Chickenhawk (book)
| Author | Robert Mason |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Vietnam War, Helicopter |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
|
Publication date
|
August 1983 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| ISBN |
Chickenhawk is Robert Mason's narrative of his experiences as a "Huey" UH-1 Iroquois helicopter pilot during the Vietnam War. The book chronicles his enlistment, flight training, deployment to and experiences in Vietnam, and his experiences after returning from the war.
Mason was encouraged to write his Vietnam memoir by Knox Burger, the editor of an author-friend of Mason (Bill Smith, better known as Martin Cruz Smith). He began writing Chickenhawk on May 17, 1979 while living in Florida. The first chapter written was what became the fifth chapter in the finished book. By February 1980, Mason had a 200-page partial manuscript (about one-third), and an outline of the rest of his memoir. Knox agreed to shop the book to publishers.
While waiting to see whether Burger could sell the book, after several rejections (it is good but no one wants to read about Vietnam), Mason was running a paper route each night, 100 miles on back roads, and his car blew up. He decided to take a job sailing as a deckhand on a 30-foot boat to Colombia. As he puts it "I found out I could be bought." In January 1981 he was arrested with a boatload of marijuana from Colombia in a creek in South Carolina.
In early 1981, while awaiting trial on the criminal charges, Mason learned that Viking Press had purchased Chickenhawk and started work on finishing the book. He didn't tell Viking about the bust. He wrote steadily submitting each third of the manuscript on time.
By Christmas of that year, the manuscript was finished. Editing was completed by June 1982.
In the meantime, in March 1982, Mason was convicted on the smuggling charges. In August 1982, he was sentenced to five years in a minimum security prison, but was allowed to remain free on bail pending an appeal of his conviction.
In early August 1983, Chickenhawk was published. Early reviews were positive, including a glowing review in the New York Times. He was booked for an appearance on the The Today Show and was interviewed several times. A film version directed by John Carpenter was announced but never made. In the midst of this, Mason's appeals were exhausted and he learned that his incarceration was set to begin on August 19, 1983. The Today Show appearance took place August 15, and sales of the book benefited from the author's own ongoing drama as well as his widely praised writing.
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Wikipedia