The Greatest Beer Run Ever: A Memoir of Friendship, Loyalty, and War
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-11-02 06:51:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：John "Chick" Donohue
- ISBN：0062995472
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Summary
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER
“Chickie takes us thousands of miles on a hilarious quest laced with sorrow， but never dull。 You will laugh and cry， but you will not be sorry that you read this rollicking story。”—Malachy McCourt
Soon to be a major motion picture from Peter Farrelly， director of the Academy Award–winning Green Book—a wildly entertaining， feel-good memoir of an Irish-American New Yorker and former U。S。 marine who embarked on a courageous， hare-brained scheme to deliver beer to his pals serving Vietnam in the late 1960s。
One night in 1967， twenty-six-year-old John Donohue—known as Chick—was out with friends， drinking in a New York City bar。 The friends gathered there had lost loved ones in Vietnam。 Now they watched as anti-war protesters turned on the troops themselves。
One neighborhood patriot came up with an inspired—some would call it insane—idea。 Someone should sneak into Vietnam， track down their buddies there， give them messages of support from back home， and share a few laughs over a can of beer。
It would be the Greatest Beer Run Ever。
But who’d be crazy enough to do it？
One man was up for the challenge—a U。S。 Marine Corps veteran turned merchant mariner who wasn’t about to desert his buddies on the front lines when they needed him。
Chick volunteered。
A day later， he was on a cargo ship headed to Vietnam， armed with Irish luck and a backpack full of alcohol。 Landing in Qui Nho’n， Chick set off on an adventure that would change his life forever—an odyssey that took him through a series of hilarious escapades and harrowing close calls， including the Tet Offensive。 But none of that mattered if he could bring some cheer to his pals and show them how much the folks back home appreciated them。
This is the story of that epic beer run， told in Chick’s own words and those of the men he visited in Vietnam。
INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER
“Chickie takes us thousands of miles on a hilarious quest laced with sorrow， but never dull。 You will laugh and cry， but you will not be sorry that you read this rollicking story。”—Malachy McCourt
Soon to be a major motion picture from Peter Farrelly， director of the Academy Award–winning Green Book—a wildly entertaining， feel-good memoir of an Irish-American New Yorker and former U。S。 marine who embarked on a courageous， hare-brained scheme to deliver beer to his pals serving Vietnam in the late 1960s。
One night in 1967， twenty-six-year-old John Donohue—known as Chick—was out with friends， drinking in a New York City bar。 The friends gathered there had lost loved ones in Vietnam。 Now they watched as anti-war protesters turned on the troops themselves。
One neighborhood patriot came up with an inspired—some would call it insane—idea。 Someone should sneak into Vietnam， track down their buddies there， give them messages of support from back home， and share a few laughs over a can of beer。
It would be the Greatest Beer Run Ever。
But who’d be crazy enough to do it？
One man was up for the challenge—a U。S。 Marine Corps veteran turned merchant mariner who wasn’t about to desert his buddies on the front lines when they needed him。
Chick volunteered。
A day later， he was on a cargo ship headed to Vietnam， armed with Irish luck and a backpack full of alcohol。 Landing in Qui Nho’n， Chick set off on an adventure that would change his life forever—an odyssey that took him through a series of hilarious escapades and harrowing close calls， including the Tet Offensive。 But none of that mattered if he could bring some cheer to his pals and show them how much the folks back home appreciated them。
This is the story of that epic beer run， told in Chick’s own words and those of the men he visited in Vietnam。
Reviews
Matt B
，
What a great story！ This man truly loved his brothers to go through all this trouble to show them support from home。 Definitely a different type of war book， highly recommend it
Joan
，
Puts you right in the middle of the Vietnam War。 Interesting， exciting at times， and educational。
Rainerlee
，
Really enjoyed it， it's a good real life adventure story that brings history into view from on the ground。 Really enjoyed it， it's a good real life adventure story that brings history into view from on the ground。 。。。more
Katie Brummell
，
The Greatest Beer Run Ever U。S。 History/memoir 5🌟📚📚📚📚What a fantastic peice of History！ I'm a I read a lot of WWII books， this is my first about Vietnam。 No fiction in this book it's all true！ Chick Donohue gose on a wild adventure to hand deliver beer to his buddies in Vietnam during the War not only does he find some of his buddies he gets stuck in there when the VC attack Sigon during New Years。 This battle set off the Tet Offensive。 Follow Chick as he makes his way to， through and out of Vie The Greatest Beer Run Ever U。S。 History/memoir 5🌟📚📚📚📚What a fantastic peice of History！ I'm a I read a lot of WWII books， this is my first about Vietnam。 No fiction in this book it's all true！ Chick Donohue gose on a wild adventure to hand deliver beer to his buddies in Vietnam during the War not only does he find some of his buddies he gets stuck in there when the VC attack Sigon during New Years。 This battle set off the Tet Offensive。 Follow Chick as he makes his way to， through and out of Vietnam in this 5 star read。 📖📖📖📖Soon to be a major motion picture。One night in 1967， twenty-six-year-old John Donohue—known as Chick—was out with friends， drinking in a New York City bar。 The friends gathered there had lost loved ones in Vietnam。 Now， they watched as anti-war protesters turned on the troops themselves。One neighborhood patriot came up with an inspired—some would call it insane—idea。 Someone should sneak into Vietnam， track down their buddies there， give them messages of support from back home， and share a few laughs over a can of beer。It would be the Greatest Beer Run Ever。But who’d be crazy enough to do it？One man was up for the challenge—a U。 S。 Marine Corps veteran turned merchant mariner who wasn’t about to desert his buddies on the front lines when they needed him。Chick volunteered。A day later， he was on a cargo ship headed to Vietnam， armed with Irish luck and a backpack full of alcohol。 Landing in Qui Nho’n， Chick set off on an adventure that would change his life forever—an odyssey that took him through a series of hilarious escapades and harrowing close calls， including the Tet Offensive。 But none of that mattered if he could bring some cheer to his life forever—an odyssey that took him through a series of hilarious escapades and harrowing close calls， including the Tet Offensive。 But none of that mattered if he could bring some cheer to his pals and show them how much the folks back home appreciated them。This is the story of that epic beer run， told in Chick’s own words and those of the men he visited in Vietnam。Book 49/2021 #bookstagram #books #readinglife #bookworm #books #reading #Vietnam #nonfiction #ushistory 。。。more
Tarrah Sweatt
，
I had to constantly remind myself that this is a true story。 What an amazing story。
Don Kirby
，
What hometown friends do for each other。
Ann
，
"I went into the marines a private， and four years later， I came out a private。 But I was a four-star general when it came to slinging BS。"LOL！ John "Chick"Donahue was indeed great at slinging the BS。 Fun， mind blowing story about great friendships and crazy true loyalty。 This guy was one incredibly lucky dude to have made his wild beer run during the midst of the Vietnam war and then to get back safely。 I'm shocked at how many friends Chickie had that went through that harrowing war experiece a "I went into the marines a private， and four years later， I came out a private。 But I was a four-star general when it came to slinging BS。"LOL！ John "Chick"Donahue was indeed great at slinging the BS。 Fun， mind blowing story about great friendships and crazy true loyalty。 This guy was one incredibly lucky dude to have made his wild beer run during the midst of the Vietnam war and then to get back safely。 I'm shocked at how many friends Chickie had that went through that harrowing war experiece and made it back too。This was a quick read for me， I couldn't stop turning the pages。I loved Chick's stories about his Inwood neighborhood and that innocent time of his youth。 So sad that we've lost those times， but precious are the memories。 I really enjoyed the "Reflections on the Journey"and "Where are They Now" chapters at the end as well as seeing the pictures of Chickie and some of his buddies that brought this story full circle。War sucks。 And what a crazy time that was politically。 "If there is one thing that I learned as a result of my Vietnam experience is that government—all governments for that matter—are not to be trusted。 Many politicians lie when it serves their interests。"So effing true。My heart goes out to those courageous military men and women for what they endured both being in Vietnam and for their personal struggles afterward being back stateside。 As well as for the families of those that weren't fortunate to come home。 I read in a book recently -"Wars always been old people arguing and young people dying"。 Ain't that the damned truth。This was an amazing story。 I heard there's going to be a movie version of this book due out in the future。 I certainly hope it does Chickie's story justice。 。。。more
Mary
，
Honestly I wanted to read because of it being made into a film with an interesting cast （Zac Efron， Russell Crowe， Bill Murray） & director （Peter Farrelly）。 I didn't anticipate liking it as much as I did。 A close up look at the Vietnam War told in a really heartwarming story。 Who knew？ Honestly I wanted to read because of it being made into a film with an interesting cast （Zac Efron， Russell Crowe， Bill Murray） & director （Peter Farrelly）。 I didn't anticipate liking it as much as I did。 A close up look at the Vietnam War told in a really heartwarming story。 Who knew？ 。。。more
Alec
，
I enjoyed The Greatest Beer Run Ever all right， but details of battles only interest so much。 I liked his commentary about those in power at the end， but I wish Donohue had gone harder on his critique。 The Vietnam War is one of the most bald-faced examples of manufactured consent in U。S。 history and seeing a heartier critique of the war， especially with all the information leaks about how the government lied to the public， would have bumped this rating up a star。
Mary
，
First off， THANK YOU to all those who fought in the Vietnam War — y’all don’t get enough recognition and many have past away without anyone knowing your stories。 It was an unfair war， and y’all deserved better。 Thank you 🙏🏽。Now on to the review — Talk about dumb luck！！Chicky — my man — like wtf 😳。 This is a memoir of a retired Marine， who was tasked with taking All-American NY brewed beer to his neighborhood friends/neighbors from his hometown， Inglewood。His quest started out as a drunken bet， b First off， THANK YOU to all those who fought in the Vietnam War — y’all don’t get enough recognition and many have past away without anyone knowing your stories。 It was an unfair war， and y’all deserved better。 Thank you 🙏🏽。Now on to the review — Talk about dumb luck！！Chicky — my man — like wtf 😳。 This is a memoir of a retired Marine， who was tasked with taking All-American NY brewed beer to his neighborhood friends/neighbors from his hometown， Inglewood。His quest started out as a drunken bet， but he genuinely was glad he went。 He was glad to see that all his friends， especially Johnny， were alive & well。 He did mention his experiences in Vietnam during the war — the VCMs breaking US forces lines’。 I listened to the audiobook （so I apologize for the misspellings and stuff）。 I’m glad I did too！ The narrator made this memoir very believable。Highly recommend 🙌🏽。 。。。more
Lance Hillsinger
，
The Greatest Beer Run Ever by John Donohue is an easy， enjoyable read。 Donohoe， a veteran himself， went to Vietnam to show his support for the troops， particularly young men from his large neighborhood。 Donohue’s writing is straightforward。 There is surprisingly little profanity， which adds to the book’s literary quality。 Donohue also adds just the right amount of historical background to help the reader better appreciate his adventure。 An adventure that was both heroic and fool-hardy at the s The Greatest Beer Run Ever by John Donohue is an easy， enjoyable read。 Donohoe， a veteran himself， went to Vietnam to show his support for the troops， particularly young men from his large neighborhood。 Donohue’s writing is straightforward。 There is surprisingly little profanity， which adds to the book’s literary quality。 Donohue also adds just the right amount of historical background to help the reader better appreciate his adventure。 An adventure that was both heroic and fool-hardy at the same time。 Not to give away the story， while Donohue is fiercely patriotic， in the last few chapters， his concept of patriotism broadens。 tThe Greatest Beer Run is a strong four or even five-star achievement。 However， at one point， The Greatest Beer Run had over 1，200 pre-publication reviews。 That is an abuse of the pre-publication promotion process。 （Most books don’t have any pre-publication reviews， and those they do usually have less than twenty）。 To discourage other authors from doing the same， The Greatest Beer Run is given just three stars。 。。。more
Barbara Chinn
，
This was a unique and interesting story but a lot of the details were lost on me because I didn’t live through the Vietnam War。 I think my dad and uncle would really enjoy this book。
Lesley Eichten
，
If you didn’t know it was true you’d never believe it。 This is both an outrageous story about， quite literally， a beer run to Vietnam， and an inside look at the fighting in that country and the men that served there。 Excellent storytelling！
Mary
，
Wonderful read
Julie
，
A great yarn
Jane
，
This book was extremely easy to read。 Definitely like listening to someone spin out a （fairy） tale of their past exploits。 It reminded me of listening to my colorful Uncle Tom tell stories of his youth and time in the Navy during WWII。 Yeah， it's got the feeling of a tall tale， but it's a fun one to hear。There was more about the actual war than I expected， which is a good thing。 It can definitely be condensed down into a feel-good movie。 I learned and liked the phrase "on the beach" - slang for This book was extremely easy to read。 Definitely like listening to someone spin out a （fairy） tale of their past exploits。 It reminded me of listening to my colorful Uncle Tom tell stories of his youth and time in the Navy during WWII。 Yeah， it's got the feeling of a tall tale， but it's a fun one to hear。There was more about the actual war than I expected， which is a good thing。 It can definitely be condensed down into a feel-good movie。 I learned and liked the phrase "on the beach" - slang for not currently working on a ship when you are a seaman。I picked this for two of my library book clubs， and I predict it will be a good discussion book。 I saw it in multiple airport stores while travelling in early October 2021， so I also predict it's going to be popular。 Once the movie comes out even more so。 I'm guessing the author says some things that make people who know a lot about Viet Nam and its people cringe， but the author has a heartfelt appreciation for those who serve。 "Only 0。5 percent of Americans serve in the military， but 100 percent of us benefit。 Thank you。" （from the last page of the acknowledgments） 。。。more
Kim
，
Fast-paced read （listen） that engaged me from the start and provided interesting perspectives and anecdotes from John "Chick" Donohue's experience being in Vietnam， especially during the Tet offensive。 Heartwarming， engaging， and a glimpse of a period of time during the worst of the Vietnam war experienced by a community of young men from the Inwood neighborhood of NYC。 Hopeful story of the importance of community。 Fast-paced read （listen） that engaged me from the start and provided interesting perspectives and anecdotes from John "Chick" Donohue's experience being in Vietnam， especially during the Tet offensive。 Heartwarming， engaging， and a glimpse of a period of time during the worst of the Vietnam war experienced by a community of young men from the Inwood neighborhood of NYC。 Hopeful story of the importance of community。 。。。more
Riley
，
Really fun read， amazing to think it's true。 Greatest Beer Run doesn't dwell too much。 It isn't trying to be Apocalypse Now in the slightest， which I think is a strength。 Donohue does a great job of laying out the scene of Vietnam， how the soldiers were harassed back home， the greater overall movements of the Vietnam War without getting too into the weeds。 Really fun read， amazing to think it's true。 Greatest Beer Run doesn't dwell too much。 It isn't trying to be Apocalypse Now in the slightest， which I think is a strength。 Donohue does a great job of laying out the scene of Vietnam， how the soldiers were harassed back home， the greater overall movements of the Vietnam War without getting too into the weeds。 。。。more
Daniel Gaddy
，
This book is every bit as wild as the title would imply。 Great， great story。
Grace W
，
Any interest I had in the story was ruined by the godawful writing
Carissa
，
My Dad， who is a Vietnam vet， gave this book to me to read。 It was definitely a wild and unbelievable story; but I enjoyed the story of friendship and dedication to show support to their friends who were fighting in a war where they did not feel supported by their countrymen。 It was also completely nuts for someone to go into a war zone who did not have to be there！ I have not read any books on the Vietnam war and my dad only shares bits and pieces。 So it was interesting to learn more about what My Dad， who is a Vietnam vet， gave this book to me to read。 It was definitely a wild and unbelievable story; but I enjoyed the story of friendship and dedication to show support to their friends who were fighting in a war where they did not feel supported by their countrymen。 It was also completely nuts for someone to go into a war zone who did not have to be there！ I have not read any books on the Vietnam war and my dad only shares bits and pieces。 So it was interesting to learn more about what was occurring on the ground there， and understanding what the soldiers were facing every day and missing back at home。 We now know all the trauma and PTSD many of them endured when they returned。 It's astonishing the US military just returned them home with no help or any healthy way to process what they have been through and prepare them to assimilate back to being a civilian。 。。。more
Jeffrey
，
Entertaining and informative enough。 At times it read like an historical fiction book targeted toward the middle-grades in that it overly explained the history and context of what was going on rather than focus on what was supposed to be the actual story。 It felt like it tried a little too hard not to fall too harshly one side or the other regarding the war in Vietnam itself。 I find that while it tried to convey the danger and hardships of the war， it felt somehow sanitized for mass consumption。 Entertaining and informative enough。 At times it read like an historical fiction book targeted toward the middle-grades in that it overly explained the history and context of what was going on rather than focus on what was supposed to be the actual story。 It felt like it tried a little too hard not to fall too harshly one side or the other regarding the war in Vietnam itself。 I find that while it tried to convey the danger and hardships of the war， it felt somehow sanitized for mass consumption。It was a quick read。 As someone who has never done a real dive into the history of the Vietnam War， the tangents were interesting enough， though if you've studied the era you'd probably find it distracting and unnecessary。Worth reading for most of us。 。。。more
Casey
，
Freaking fantastic！！ The bravery of the men of this era is astounding and aspirational。
Julie
，
Fun and easy read！ Recommended
Newt Taylor
，
I picked this up on a lark and with low expectations。 While no literary masterpiece， I’m awarding Donahue 4 stars for the entertainment and educational value of his little memoir。
Shary
，
The subtitle really describes this: a story of long-time friends somehow connecting in the midst of war。 Wild stories of the author locating his friends in various parts of Vietnam to give them a beer， and getting caught in Saigon as the Tet Offensive begins。 His look back years later adds perspective to the war and the protesters， and is sadly familiar with situations today。
Anne Flock
，
Incredible story！
Tracy S-B
，
Having retired from the Army， I found this book astonishing， in a humorous way。 The stark differences in how the military operated during the Vietnam conflict and how it operates today are such crazy polar opposites。 Not to mention， this gentleman honestly had no fear， or at least that’s how he’s portrayed in this book… and the luck he had is ridiculous！ I cannot fathom taking the journey he did。 I am in awe and enjoyed his expedition。
Edward
，
"What the Hell are you doing here？！" This line will always stay with me when I think about this book。 We can all only imagine having a friend like "Chicky"， and DESERVING of a friend like "Chicky"。 Even though the setting of this book is during the Vietnam war， you can pretty insert any war into it and it would have the same affect。 It definitely makes you stop and think about all that our military soldiers do and give up in their lives （and many time give up their own lives）， and the lack of su "What the Hell are you doing here？！" This line will always stay with me when I think about this book。 We can all only imagine having a friend like "Chicky"， and DESERVING of a friend like "Chicky"。 Even though the setting of this book is during the Vietnam war， you can pretty insert any war into it and it would have the same affect。 It definitely makes you stop and think about all that our military soldiers do and give up in their lives （and many time give up their own lives）， and the lack of support from those not in the military from either being so absorbed in our personal day-to-day lives， or from political beliefs; and many times， all they are looking for is a simple "Hey， Thank you。 We love you。 Just come home safe。" And to read about John "Chick" Donohue not just saying that to his friends in the military， but GOING INTO VIETNAM TO SAY IT （and give them a beer while he's at it） when he didn't have to was just amazing！ It's a level of loyalty to friendship that even I am not sure I could measure up to。 A great mix of humor， thriller， and caring that makes this a must read （or listen， I did the audio version）。 FYI - Apparently there is a movie in the works so IF you read it （or listen to it）， do it before Hollywood makes any tweaks to it。 God Bless America and those who serve it。 As much as I enjoyed this book， I gave it four stars only because it took me a little bit of time to adjust to the narrator's vice。 He wasn't bad in that he did a great job reading， it was just something about his voice I needed to adjust to （my problem not his）。 -e 。。。more
Ross McClintock
，