The best books on the aftermath of world war ii five books expert. There is catch22, and slaughterhouse five, and these are classics to be sure. This companion volume to the tenpart film series airing on pbs this september will enlighten readers to the events that led up to the war, the combat itself, and its aftermath. The great vietnam war novel was not written by an american. But after the japanese attack pearl harbor, paranoia and suspicion. This is a list of alternate history fiction, sorted by type. Dec, 2012 the vietnam war was a major event and perhaps the second most prominent war of the entire 20th century, after the world war ii. Vietnam war, 19611975 engineering and construction base development in south vietnam, 19651970 1991, by carroll h. A legendary war cameraman in vietnam by yasutsune hirashiki. After reading both books i was very impressed with the indepth analysis of the vietnam war. Assessing the critical lessons april 29, 2015 may 1, 2015 the 40th anniversary of the ending of the vietnam war and 50th anniversary of the major u.
The book, dereliction of duty, published in 1997, highlighted the consequences of the military not giving candid advice to a president. The second indochina war, 19541975, grew out of the long conflict between france and vietnam. The vietnam war is a 10part american television documentary series about the vietnam war written by geoffrey c. The telegraph selects the best war and history books ever written. The author spent ten years in vietnam, starting in 1966 when he went there as a freelancer, and stayed through the fall of saigon in 1975. An oral history of the vietnam war by black veterans, by. An alternative evolution by dougal dixon, a book chronicling the. As a student of military history and an avid war gamer myself, i have always wanted to play a turnbased strategy game of the vietnam war that included the operational level mechanics that fascinated me in my youth fire support bases, airmobile combat assaults, us airpower and strike packages into north vietnam, interdiction of the communist supply lines in laos, riverine operations in the. This new and reimagined edition updates the war on the fifty years that have passed since the wars initiation.
Mark the ebook was well organized and gave a comprehensive overview of the vietnam war and its impact on the people of all countries. This vietnam memoir includes exciting tales, close calls, and battle memories. Go search hello select your address alexa can help at home. This first indo china war lasted until the french defeat at dien bien phu and the signing of the geneva convention in 1954. The novel won the 1979 national book award for fiction.
Robinson, which came out in 20, is now available in paperback university press of kentucky, 296 pp. They are the young newbie soldiers, who are trained for war. Vietnamese, war remnants museum, north vietnamese side, war operated by the vietnamese government, an incipient form of museum opened on september 4, 1975, as the exhibition house for us and puppet crimes vietnamese. Weve spent the last 10 years in the middle east and while the body count isnt as high, it will ultimately be just as futile, so im going with a yes, not only can it happen but it will happen over and over again. Beyond that, on the fiction front, we quickly traipse into forgettable territory. Fall, who served in world war ii with the french resistance and later the u. Facts, statistics, fake warrior numbers, and myths dispelled 9,087,000 military personnel served on active duty during the official vietnam era from august 5, 1964 to may 7, 1975. Anyone interested in the war should also read martin windrows the last valley. Cherries a vietnam war novel revised edition by john. In fact, its the longest war the united states has ever got involved in its entire history. The official successor to the pulitzer prizenominated set, the american experience in vietnam combines the best serious historical writing about the vietnam war with new, neverbeforepublished photos and perspectives. This intervention would become one of the most divisive decisions in u. A film by ken burns and lynn novick ken burns and lynn novicks tenpart, 18hour documentary series, the vietnam war, tells the epic story of one of the most consequential, divisive, and controversial events in american history as it has never before been told on film.
This post on world war ii books is sponsored by libby. Mcmaster concluded that during vietnam, officers on. After more than a century of foreign domination and 21 years of war and division, vietnam was finally a single, independent nation, free from external control and interference. Mark atwood lawrence and fredrik logevalls book the first vietnam war is a synthesis of events in various countries that led up to and followed the first vietnam war. May 02, 2017 the great vietnam war novel was not written by an american. The script is by geoffrey ward, and the series is narrated by peter coyote. Opinion the vietnam war, revisited the new york times. Mcmasters book on vietnam may offer lessons for trump the. In my mind its one of the first really wellwritten books that describe the moral ambiguities and difficulties faced by a young marine officer in this particular war. An illustrated history, burns and ward present the details of the vietnam war november 1, 1955april 30, 1975. For 3 years, van was surrounded by barbed wire and along with other prisoners of war pows attended nightly reeducation classes designed to remove any existing prejudice van had. Perhaps the only decent thing to emerge from the vietnam war is a body of literature unsurpassed by the writing thats come out of any other war.
The vietnam war stands as one of the pivotal moments in recent u. I am yet to read a better general history of the war than michael maclears vietnam. Good military history reading on the vietnam war score a book s 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. The things they carried by tim obrien, matterhorn by karl marlantes, dispatches by michael herr, a rumor of war by philip. Nalty 2000 deals with the role of the united states air force in advising the south vietnamese air force and waging war in south vietnam, cambodia, and laos from 1968 through 1975. Nov 16, 2017 from the few north vietnamese army nva soldiers that i talked to and the few books that i read. Best sellers customer service new releases find a gift whole foods todays deals gift cards registry amazonbasics. Discover the best vietnam war history in best sellers. Tell me about the first book on your list, a rumor of war 1977. Many of the items brought up were to me common knowledge, but the depth of explanations was impressive.
The first episode premiered on pbs on september 17, 2017. Former vietnamese soldier shares his war stories for friendship. Ten vietnam war novels to read council on foreign relations. John paul vann and america in vietnam by neil sheehan, matterhor. The vietnam war has scarred, transformed and inspired countless writers and art practitioners. Documentary makers ken burns and lynn novick explain why their 10part series the vietnam war, which premieres september 17 on pbs, is relevant. Although honored in some respects, the peace agreement was violated by both north and south vietnam as the struggle for. What was it like to fight on the north vietnamese side of the. Jun 20, 2014 here are five facts about the vietnam war that may surprise those too young to remember the conflict. The vietnam war has also been the subject of thousands of research papers, books, movies continue reading our missions.
After we posted this article, times readers weighed in with their. Dec 21, 2008 once the war ended in 1975 after saigon fell, van was arrested and served time inside a concentration camp, toiling for long hours on the farm during the day. Lets turn to your book choices, which will allow us to talk in more detail about the harsh realities of. However, most are not ready to absorb the harsh physical, mental and emotional stress of war. Born into war is the story of trong van nguyen was born in south viet nam during the viet nam war and now lives in brooklyn park minnesota this book amazing story of trong, his family, and the americans who helpep him establish a new life in minnesota. Harry summers is perhaps the expert on the military history of the war from a western perspective. The viet nam war was, unquestionably, americas longest war and a war that deeply divided america in the sixties and seventies. An american experience in vietnam war history online. Aug 18, 2017 the vietnam war directors say series timely.
His new novel, the sympathizer, follows a vietnamese spy. Some forty years after american withdrawal from vietnam, the u. Once they come under fire and witness death firsthand, a lifechanging transition begins. Although the tragedy of the vietnam war is promoted as a memoir, it is mostly a political history of the war. Saigon was renamed ho chi minh city, in honour of the revolutionary leader, who had died six years earlier. Below, ive compiled a list of fiction, ya, memoir, biography, and history for you to check out. The best vietnam war books five books expert recommendations. Discover the best world war ii history in best sellers. Philip caputo was a marine who later became a very wellknown journalist. The united states signed the mutual defense assitance agreement with france, vietnam, cambodia, and laos for military aid. The war started slowly during the advisory years, and smallscale actions took place against insurgent vietcong guerrillas. The recon company that earned five medals of honor and included americas most decorated green beret. Of the tens of thousands of books written about the vietnam war, less than half of one percent are personal narratives by vietnamese. Oct 08, 2015 perhaps the only decent thing to emerge from the vietnam war is a body of literature unsurpassed by the writing thats come out of any other war.
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. Found only in remote ports of call and the darkest, deepest reaches of the most insalubrious taverns, this is the prostitute in whose chest beats the proverbial heart of gold. Air war over south vietnam, 19681975 internet archive. For example, grown men who sneer at the idea of unicorns will tearfully testify to the existence of an even rarer, more mythical species.
Vietnam, one of the untold stories 14 comments alan on 20410 at 21. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Pages in category vietnam war novels the following 45 pages are in this category, out of 45 total. A dark, funny and vietnamese look at the vietnam war. Readers weighed in on the best books about the vietnam war. The quiet american by graham greene, a bright shining lie.
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