Paco's Story

Larry Heinemann is an American novelist.  His body of work, which includes three novels and a memoir, is primarily concerned with the Vietnam War. His novel, Paco’s Story was the winner of the National Book Awards in 1987. The story chronicles the war experiences of Paco Sullivan, the only surviving soldier of the Fire Base Harriette massacre during the Vietnam war. Despite being the only survivor, Paco is grievously wounded, left for dead and discovered by a medic. The novel is narrated by the ghosts killed that day at the Harriette massacre. The story follows Paco, who is in constant motion from nagging pain, back to the United States to begin his struggle for assimilation into society.  A raw, memorable novel richly detailed by Heinemann’s graphic prose.