Political posters from the united states, cuba, and vietnam 19651975. Americas wars have inspired some of the worlds best literature, and the vietnam war is no exception. The vietnam war has roots in vietnams centuries of domination by imperial and colonial powersfirst china, which ruled ancient vietnam, and then france, which took control of vietnam in the late 1800s and established french indochina. The best vietnam war books five books expert recommendations. The story of vietnam veterans reunited after 20 years.
Outnumbered and outgunned the north vietnamese and viet cong forces resorted to a guerrilla war based on the theories of mao zedong of china. The 1960s were one of the most tumultuous and divisive decades in world history, marked by the civil rights movement, the vietnam war and antiwar protests, political assassinations and the. The things they carried is a series of short stories involving those things, things that bring you to reality. The vietnam war lasted about 40 years and involved several countries. Among the most positive is an abundance of topnotch books, many written by veterans of the conflict. Fast fact sheet fast, fun facts and frequently asked questions faqs about the vietnam war november 1, 1955 april 30, 1975 how long was the vietnam war.
When i first started researching, i came to the history channel website and their page on the vietnam war gave me a helpful overview of the vietnam war. Very brief summary of vietnam war essaysafter world war ii, conflict arose between the french and communist revolutionary leader ho chi minh and his established group the league for independence of vietnam viet minh. Three are novels, two of which were written by vietnam war veterans. Vietnam was the longest war in american history and the most unpopular american war of the 20th century. In 1977, vietnam became a member of the united nations. This category has the following 2 subcategories, out of 2 total. All our physical stores and our online store are temporarily closed. Author tim obrien was one of the seven members of the alpha company, a group he.
Vietnam war 195475, conflict that pitted the communist government of north vietnam and its allies in south vietnam, the viet cong, against south vietnam and its principal ally, the united states. In august 1945, viet minh guerillas captured the capital city of hanoi in indoc. Even today, many americans still ask whether the american effort in vietnam was a sin, a. Literary legacy of the vietnam war ken lopez bookseller. The vietnam war lasted for 19 years, 5 months, 4 weeks and 1 day and was americas longest involvement in any war. Heres a brief overview of the war, with detailed historical data at the site. Due to his honest, thorough reporting of the vietnam war, he gained a place on. Readers weighed in on the best books about the vietnam war. It was part of a larger regional conflict as well as a manifestation of the cold war. A political, social, and military history spencer c.
It represented a successful attempt on the part of the democratic republic of vietnam north vietnam, drv and the national front for the liberation of vietnam viet cong to unite and impose a communist system over the entire nation. The vietnam war ufos, reptilians, and opium stuffed bodies. These include winners of national book awards and pulitzer prizes, both fiction and nonfiction. One of the first fictional vietnam war books, and often touted as one of the best vietnam novels, its a facepaced wonder that follows draftee philip dosier as he is drafted into the war, completes a of tour of duty, and comes home. The vietnam war has scarred, transformed and inspired countless writers and art practitioners. Daniel is a history geek who has written about all periods of history during his student days from tokugawa japan to the american revolution to the collapse of the soviet union. The vietnam war, like many other conflicts throughout history is littered with ufo sightings and accounts. I recently watched the excellent ken burns pbs documentary on vietnam and wanted to learn more about the war. Exhibit held at track 16 gallery, january 19march 9, 1996. The vietnam war 19561975 by andrew wiest goodreads. This piece of short fiction is written almost entirely in dialogues and monologues. Extraordinary corrspondence from american wars is an amazing anthology. As an illustrator and writer he combines history with a fun and intriguing graphical style.
The vietnam war was a long, costly and divisive conflict that pitted the communist government of north vietnam against south vietnam and its principal ally, the united states. War with cambodia, isolation, trade embargoes, and devastating natural disasters, all added to vietnams difficulties in forging ahead. Fall, who also wrote street without joy about the french experience in indochina, was. The vietnam war occurred in presentday vietnam, southeast asia. Vietnam war america in the 1960s and 1970s research. We would be organized militarily, but we would have to break the bad habit, of trying to fight a conventional war in a guerrilla warfare environment. Vietnam war the 1960s in america research guides at. In the short history of vietnam war literature, publishers would hardly touch a book on the war. This is an excellent primer for those looking for a basic chronological understanding of the events of the war. The best histories of the vietnam war council on foreign relations. He chooses the best books on the vietnam war, exploring its moral ambiguities, the warrior mentality, the humanity of the enemy, and more.
The best histories of the vietnam war council on foreign. On 25th april 1976, the democratic republic of vietnam was renamed the socialist republic of vietnam. Herrs book contains some of the best war reporting ever written, but it should be read as it was written one piece at a time, with plenty of time between each dispatch to let it settle. Learn about vietnam war protests, the tet offensive, the my lai massacre, the pentagon papers and more. Written nearly twenty years after the war in vietnam came to a close.
Enough books novels and nonfiction have been published about the vietnam war and its aftermath to fill a modestsized library. Every book on vietnam in the section claimed to be the best ever written on the subject. 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. If you dont see one of your favorites listed here, please mention it in the comments. Books written by grunts everyday american gis who were just a bunch of kids really are more factual, more varied and a better read. How 14 friends from the vietnam war lost and found one another again. Some made high falutin claims to be as good a war novel as. Summary brief overview imperialism and colonialism the vietnam war has roots in vietnam s centuries of domination by imperial and colonial powersfirst china, which ruled ancient vietnam, and then france, which took control of vietnam in the late 1800s and established french indochina. The history channel is a tv channel where episodes about history play and historians talk about topics in history. Vietnam war, 19611975 mass media and the war vietnam war, 19611975 press coverage. More than 900 signed entries, most with brief bibliographies.
Now he presents a book series for children who have a curiosity about the world around them and its rich past, in the form of his new series simple history. Excellent study of the vietnam war looking at a far wider range of topics than in most books on this war, and with contributions from american, north vietnamese and south vietnamese authors and participants in the war. As this book explains, however, the war was not at all what the united states expected. In the early 1900s, nationalist movements emerged in vietnam, demanding more selfgovernance and less.
See more ideas about books, good books and my books. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. A slew of war memoirs stand with the best writing of that genre. Overview of the vietnam war digital history id 2925. Stanley karnow was there, as a reporter, and this book has become a staple in the vast collection of american vietnam war books.
Complete organized chaos for the new guys would begin as we landed in vietnam. To find relevant books and other materials in the library catalog search the subject terms. One of the least wellknown of the vietnam books which stand out from the rest is a collection of short stories by tom mayer, called the weary falcon. The second indochina war, 19541975, grew out of the long conflict between france and vietnam. But reading this piece of writing about an individual soldier in a war on the. Organized chaos, seemed like a contradiction in terms, but after a few weeks in vietnam, it seemed plausible. Cambodia was drawn inexorably into the vietnam war. Usa todays bob minzesheimer recommends books by 10 authors historians, journalists and veterans. This book was written by a journalist who covered asia from 1959 thru 1974.
From the firsthand accounts of onsite doctors to novels about soldiers on the frontlines, the. Choose from used and new textbooks or get instant access with etextbooks and digital materials. They are also full of the darkest conspiracies of opium being stashed inside the dead bodies of us soldiers and smuggled back to the united states all under the orders of the intelligence services. The top 30 vietnam war books to read this winter historynet. The war in europe began in september 1939 when nazi germany, under adolf hitler, invaded poland. Below are listed fifty books which comprise a recommended reading list on the vietnam wars. A very brief history is a fastpaced narrative giving all the essential details of the worlds most important cold warera conflict. These books where chosen by polling a select group.
The number of troops exceeded 200,000 at the end of the year and peaked at 540,000 in 1968. In fact, some claim the same is happening in afghanistan and iraq in the twentyfirst. In july 1954, after one hundred years of colonial rule, a defeated france was forced to leave vietnam. Discover the best vietnam war history in best sellers.
The vietnam war stands as one of the pivotal moments in recent u. This list is a part of the the frequently asked questions faq from the usenet newsgroup soc. An impressive piece of work that gives a good overview of the vietnam war and the wider issues that surrounded the conflict. Ready to read the most celebrated and best vietnam war books.
These 9 vietnam war books range from darkly comic war fiction to. This book is an excellent factual overview of the american experience in vietnam. After we posted this article, times readers weighed in with their favorite books on the vietnam war. Considers all aspects of the war in historical context, including vietnamrelated literature and film. It resulted in nearly 60,000 american deaths and in an estimated 2 million vietnamese deaths. In 1975, communist forces, known to the outside world as khmer rouge or red khmers, overthrew the proamerican regime that had seized power five years before.