Play Audiobook Sample
If Not Now, When?: Duty and Sacrifice in America’s Time of Need Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(3.15) - 58 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
Army First Lieutenant Jack Jacobs was serving as an advisor to the South Vietnamese when he and his men came under devastating attack. Severely wounded, Jacobs took command and withdrew the unit, returning again and again to the site of the attack to rescue more men, saving the lives of a US advisor and thirteen Allied soldiers. Colonel Jacobs received the nation’s highest military award, the Medal of Honor.
Here, with candor, humor, and quiet modesty, Jack Jacobs tells his stirring story of heroism, honor, and the personal code by which he has lived his life. He expounds with blunt honesty and insight his views on our contemporary world and the nature and necessity of sacrifice.
Download and start listening now!
"The author mixes a great deal of self-depreciating humor with an intelligent read that made me ponder. His candor, insight, and intelligence (I had to look up a few words!) were thoroughly enjoyable. America needs more people like this Medal-of-Honor winner. "
— Laura (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“Offers a mix of no-holds-barred personal history and pointed observations about the demands (or lack thereof) the U.S. makes on its citizens today. Never self-indulgent or preachy, Jacobs takes an honest—and often brutally funny—look back at his own life and forward to the future of the military and the nation.”
— Parade magazine
Awards
-
Winner of the 2010 Colby Award
If Not Now, When? Listener Reviews
-
" The author mixes a great deal of self-depreciating humor with an intelligent read that made me ponder. His candor, insight, and intelligence (I had to look up a few words!) were thoroughly enjoyable. America needs more people like this Medal-of-Honor winner. "
— Laura, 11/4/2013 -
" Interesting book by a US Medal of Honor winner. Not many of them are live to tell their stories. Good biography, but I was hopeing for a more profound philosophy. Some good leadership tips but on the whole a mediocre book. "
— Ed, 10/19/2013 -
" Well written chronicle of VietNam war and life and career in Army.Jack Jacobs has so much New Yorker in him that I was definitely able to relate to his sarcasm. "
— Madelyn, 10/15/2013 -
" Great book. Very insightful, very funny and definitely worth reading. "
— Tom, 4/28/2013 -
" great book. He has many memorable quotes and observations. I highly recommend this book. Really reminds you of what we owe our country, and how much our leaders have let us down! "
— Steve, 9/4/2012 -
" Col. Jacobs lead a remarkable life and he does a fine job writing about the events. His exciting experiences in Vietnam earned him a Congressional Medal of Honor. I learned that leadership and teamwork go together. "
— Jon, 7/28/2012 -
" Jack Jacobs is my godfather. My single earliest memory in life is sitting on his knee, learning the words to the Monty Python song "I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay." His book was quick, smart, and I thought pretty powerful. It made me proud. "
— Jeff, 6/30/2012 -
" This is a history book about a small man in Vietnam and his life after. I do not recommed it. "
— Eric, 4/20/2011 -
" Great book. Very insightful, very funny and definitely worth reading. "
— Tom, 12/21/2010 -
" Col. Jacobs lead a remarkable life and he does a fine job writing about the events. His exciting experiences in Vietnam earned him a Congressional Medal of Honor. I learned that leadership and teamwork go together. "
— Jon, 4/13/2009 -
" This is a history book about a small man in Vietnam and his life after. I do not recommed it. "
— Eric, 3/30/2009 -
" Jack Jacobs is my godfather. My single earliest memory in life is sitting on his knee, learning the words to the Monty Python song "I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay." His book was quick, smart, and I thought pretty powerful. It made me proud. "
— Jeff, 12/16/2008 -
" Interesting book by a US Medal of Honor winner. Not many of them are live to tell their stories. Good biography, but I was hopeing for a more profound philosophy. Some good leadership tips but on the whole a mediocre book. "
— Ed, 11/15/2008
About the Authors
Jack Jacobs retired from the military as a full colonel in 1987. Today, he is widely regarded as one of the world’s most perceptive and outspoken military analysts. He lives in Millington, New Jersey.
Douglas Century is a contributor to the New York Times bestseller by William Queen Under and Alone: The True Story of the Undercover Agent Who Infiltrated America’s Most Violent Outlaw Motorcycle Gang and coauthor with Rick Cowan of Takedown: The Fall of the Last Mafia Empire. He is the author of two critically acclaimed books, Barney Ross: The Life of a Jewish Fighter and Street Kingdom: Five Years inside the Franklin Avenue Posse. He has coauthored several highly acclaimed memoirs, including If Not Now, When?; Brotherhood of Warriors; and Ice: A Memoir of Gangster Life and Redemption from South Central to Hollywood. He has written for the New York Times, the Guardian, Rolling Stone, the Village Voice, Newsday, and other publications and is a contributing editor at Tablet magazine.
About Stefan Rudnicki
Stefan Rudnicki first became involved with audiobooks in 1994. Now a Grammy-winning audiobook producer, he has worked on more than five thousand audiobooks as a narrator, writer, producer, or director. He has narrated more than nine hundred audiobooks. A recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, he was presented the coveted Audie Award for solo narration in 2005, 2007, and 2014, and was named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices in 2012.