Product Description

Even now something is missing from the history of Vietnam. Behind the burning sense of horror and betrayal the personal stories remain untold. No one has bothered to talk to the men and women who went to Vietnam and fought the war. What happened to boys and girls straight out of school who were plunged from the basketball park into the napalm jungle? Who were they fighting for? How did conscripts and volunteers live through the war and how can they live with the scars? Mark Baker recorded conversations with dozens of Vietnam veterans. NAM is a unique and harrowing collection of those interviews, as raw and shocking as an open wound. This is the story of the human cost of a war that had no survivors, only veterans.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #185150 in Books
• Published on: 1992-05-01
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

Review
'The war in the words of dozens of its veterans easily stands with the best descriptive accounts' New York Times Book Review 'Voices we should listen to powerful' Washington Post 'Convincing ... horrifying' Newsweek

WASHINGTON POST
'Voices we should listen to powerful'

NEWSWEEK
'Convincing ... horrifying'

Customer Reviews

Man at his worst (and occasionally at his best...)
This book by Mark Baker relates in the words of the participants the war in Vietnam. It is a shocking book, at times it makes you wonder what sort of creature man really is. More than anything it teaches the reader that war is probably the most traumatic and mind-wrecking experience we can find ourselves in. The book is for all the horror totally alive and fascinating, and one feels a great deal of compassion for all those who were marked by the conflict in Vietnam. For me, all ideology, all questions of who is right and who is wrong, is drowned in the sea of bestiality recounted in this book. I would also recommemd to those interested in the subject the excellent book by Hugh McManners "The Scars of War", and "Chickenhawk" by Robert Mason.

For Vietnam Vets: sure to awaken a few personal demons
War is hell. To this end, author Mark Baker collects a vast series of comments from many of the brave men and women who answered the nation's call to duty. In doing so, Baker captures the terrible bloodshed of the Vietnam war.

The only negative factor of this book is that Baker is not a veteran. He is a journalist who did not serve in Vietnam. Consequently, a few of his snapshots are open to question. They certainly make for good copy but as a two tour USMC Vietnam vet I offer with absolute certainty that some parts of this book do not ring true.

Nevertheless, this is an important book. Baker reaches out to vets and allows them to bare their soul. Some sections of this book are horrible. Others reflect well on the quality of the American fighting man. All in all, any young kid who foolishly thinks war is glorious and that the battlefield is a place of honor should read this book. It will probably save his or her life.

Bert Ruiz

one of the most compelling books i've ever read!!
i have read lots of military history books over the years and this is definately one of the best... shocking and harrowing at times but sometimes found myself deeply moved by the sheer honesty of some of the transcripts. what those poor men and women went through should be acknowledged and appreciated by us all!!!