Many, many books and articles have been written on the topic. March 29, 20 marks the 40th anniversary of the last u. America in vietnam is a book by guenter lewy about americas role in the vietnam war. A history of americas involvement in and extrication from the vietnam war kissinger, henry on. A short, narrative history of the origins, course, and outcome of americas military involvement in vietnam by an experienced guide to the causes and conduct of war, larry h. In the fiction section, you will find the best books on vietnam war, other vietnam bestseller novels as well as novels set in vietnam. The last few chapters bring back to life the shame, sorrow, frustration and wasted courage of the war in vietnam as the marine security guards at the us embassy evacuate as many as possible as the nva is battering down the door to saigon. He currently lives and writes in rural southern vermont where he holds a b. The top 30 vietnam war books to read this winter historynet. Nov 08, 2012 enough books novels and nonfiction have been published about the vietnam war and its aftermath to fill a modestsized library. Prefacethe fifteenyear war chapter onebackground to armegeddon chapter twothe french war chapter threethe advisory phase chapter fourpresident kennedys war. So said president george bush in a euphoric victory statement at the end of the gulf war, suggesting the extent to which vietnam continued to prey on the american psyche more than fifteen years after the fall of saigon.
But slipping away on a tiny boat was only the beginning of this young boys journey to freedom. Many, many books and articles have been written on. The ultimate 2020 list of best vietnam books to read. The peoples guide to the socialist republic of vietnam. We will not remove any content for bad language alone, or for being critical of a book. The journey of tuan ngo, a boat boy ready to read library binding february, 1999. Taylor is the author of the new book, a history of the vietnamese cambridge concise histories. At long last, americas military involvement in vietnam was over.
Three are novels, two of which were written by vietnam war veterans. Lewy has established a new standard for objective scholarship on vietnam. Greenes conclusion seems to be that america was a somewhat. Based on a variety of classified military records, lewy provides the first systematic analysis of the course of the vietnam war, the reasons for the failure of. Knight iii is the author of numerous horror, sciencefiction, and fantasy tales. America wasnt the only foreign power in the vietnam war. Mar 27, 2015 americas involvement in vietnam, that was to lead to a fullscale military attack on north vietnam, was all part of the cold war scenario that had enveloped world politics. Leaving vietnam is the true story of tuans escape, a firstperson telling of his experience as a boat boy and refugee. In this post, you will find a list of the best vietnam books to read in 2020. Discover some of the most recommended and best vietnam war books in. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Readers weighed in on the best books about the vietnam war. Us ground combat units had left south vietnam more than two years prior to. You will find excellent photography to view at leisure.
The things they carried by tim obrien, the sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen, the quiet american by graham greene, matterhorn b. Lewy contends that the united states actions in vietnam were neither illegal nor immoral, and that tales of american atrocities were greatly exaggerated in what he understands as a veritable industry. A prelude to americas albatross is found in part iii, a highly detailed. These thirteen books are by no means the only vietnam histories worth reading. Almost everything you thought about the famed fall of saigon photo. A white house at war, a revolt in the streets, and the. In the 1950s, john foster dulles, us secretary of state, had formulated the domino theory. New book explores history of the vietnamese cornell chronicle. The central and unique contribution of archimedes l. Home browse history military history wars, battles, and military interventions vietnam war vietnam war. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia.
Based on a variety of classified military records, lewy provides the first systematic analysis of the course of the vietnam war, the reasons for the failure of american strategy and tactics, and the causes of the final collapse of south vietnam. Americas involvement in vietnam history learning site. A secret war and a familys search for answers jessica pearce rotondi. The only content we will consider removing is spam, slanderous attacks on other members, or extremely offensive content eg. The best histories of the vietnam war council on foreign. I have broken down the best books about vietnam into helpful sections. Vietnamerica isnt just one of the best comics ive ever read. The true story of americas heroic final hours in vietnam is a heartbreaking 3star read. This stated that if one country fell to communism, then its.
Vietnam is a poor, densely populated country that has historically been associated with war and a punishing centrally planned economy. Laurence went to vietnam as a gungho young journalist with the good fortuned to be assigned by cbs to the biggest story around. The 696page book covers 2,000 years of vietnamese government, culture and life, from the qin empire in 221 b. Mar 15, 2015 vietnamerica isnt just one of the best comics ive ever read.
Americas involvement in vietnam, that was to lead to a fullscale military attack on north vietnam, was all part of the cold war scenario that had enveloped world politics. America in vietnam will have a profound impact on all subsequent historical writing on vietnam. By god, weve kicked the vietnam syndrome once and for all. America in laos traces the militarization of the cia. Movies, songs, artworks, poems, books, and articles produced during and especially after the vietnam war, neer observes, popularized the antiwar movements argument and made napalm a worldwide symbol of american brutality. Clb 2394 01991 colour library books ltd, godalming, surrey, england. Usa today s bob minzesheimer recommends books by 10 authors. One part of the war that has seen little light read more. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. President fall of saigon marines association leatherneck magazine september 1975 this article was in leatherneck magazine in may 1975. Steel tiger, barrel roll, and the secret air wars in vietnam and laos air campaign book 18 peter e. If you want to read one book about vietnam, read this one.
Just in time for the presidents annual vacation, samuel jacobs presents the definitive list of what obamas been reading to date, from. Last off the roof of the embassy during the fall of saigon. Today, however, it is becoming increasingly popular as a tourist destination and its beautiful countryside and beaches are becoming as much renowned. Laurence went to vietnam as a gungho young journalist with the good fortuned to be assigned by cbs to. Tim obrien shelved 503 times as vietnam avg rating 4. Dec, 2017 in this post, you will find a list of the best vietnam books to read in 2020. Special reports cocaine, conspiracy theories and the cia in. It is one of those places that just crept into my life, like a stranger come to call, and i had no aim of ever making it. These 10 books, in addition to the ones below, were recommended multiple times. The vietnam war has scarred, transformed and inspired countless writers and art practitioners. Enough books novels and nonfiction have been published about the vietnam war and its aftermath to fill a modestsized library. While the list of books about this conflict includes hundreds of enlightening works, we pick ten of the best texts offering illuminating perspectives on the war, its context and the effects it had on vietnam. Discover librarianselected research resources on vietnam war from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines, newspapers and more.
This book is a great read if you enjoy reading books about the vietnam war. Catfish and mandala is the story of an american odyssey. Four recent books examining the africanamerican experience during the vietnam war represent some of the matured product of that new military history. Popular vietnam books showing 150 of 5,171 the things they carried paperback by. Always browse any or all travel pictorial books about a country, region or a natural wonder of the world.
Lucian pye, massachusetts institute of technology a splendid book, in many ways the best history of the war yet to appear. The title is somewhat misleading, as this is really a history of the vietnam war rather than vietnam itself. America in vietnam may 1950 president truman provides us aid to french military in indochina. Vietnam was destined to be a quagmire, and america was destined to lose there. The vietnam conflict was a war without beginning or end, like an interminable and confused. Heres an admittedly subjective list, posted on the military history now website, put together by mark masse, a ball state university literary journalism professor.
Its one of the best stories ive ever experienced through any medium in my entire life. Black, senator john heinz pittsburgh regional history center, pittsburgh, 2006 is the least useful of the lot. The book is highly influential, although it has remained controversial even decades after its publication. Dick hughes vietnam oral history the bottom line is that none of us belonged there. Americas wars have inspired some of the worlds best literature, and the vietnam war is no exception. Very few aspects of the american war in vietnam have not come under the microscope in books, magazine articles, scholarly journals, blog postsor any other medium.
Soul soldiers, african americans and the vietnam era, edited by samuel w. The fall of saigon, also known as the liberation of saigon, was the capture of saigon, the capital of south vietnam, by the peoples army of vietnam pavn and the viet cong on 30 april 1975. Thirteenyearold mai and her family embark on a dangerous sea voyage from vietnam to hong kong to escape the unpredictable and often brutal vietnamese government. The book is filled with nabokovs own observations about an america that still felt foreign and exciting to him. New book explores history of the vietnamese cornell. But his experience in the vietnam war made a reasonable choice. This is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as a printed book. Valdez staff non commission officer in charge american embassy, saigon, r.
In the middle of the night, tuan ngo and his father fled their home in wartorn vietnam. Living in vietnam can offer a true taste of life in the east. As a general rule we do not censor any content on the site. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle.
For subjects that loom large in history, literature, film, and nonfiction such as the vietnam war, known in vietnam as the american war it can be tough to find fresh narrative ground. Best books on vietnam the best books about vietnam as a country, not just the vietnam war. America in laos traces the militarization of the cia in the 60s, the cia began a secret program that aimed to curb communism by arming and training local fighters in laos. Philip jones griffiths classic account of the war was the outcome of three years reporting, and is one of the most detailed surveys of any conflict. Viet cong before departing to participate in the tet offensive around saigongia. Ive read a lot on this subject, but still cant seem to text my friend. Polez asked in travel vietnam other vietnam 1 decade ago. To get the free app, enter your mobile phone number. Rejecting these more aggressive options meant that johnson was left with the choice of. A history is a clearly written and accessible history of the vietnam war, starting with the early days of french colonialisation all the way through to the fall of saigon. While the fall of saigon two years later, with its indelible images of frantic helicopter evacuations, is. The vietnam war also known as the second indochina war, and in vietnam as the resistance. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.
Mar 02, 2015 the best histories of the vietnam war. Not westmoreland, not bill colby, not ellsworth bunker, not me. A series of expose articles in the san jose mercurynews by reporter gary webb told tales of a drug triangle during the 1980s that linked cia officials in central america, a san francisco drug. Media in category books from vietnam the following 108 files are in this category, out of 108 total. List of books and articles about vietnam war online. After we posted this article, times readers weighed in with their favorite books on the vietnam war. Buy a cheap copy of america in vietnam book by guenter lewy. How the united states and the philippines built america s first pacific century. Vietnamerica is one of the best books about the vietnam war. The last man scrambled aboard with the embassys american flagneatly folded, and stuffed inside a brownpaper bag. Jan 23, 2017 america in laos traces the militarization of the cia in the 60s, the cia began a secret program that aimed to curb communism by arming and training local fighters in laos.
America is a crassly materialistic and innocent nation. The event marked the end of the vietnam war and the start of a transition. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. Suffering persecution and massacres for their collaboration with america. America in vietnam has frequently been assailed as a revisionist text. The vietnam war has scarred, transformed and inspired countless writers and art. Apr 30, 2015 i was one of the last americans to leave saigon. Today the united states observes an international covenant restricting the use of napalm and other incendiaries. The book has been referred to as a classic revisionist interpretation of the war, the first and most impressive of the revisionist accounts of the vietnam war, and one of the earliest and most sophisticated of revisionist works.
111 1090 912 1307 122 529 931 344 1341 1452 185 505 450 1184 1344 466 1283 1147 95 1337 1264 241 814 591 1264 1041 29 1301 1040 790 739 1592 837 1633 1606 1145 1669 472 962 541 425 859 562 250 362 1231 1220 505 939