelings over VietNam since those days. This book, a memoir that tells an outrageous story of loyalty and friendship, was truly healing for me. Written in as authentic a NY neighborhood voice as could be imagined, it feels right in every way. There's a Pete Hamill-ish journalistic focus at work here, and for anyone who would want to read something revealing about the VietNam war AND about NYC, this will be a great read.

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.In 1967, the protests against the Vietnam War are gaining steam. The guys in the neighborhood don't like that, so one of them volunteers to go to Vietnam and bring the boys they know a beer and let them know people are thinking about them.He's in the merchant marines and hops a boat just about the time of the Tet Offensive. I could see where this book could make a pretty good movie. It's strange how mention of the Vietnamese version of Bigfoot, Batutut, is becoming prevalent in books about the war. I'm not sure when this trend started, but it's becoming almost a genre convention.I also noticed that once on his way home, he mentions he has a Vietnamese girlfriend. He barely mentions the entire relationship. He also leaves her in Vietnam, even though he thinks the war was already lost. What the heck is that? Did he leave her to die? That's terrible. On the whole a good book, a slightly different look at the Vietnam War.

thanks to the publishers and netgalley for a free copy in return for an open and honest review.This book had me gripped as sometimes funny and other times serious as its an ex marine and merchant seaman travels around war torn south Vietnam in 1967 as a bet in a New York bar to have a beer with friends who were stationed in the country.

The Beaumont Bookworms September theme/genre is nonfiction and we selected The Greatest Beer Run Ever by John “Chick” Donohue. I went back and forth on how to write this review. Well. Here it goes. A bunch of guys are in a bar in 1967. They are all discouraged by the protesting of the Vietnam War, especially when their friends are over there fighting. After a few drinks too many, one of the men says they should take their buddies a beer. So what does Chick do? THE DUDE GOES TO VIETNAM TO DELIVER BEER TO HIS BUDDIES. That’s it. That is the story. He goes into a warzone. To deliver beer. He goes into a warzone!!! I have no clue how he survived!! It makes no sense!!!Here is the thing. I don’t doubt that this happened. There are pictures and witnesses to corroborate the story. However, I am calling bs on some of the details. It felt like a tall tale. Especially with how they all talk to each other. It felt like some things may have been exaggerated. However, one thing is for sure this dude is bat shit crazy. I have to admit that this story is entertaining. It makes sense that it is going to be made into a movie!While some parts were repetitive, I did appreciate his point-of-view of the war. He was there during the Tet Offensive which marked a turning point in the war. Trigger Warnings: He does describe the horrific detail. I did appreciate how his views changed after his journey. He still supported the troops, but he knew we shouldn’t have been there. So many lives were lost. He started to understand why people were protesting.This is a mesh of history, friendship, and humor. It is a quick read and can’t wait to watch the adaptation. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars!

From https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/27/mo...Chickie Donohue, 81, has been telling saloon stories since his teens, but there’s one he no longer has to tell.It is about his preposterously unlikely trip to Vietnam in 1967 to bring his soldier friends a beer and a hug of support from their home neighborhood of Inwood in Upper Manhattan.The soldiers, all stationed with different units, were gobsmacked to see their neighborhood buddy in well-worn dungarees and a checked shirt suddenly show up in foxholes and tent barracks and hand them a warm one from his duffel bag.I read the book and watched the movie. Both awesome. It reminds me of my life in 1967. I was still in college and dating a guy who graduated from college in 1967. He decided to teach in the inner city of Chicago rather than be drafted. It is his experience that forms my memory of my feelings about the war. The book and movie are a walk down memory lane. Not necessarily painless as it reminds me of how I felt in that era.5 stars

#1 This story is absolutely amazing!#2 This guy was bat shit crazyWhat John Donohue set out to do, in a crazy and scary time, was admiral but at the same time crazy stupid. Hearing his journey was crazy, and I'm so glad that he lived to tell the tale.

An unbelievable true story of a man traveling to Vietnam during the war to give his buddies some beer from home. What a wild ride from start to finish! I highly recommend this to anyone interested in nonfiction that reads like fiction because this was so entertaining. Also decently informative of the Vietnam war and what it was like for the soldiers fighting in it. I'm not really into war stories or history books, so that speaks volumes of how well this story was told. I am just amazed at how idiotic (and maybe brave) Chick Donohue was all those years ago. Even if there were some exaggerations or lies, it made quite a story. Cheers!

Not great literature, but then The Greatest Beer Run Ever never pretends to be anything other than what it is - the adventures of an idiot young merchant marine who makes a (probably drunken) promise to deliver some New York beer to his neighborhood pals serving in 'Nam. He gets himself a gig on a merchant ship and then after arrival he gets a three-day pass to go visit his friends up-country; but then things take a turn and he ends up staying there…well, WAY longer.In parts amusing - if not laugh-out-loud funny - the "shit gets real" when he's stuck in Saigon during the 1968 Tet Offensive…anyway, a pleasant read for those of us who pulled their own mid-20s dumb stunts - in comparison to which, Donohue both literally and figuratively says "hold my beer."PERSONAL NOTE: Donohue's descriptions of Saigon - Cholon, the Continental Hotel overlooking the Notre Dame cathedral, the French-style buildings along tree-lined streets - are much closer to my memories of 1987 Saigon (when I first visited); but sadly (at least for us tourists), when I revisited in 2014 it had just "modernized" into another traffic-clogged, high-rise Southeast Asian city with a 7-11 on every corner. I realize that life was gotten measurably better for the VIetnamese people, but just wish then could respect the past while embracing the future more like post-Communist Eastern Europe or even Japan has done.(For more such rambling, see my review of The Quiet American (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...), much of which I actually read in the rooftop restaurant of the Continental Hotel, which at the time - I believe - was the highest building in Saigon!)

I will say that when I first was told about the title of this book, I was intrigued but skeptical I'd like it. Well, I liked it, folks, LOL.This is a memoir about Chick, who was in a New York pub one night with some friends talking about the Vietnam War and a few other friends who were overseas fighting. They discussed the brutality of what they were seeing on TV since the Vietnam War happened to be the first war ever fully televised and how awful the protestors of the time were to the soldiers. They joked that they wished they could go find their buddies in Vietnam and give a beer. Well, Chick attempts it, and this is that story. This definitely gives off Forrest Gump vibes, which I enjoyed, and had moments that were mind-blowing. The war parts were interesting because I'm not super familiar with the Vietnam War and learned a lot about that time but there were times he's goes off on the War jargon to the point it loses me. If you enjoy War time stories of ex-soliders and their journey through it and/or Forrest Gump, I think you'll enjoy this.