The 13th Valley

"There have been a number of excellent books about Vietnam...but none has managed to communicate in such detail the day-to-day pain, discomfort, frustration, and exhilaration of the American military experience in Vietnam as well...Del Vecchio has made the jungle real and terrifying." -The New York Times Book Review

"Quite simply, the novel about the Vietnam War...Del Vecchio has constructed a classic war novel, a complex and frightening book, that gets it right."-Chicago Sun Times

Step into the gripping world of The 13th Valley, the definitive novel for the Vietnam generation.

Follow James Chelini, a telephone- systems installer turned infantry-man, as he navigates the perilous terrain controlled by the North Vietnamese Army. This immersive narrative vividly captures Chelini's journey from a peace-minded individual to a dedicated soldier, portraying the harrowing realities of jungle warfare.

Hailed as an essential read on the Vietnam experience, The 13th Valley provides unparalleled insights into the complexities of war in Southeast Asia. John M. Del Vecchio, himself a Vietnam War veteran, has woven a compelling and reflective narrative of the profound challenges and sacrifices faced by those who were there. Discover why this masterful work is celebrated by readers and critics alike.

"Quite simply, the novel about the Vietnam War...Del Vecchio has constructed a classic war novel, a complex and frightening book, that gets it right."

"The 13^th Valley is dynamite! This is the most sensuously honest interpretation of the Vietnam experience I've ever read. As a Vietnam Vet, I recommend this book."

"John Del Vecchio's The 13^th Valley, written with straight-forward, authorative, unadorned prose and merciless intelligence, is not just the best Vietnam war novel to date, but the smartest."

"Powerful... a diverse group of men, gathered together to make war, proceed to transcend racial and ethnic differences, become brothers in combat, suffer horribly, fight an apocalyptic battle and win...There have been a number of excellent books about Vietnam...but none has managed to communicate in such detail the day-to-day pain, discomfort, frustration and exhilaration of the American military experience in Vietnam as well... DEL VECCHIO has made the jungle real and terrifying."

"As complex as a tropical jungle, as frightening as an ambush at night...Del Vecchio proves once again that truth comes to us best through great fiction...Set in Vietnam in 1970, there is a factual basis to this superb piece of fiction. The author is a Vietnam vet, having served with the 101st Airborne. The valley mentioned in the title is a real one, the Khe Ta Laou. Early on the morning of August 13, 1970, troops from the 101st were helilifted into the valley, which at the time was serving as a supply depot and sanctuary for numerous North Vietnamese battalions. From the bare bones of that reality, Del Vecchio has constructed the best novel to come out of that war."

"An important and distinctly American book...A big novel in the tradition of The Naked and the Dead-the sort of book critics have said could not be written out of the shifting rice paddies of Southeast Asia....Nowhere in the swelling literature about Vietnam does one discover a richer feel for 'what it was really like'...In its meticulous realism and philosophic musings, The 13^th Valley reminds me of Moby Dick."

John M. Del Vecchio was drafted in 1969 shortly after graduating from Lafayette College with a bachelor's degree in psychology and minor emphasis in civil engineering. In 1970 he volunteered for Viet Nam where he served as a combat correspondent for the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile); in 1971 he was awarded a Bronze Star for Heroism in Ground Combat.Along with The 13th Valley, Del Vecchio is the author of For the Sake of All Living Things, Carry Me Home, DEMISE: A Novel of Race, Culture Wars and Falling Darkness, The Bremer Detail (with Frank Gallagher), AUGUST 2024, numerous articles and papers including the widely quoted, "The Importance of Story"; the forward for Wounds Of War and the afterword for Code Word: Geronimo. His books have been translated into four languages and published worldwide. He has lectured extensively on the history of the Viet Nam War in the U.S. and the United Kingdom and has appeared on FOX News as a military/political commentator.Del Vecchio's mission has not changed. He is now working on a program to disrupt the false elements of the standard historical narrative of America's Southeast Asia venture.

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