In a fight to reunify their divided country under communist rule, the north vietnamese rebelled against the anticommunist southwhich included their longtime enemies, the french. He left on the last day of american military involvement in vietnam in march 1973. The best histories of the vietnam war council on foreign relations. I will be marking the fiftieth anniversary of those marines going ashore at da nang by posting my favorite vietnam war books. A vietnam war novel is a refreshingly honest account of a life few of us would ever choose to live and, thus, should feel fortunate that we dont have to.
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. Del vecchio writes as vividly of the landscape and jungle warfare as he does of the bonds, racial tensions, and doubts amongst the u. The best vietnam war books five books expert recommendations. Hue 1968 is an instantly recognizable classic of military. The following 42 pages are in this category, out of 42 total. Its a powerful study which offers fresh insights into the communist revolution and military tactics, the flaws in us strategy and the legacy of the war. If you would like to help, or for more information, write to. An outstanding operational history of three indochina warsthe french, 194654, the american, 196472, and the vietnamese, 197375this is also a presentation of the orthodox u. New book explores history of the vietnamese cornell chronicle. The book fills in many of the unknown details surrounding the amazing work done by the 5th special forces group in vietnam. The causes of the vietnam war trace their roots back to the end of world war ii. List of books and articles about vietnam war online. While overseas, richard served as an or tech in the operating room of vietnam s largest military hospital during the final year of the war. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers.
Every bit as gritty and shocking as can be imagined, cherries. The 696page book covers 2,000 years of vietnamese government, culture and life, from the qin empire in 221 b. Several hundred guerrillas approached the island in a flotilla of junks and then overran it, practically under the gunsights of a battalion of us marines on the nearby mainland. This literature, although dealing mostly with the participation of the united states in the war and the consequences of this, is not solely of american. Michael burns, a vietnam war veteran, would like to hear from nurses who served in the vietnam war for a book he is writing. In this work, anthony campagna focuses on one aspect of the war s consequences. Box 187, clifton, tx 76634, and include your email address. Vietnam had seen its share of war memoirs, but no novelist had. The lack of a truly comprehensive encyclopedia on the vietnam war has long been a problem for reference staff in academic, public, and school libraries. Vietnam war, 19611975 mass media and the war vietnam war, 19611975 press coverage.
Books about nurses serving during vietnam both fiction and nonfiction 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. Discover the best vietnam war history in best sellers. Vietnam had been divided into two, with a communist regime in the north under ho chi minh and a democratic government in the south under ngo dinh diem. The vietnam war the causes, events, and legacy 9780545793957 by peter chrisp and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Exhibit held at track 16 gallery, january 19march 9, 1996. What is you favorite vietnam era book you have read. Fifty books about the vietnam war this list is a part of the the frequently asked questions faq from the usenet newsgroup soc. But his experience in the vietnam war made a reasonable choice.
All series air vanguard aircraft of the aces aviation elite units battle orders campaign combat combat aircraft command duel elite essential histories essential histories specials fortress general aviation general military graphic history men at arms new vanguard raid warrior weapon xplanes anatomy of the. In my role as a vietnam war literature bibliographer, i have read hundreds of books dealing with the war. Few wars have had such a deep impact on the american people than the vietnam war. Vietnam war the 1960s in america research guides at. The vietnam war has scarred, transformed and inspired countless writers and art practitioners. The best histories of the vietnam war council on foreign. During world war ii, japanese forces invaded vietnam. Images of war do seem to have an inherent attraction. He chooses the best books on the vietnam war, exploring its moral ambiguities, the warrior mentality, the humanity of the enemy, and more. Army, transcripts of congressional committee hearings, and other materials. By any law of military probability, the vietcong action against ky hoa should have been suicidal. He teaches courses on the civil war, world war ii, vietnam, americans in combat, and the broad sweep of american military history. Winner of the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction, this debut novel could fit into half a dozen genres of vietnam war books from war narrative to immigrant story, from mystery to political, from metafiction to.
My opinion of this book was that it was a book just full of information that i liked. As with most stanton books on the vietnam war, this one is loaded with good maps and charts listing details of special forces organization and equipment. Rather than taking sides, the book seeks to understand why the war happened the way it did, and to clarify its complicated legacy. While there had been a long history in the united states of popular resistance to foreign wars, such as the antiimperialist leagues campaign against the u. The following 45 pages are in this category, out of 45 total.
Fifty books about the vietnam war vietnam war veterans. The main charactersgroups were north vietnam, south vietnam, viet cong, and the united states of america. French bishop, a leader of catholic missions in tonkin northern vietnam, allies with nguyen nobles to capture hanoi and install a nguyen who creates a new imperial dynasty. Larry heinemann, a vietnam veteran who drew on his war experiences in two wellreceived novels one of which, pacos story, startled the literary world when it won the national book. Online shopping for vietnam war history books in the books store. Last week we asked readers for their favorite books on vietnam and the vietnam war. This is a truly fascinating interview with a marine corps vietnam veteran, bill ehrhart. List of books and articles about vietnam war in literature. To fight off both japanese occupiers and the french colonial administration, political leader ho chi minh inspired by chinese and soviet communism formed the viet minh, or the league for the independence of vietnam. Before vietnam, america fought in the korean war but its role in that conflict has been far less examined. Cherries a vietnam war novel revised edition by john. Jan 10, 2018 a new book suggests yes and offers advice for the war in afghanistan.
Most of the memoirs and novels are junk or the same basic book over again. Vietnam war in literature a vast body of literature has been dedicated to the vietnam war 195475, including scientific research volumes, fiction stories, autobiographical accounts and poetry. Why vietnams bestknown author has stayed silent world. Richard pena served in vietnam and is now a practicing attorney in austin, texas. The causes of the vietnam war revolve around the simple belief held by america that communism was threatening to expand all over southeast asia. 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. His action was denounced by ho chi minh, since the communists had expected to benefit from them. The powerful words in these eleven books help us understand a complicated time in our recent history, and the political and personal legacy that it still carries. A few months later in march the final us troops were removed from vietnam. The war began soon after the geneva conference provisionally divided 1954 vietnam at 17 n lat. This list may not reflect recent changes learn more. The use of landmines in the vietnam war the smine, or bouncing betty, was a a type of bounding mine developed by germany in the 1930s and used by them extensively during the second world war. The best books on the korean war five books expert. The violence, tragedy, bravery, and loss of the vietnam war has been memorialized in countless novels and works of nonfiction.
After we posted this article, times readers weighed in with their favorite books on the vietnam war. In april of 1975 south vietnam surrendered to north vietnam. In 1941, a vietnamese nationalist movement, the viet minh, was formed by their leader ho chi minh 18901969 to resist the occupiers. An interactive modern history adventure by michael burgan. Awardwinning historian bruce cumings talks about the misconceptions many people still hold, and how they distort our understanding of the current north korean regime. Mar 02, 2015 the best histories of the vietnam war. Taylor is the author of the new book, a history of the vietnamese cambridge concise histories. Some forty years after american withdrawal from vietnam, the u. Vietnam war, conflict in southeast asia, primarily fought in south vietnam between government forces aided by the united states and guerrilla forces aided by north vietnam. May 02, 2017 the great vietnam war novel was not written by an american. The vietnam war remembered from all sides by christian appy. The attention paid to war related news photography and video, the reproduction and sale of large numbers of war photography books, the long popularity of the war movie genre, the success of cable television channels devoted exclusively to military documentaries, and even the popular. Includes some books and pamphlets published in vietnam, books published by the u. Bill yancey is offering free digital copies of his new novel, abandoned.
A rumor of war, philip caputo to call it the best book about vietnam is to trivialise it. List of books and articles about vietnam antiwar movement. Soon the country became officially unified as the socialist republic of vietnam. The use of landmines in the vietnam war vietnam war books. The new series on the vietnam war, and the mysteries of historical resonance in roughly the center of this view of the pee dee river in south carolina is the snows island national historic landmark. There is no other vietnam war book even a little bit like it. The best books on the korean war recommended by bruce cumings. Vietnam war causes the vietnam war first began in 1959, five years after the division of the country by the geneva accords. During the four years following passage of the tonkin gulf resolution aug. Women journalists and the american experience in vietnam. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Jun 15, 2017 hue 1968 is an instantly recognizable classic of military history in this story of the turning point of the vietnam war, black hawk down author bowden wades into deeper historical waters. I have read so many and am not really sure if there is one that i would call my favorite, but there is certainly one that i can call the most influential because it was the first and it got me reading all the rest.
All this week, i will be marking the fiftieth anniversary of those marines going ashore at da nang by posting my favorite vietnam war books. After 1956, diems government faced increasingly serious opposition from the viet cong. The causes of the vietnam war history learning site. It sounds cliche, but it made me laugh, it made me cry, and it really made me look at the war from every angle. One of the most definitive works on the vietnam war, the th valley follows a company of paratroopers as they fight against the north vietnamese. Enough books novels and nonfiction have been published about the vietnam war and its aftermath to fill a modestsized library. This book the vietnam war by peter chrisp is a nonfiction book. The vietnam war is a very important part of the delta green lore, with the group begin very active in indochina during that time, an unsanctioned operation called operation obsidian and its disastrous aftermath is what made the us government dissolve delta green and its members start an illegal conspiracy. Political posters from the united states, cuba, and vietnam 19651975. The vietnam war and the battle for americas hearts and minds vietnam, america in the war years, v. Every book on vietnam in the section claimed to be the best ever written on the subject. When tripped, the body of the mine was propelled 34 feet into the air, where the main charge was detonated, spraying fragments at roughly waist height. I will be marking the fiftieth anniversary of those marines going ashore at da nang by posting my favorite vietnam war books, memoirs, novels, movies.
Bibliography of the vietnam war clemson university. To find relevant books and other materials in the library catalog search the subject terms. We used it in a vietnam war class that i took while in college. Main causes the initial cause that caused the vietnam war was the intention to overthrow the south vietnamese government that was led by the communist guerrillas viet cong and the national liberation front, which had the support of north vietnam which ended in a war between the two countries. Childrens and middle grade year of the jungle by suzanne collins. Webb, as you probably know, went on to write a few other books and still find the time to become a u. Joint chiefs of staff history of the vietnam war, 19651967 my lai collection douglas pike collection. The best vietnam war books 1 a rumor of war by philip caputo. A french colony, indochina made up of vietnam, laos, and cambodia had been occupied by the japanese during the war. In short, the vietnam war started as a result of the u. Vietnam war timeline commences at this early date establishing that remote facts may ultimately control the future. It is only now, fifteen years after its end, that the full impact of the vietnam war on the united states can begin to be measured. The recon company that earned five medals of honor and included americas most decorated green beret.
Choose from used and new textbooks or get instant access with etextbooks and digital materials. One of the most profound and devastating novels ever to come out of vietnam or any war sebastian junger, new york times thirty years in. Opinion the great vietnam war novel was not written by an. The us had lost the vietnam war and also taken a major blow in the cold war. Not only one of the best books about the vietnam war, but one of the best nonfiction books written by an american. Maya lin revisits the wall she designed before ceremonies to commemorate the 35th anniversary of the vietnam veterans memorial. Elections scheduled for 1956 in south vietnam for the reunification of vietnam were canceled by president ngo dinh diem.
These 10 books, in addition to the ones below, were recommended multiple times. Ten vietnam war novels to read council on foreign relations. The necessary war, michael lind if you only read one book on the vietnam war, this is it. Since the end of the vietnam war, hundreds of books have been written in an attempt to examine, explain, define and even reimagine what that war was really like, and what it was all about. The causes of the vietnam war were derived from the symptoms, components and consequences of the cold war. How did you experience the events of the vietnam era. Ehrhart was with the 1st marines, from early february 1967 to late february 1968, as a member of his battalions intelligence section. Readers weighed in on the best books about the vietnam war. For half a century we have been arguing about the vietnam war. Herr commands one of the great voices in american literature, and is so overwhelming, so powerful, that he can, like hemingway, wreak havoc on the style of wouldbe writers who would fall under his spell. New book proves murder, rape and torture were not the exception in vietnam, they were the norm.
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