The Greatest Beer Run Ever - by John Chick Donohue & J T Molloy

About the Book

One night in 1967, a group of men at a bar in New York City reflected on the family and friends lost to Vietnam. The bartender proposed one of them should sneak into Vietnam, track down their buddies and deliver beer and encouragement. John "Chick" Donohue, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran volunteered to make the "greatest beer run ever" and embarked on a journey that would change his life forever.

Book Synopsis

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY PETER FARRELLY, STARRING ZAC EFRON AND RUSSELL CROWE!

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

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.

Review Quotes

"John (Chickie) Donohue happens to be one of the best storytellers anywhere. He knows that though life may be funny, it is no joke. In this book you will see through his eyes the absurdity of the human condition. 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
"Donohue's memoir is a fascinating, vividly narrated recollection of the chaos of the Vietnam war." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The Greatest Beer Run Ever is the astounding true story of a young man's odyssey. On these pages we accompany Chick Donohue as he takes us on a fantastic voyage from the streets of Manhattan via the high seas to the jungles and cities of Vietnam at the height of a war fought mostly by forgotten blue collar kids. Back in 1968, Donohue was a man on a singular mission--to prove to the soldiers and Marines from the neighborhood that they were not forgotten and never would be. On the way, Donohue lets no obstacle get in his way--not bemused military officials startled by his presence in a combat zone nor Viet Cong rocket fire. This book is both a testament to the fading notions of loyalty and brotherhood and an elegy for the working class enclaves that once formed the backbone of a city and nation." - Thomas Kelly, Author of Payback, The Rackets, and Empire Rising and executive producer, Copper, The Get Down, and Civil
"John 'Chick' Donohue is an American legend whose journey to greatness began in a New York bar in late 1967. His beer run started as an adventurous lark that was supposed to take three days, but it turned into a quintessential American odyssey that took him through the heart of the Vietnam War's darkest hours. He bore witness to some of the most ground-shaking events of the era while somehow managing to honor his friends. This book is an unforgettable, brilliantly written wild ride from start to finish, filled with humor, action, poignancy and wrenching moments. The Greatest Beer Run Ever will remain in your heart and mind long after you've turned the last page." - John Bruning, New York Times bestselling author of Indestructible
"The Greatest Beer Run Ever is the astounding true story of a young man's odyssey. On these pages we accompany Chick Donohue as he takes us on a fantastic voyage from the streets of Manhattan via the high seas to the jungles and cities of Vietnam at the height of a war fought mostly by forgotten blue collar kids...This book is both a testament to the fading notions of loyalty and brotherhood and an elegy for the working class enclaves that once formed the backbone of a city and nation." - Thomas Kelly, Author of Payback, The Rackets, and Empire Rising and executive producer, Copper, The Get Down, and Civil
"John 'Chick' Donohue is an American legend...He bore witness to some of the most ground-shaking events of the era while somehow managing to honor his friends. This book is an unforgettable, brilliantly written wild ride from start to finish, filled with humor, action, poignancy and wrenching moments. The Greatest Beer Run Ever will remain in your heart and mind long after you've turned the last page." - John Bruning, New York Times bestselling author of Indestructible
"The story of a patriotic prankster's freelance incursion into Vietnam, bringing cheer (and beer) to Americans at war... An irreverent yet thoughtful macho adventure reflecting the tumult of a fast-fading era." - Kirkus Reviews