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Sparring with Charlie: Motorbiking down the Ho Chi Minh Trail Audiobook
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(2.91) - 34 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
When Christopher Hunt set off in search of Vietnam's notorious Ho Chi Minh Trail, he hardly expected to end up on a rickety, Russian-made motorcycle navigating 5,000 kilometers of paths rarely traveled by tourists and on roads missing from maps.
Hunt left the United States expecting to explore the 1,700-kilometer highway that was once the supply route for the North Vietnamese Army. He soon found himself roaming the Vietnamese countryside in need of help and direction. In the process, he found that being an American in Vietnam conjured constant reminders of the past and encountered a country and a people poised precariously between the ancient and the modern.
With adventure, wit, and an eye for the absurd, Hunt goes beyond the newspaper headlines and myths about Vietnam to capture the color and complexity of Vietnam today.
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"This book was pretty good. Usually this kind of book is written by people who are painfully PC and only bring up the good parts of the culture and the places. This guy said a few things that genuinely surprised me. I feel that this book gave me exactly what I was hoping for when I picked it up."
— Northman (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Christopher Hunt makes a lively travel companion.”
— New York Times Book Review -
“This work captures a sense of sadness fused with a rush of adrenaline as Vietnam is once again reborn.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Hunt provides a sometimes amusing and often insightful look at this country…Tom Parker is clear, well paced, and sensitive to the nuances of the work in his reading of this cleverly written text.”
— AudioFile -
“Whimsical…a fascinating and fun book to read.”
— Library Journal
Sparring with Charlie Listener Reviews
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" OK read about traveling the length of Vietnam on motorbike. Colorful and interesting characters. Read it for future travel plans - don't go out of your way to find this! "
— Nancy, 5/13/2013 -
" Don't read it as a guide to Vietnam or the people there. If you wanta fairly entertaining book about going on a motorcycle trip in a "strange" country, then this is a good enough book. "
— Anna, 3/8/2013 -
" A fast read. A bit outdated now though... "
— Amy, 3/1/2010 -
" OK read about traveling the length of Vietnam on motorbike. Colorful and interesting characters. Read it for future travel plans - don't go out of your way to find this! "
— Nancy, 8/26/2009 -
" Don't read it as a guide to Vietnam or the people there. If you wanta fairly entertaining book about going on a motorcycle trip in a "strange" country, then this is a good enough book. "
— Anna, 7/9/2007 -
" A fast read. A bit outdated now though... "
— Amy, 5/23/2007
About Christopher Hunt
Christopher Hunt was born in New York City and grew up in Beirut. He graduated from Dartmouth College and the London School of Economics before working as a staff reporter for the Wall Street Journal and the Economist. Author P. J. O’Rourke said of Hunt, “It is the job of the travel writer to have an awful time, and Christopher Hunt is an expert in his profession.”
About Grover Gardner
Grover Gardner (a.k.a. Tom Parker) is an award-winning narrator with over a thousand titles to his credit. Named one of the “Best Voices of the Century” and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards, was chosen Narrator of the Year for 2005 by Publishers Weekly, and has earned more than thirty Earphones Awards.