Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #105035 in Books
• Published on: 2002-02-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 752 pages

Synopsis
The Definitive Biography of One of the Most Impressive and Elusive Figures in History; Finally in paperback, the book that was named a New York Times Notable Book, as well as one of the best books of the year by both the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times. Although Ho Chi Minh's life helped shape the 20th century, not until now has there been a major biography of this immensely important and little-understood political figure. This impressive work of history by a world-renowned authority on Vietnam now fills this gap, taking full advantage of information only recently declassified. Duiker, who has appeared on A&E, NPR, C-Span and Radio 4 to share his knowledge of Ho Chi Minh and the Vietnam War, now presents this wealth of information in driven, page-turning prose. Engrossing and impeccably researched, this is a revelatory portrait of one of the most mysterious figures of our time.

Customer Reviews

Useful biography of a great patriot and revolutionary
Duiker's biography presents a useful portrait of the great patriot and revolutionary, Ho Chi Minh, the founder of modern Vietnam. Despite its predictable anti-communist bias, the book gives us enough evidence to make our own minds up. Duiker gets hung up on the false dilemma - was Ho a nationalist or a Communist? Of course, he was both; there is no incompatibility. It's like asking whether George Washington was a patriot or a revolutionary! Ho's goodness, his morality, his simplicity, modesty and courage shine through the book.

Detail, Detail & Detail.
The size of this book may appear daunting at first, but the easy style of writing and the exacting detail of the research made it one of the best books I have had occasion to read. Mr. Duiker provides us with meticulous detail on the life of this enigimatic figure, I am amazed that so much information on a life can be gleaned at such a distance in time and from so many countries. Never did I feel lost or ever loose track of the salient character in the twists and turns of the history of Vietnam. Ho Chi Minh's persistence in his ulimate goal, the independence of Vietnam always at the forefront of his actions, his dealings with the major players on the international scene, his unique travels, so well documented, and the authors interpretations of Ho Chi Minh's actions kept to a minimum, because of the detail in which his work was described. One very small critisim I would have liked a few more dates especially the years of events in the last part of the book when events moved very quickly. I came away from Ho Chi Minh with great admiration of his patience, tolerance and vigilance, qualities of which I suspect his biographer also pocesses.

nuance-rich and informative
I found this Biography to be very good in detail and interesting in portrail. The Developments behind the scenes were also well-developed...