KENNETH LEVIN
AUTHOR
SUMMARY
Clark Coburn, a United States Naval Officer, receives a military advisor job in Vietnam. He believes this position will provide him with all of the war glory he has desired. Coburn's narcissism and lack of regard for anything but his own personal interest in the conflict contrasts with the actions of Tran Vo, a dedicated North Vietnamese soldier. Tran Vo serves only out of die-hard patriotism and a dedication to his people. While Coburn looks upon his position in Vietnam as an avenue to his own advancement, Tran Vo dutifully accepts his position as one that could occupy untold years of his life, and will probably even take his life itself. With this dichotomy at the forefront, Crazy Razor highlights the ability of war to corrupt the human soul.
"It was very well-written and the way he laid out the story was very compelling." C. B. Kalivoda
"Crazy Razor is a fine read that leaves the reader in no doubt why the Americans failed to win the Vietnamese war. The two protagonists, Coburn (US Navy) and Vo (North Vietnamese Army) personify the profound differences between the Americans and Vietnamese - Coburn is morally corrupt, arrogant, and politically naive; Vo in contrast is honourable, sensitive and committed to the unification of the Vietnamese people. Each man's story brings them inextricably together - and the end is a war scene of unsettling power. Kenneth Levin pulls the reader into the horror of the war, and never takes the pressure off. Highly recommended." Anne Tuffin
"Levin's writing skills create a clear picture of the political, tactical, and strategic challenges of this very dark period." Tri-Coastal
"Crazy Razor is much more interesting than I was expecting because Levin's emphasis is on the dark recesses of human nature within the context of such an ugly war rather than on strategies, and tactics. I could not put it down. It is a profound book about the motives we use to justify our actions, the ugliness of war and the latitude it gives people to be at their very worst." S. Reynolds, Ph. D, Clinical Psychologist
"Readers will find Crazy Razor an intriguing, compelling, yet disturbing book. A novel grounded in a solid base of reality. And one well worth reading." Mike McGreehan, Correspondent, Monclarion and Piedmonter newspapers and insidebayarea.com
BUY A COPY
​CRAZY RAZOR
"I opened Crazy Razor up as we took off, and closed it as we were arriving back at Oakland airport one week later. I couldn’t put it down. I was absolutely floored that I read every line of the entire book (in less than a year to boot) and didn’t have my normal trouble reading it.
Loved it. Thanks. My wife said that it must have been that the subject was on my mind and very familiar to me, but I think it was more than that…. Levin did a good job. He sucked me in and held me there, then spit me out at the end." Dennis Giacovelli, Director at Large, Vietnam Veterans of Diablo Valley
"Through Levin's writing, everybody can know more about the perspective of the war, people and the life at that time. His writing is a bridge between the past and present. People cannot live at the present without the past. It is precious to read it...Vietnam is not only the war country of the past but is now the peaceful and beautiful country as well." N. Hoang, Hanoi
"Levin deftly explores the nature of man amidst the chaos and horror of war. And while the main character is no prince charming, Crazy Razor demonstrates with stark clarity that the real villain in war is war itself." R. Fahr, Alive, August 2013
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