Product Description

This Pulitzer Prize-winning account of one of this century's most controversial wars is filled with revelations drawn from secret documents and from exclusive interviews with hundreds of participants on both sides. The central theme of the book is that America's leaders, prompted as much by domestic politics as by global ambitions, carried the United States into South-east Asia with little regard for the realities of the region. The chain of events that led to the deployment of thousands of American troops has been set into its deeper historical context - especially the growth of Vietnamese nationalism over two millennia.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #37780 in Books
• Published on: 1994-04-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 784 pages

Customer Reviews

The best history of the Vietnam War
This book represents just that - the best single volume history of the war, in my opinion. The first couple of chapters cover the early history of 'Indochina' and French colonialism, and then the rest of the text covers the history of Vietnam up to ~1980. This breadth of coverage (notably the war under Nixon) is not available in 'Bright Shining Lie' or 'Fire in the Lake' - the best of the other histories of the Vietnam war, and 'Best and the Brightest' is a political history.

The chapter structure is logical and the writing style maintained my interest throughout the book. It won the Pulitzer, so why write more? A wonderful history book.

A most comprehensive history of Vietnam
I have just finished this remarkable book and believe it to be the most comprehensive, lucid and beautifully written history books I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

The book covers the history of Vietnam including life before the French, life under the French and then the increasing US involvement culminating in the devastating war. The narrative flows beautifully and the author does not patronise his readers, but cleverly finds a style of writing that assumes intelligence of the reader, but no in-depth knowledge of the subject.

The book is also shocking in the revelations about how both the French and US underestimated the Vietnamese sense of nationalism. The direction of the war under LBJ and Nixon is shocking and it gives an incredible insight into the hawks and doves of Washington.

This book deserves to be read by the widest possible audience. It is authoratative without being biased or sensationalist. I would heartily recommend this book and would also concur with a fellow reviewer that this is really the only book you would want or need to read on this subject.

a comprehensive understanding of the Vietnam drama
The book is written by a US journalist with a French culture, who spent 16 years in Vietnam (1959-1975). His background helps him depict with an incredible craft the Vietnam drama (not only the US commitment, but also the French colonial period). A fantastic history book.