Synopses & Reviews
The Vietnam War tells the story of one of the most divisive episodes in modern American history through primary sources, ranging from government documents, news reports, speeches, popular songs to memoirs, writings by Vietnam veterans (including coauthor John Fitzgerald), and poetry by Vietnamese and Americans on matching themes. The book begins in the 19th century when Vietnam became a French colony, and traces the insidious route by which the United States became involved in a war on the other side of the world.
Review
"Simply terrific. If I were teaching the Vietnam War, I would rush to use it. The photos are extraordinary and the documents powerful. There is no better single volume on the war that makes the events and ideas come alive as this book does."--Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States
"Comprised of first- and second-hand accounts of American policy in Vietnam during the 1960s. Its primary sources are held together chronologically with narrative. Political cartoons, U.S. government files, Vietnamese iconography, and song lyrics by Bruce Springsteen are among the book's most compelling and evocative elements."--Hampshire Gazette
"Provides historials and students of history with a wealth of first-hand information missing from past conflicts. Those "primary sources"...provide the basis for a different way to teach history - allowing students to decide the meaning."--Longmeadow News
Review
"Simply terrific. If I were teaching the Vietnam War, I would rush to use it. The photos are extraordinary and the documents powerful. There is no better single volume on the war that makes the events and ideas come alive as this book does."--Howard Zinn, author of A People's History of the United States
"Comprised of first- and second-hand accounts of American policy in Vietnam during the 1960s. Its primary sources are held together chronologically with narrative. Political cartoons, U.S. government files, Vietnamese iconography, and song lyrics by Bruce Springsteen are among the book's most compelling and evocative elements."--Hampshire Gazette
"Provides historials and students of history with a wealth of first-hand information missing from past conflicts. Those "primary sources"...provide the basis for a different way to teach history - allowing students to decide the meaning."--Longmeadow News
Synopsis
Through declassified "For Eyes Only" documents, speeches, and photographs, The Vietnam War illustrates how Vietnam's long history of invasion and colonization by the Chinese, French, and Japanese set a troubled stage for the U.S. presence in Indochina. The story continues through a fascinating mix of primary sources, including transcripts of conversations with Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon; commentary from newpapers, magazines, and television; speeches by Ho Chi Minh and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.; popular songs and cheers; memoirs (including one by coauthor John J. Fitzgerald); interviews with veterans, and poetry by both American and Vietnamese. Numerous photographs illustrate the experience of war from all sides of the conflict: North Vietnamese, South Vietnamese, and American; civilian and military. The Vietnam War is an essential one-volume resource for understanding the issues and the subsequent course of American foreign policy.
About the Author
Marilyn B. Young is a Professor of History at New York University who specializes in the study and teaching of US-East Asian Relations.
Table of Contents
What is a Document?How to Read a Document
A Little History, By Way of Introduction
Chapter One: The First Indochina War
Vietnam Approaches America
America Responds
Chapter Two: Waist Deep in the Big Muddy
A Temporary Peace
Eisenhower's Vietnam
Kennedy's War
Chapter Three: America's War
The War Expands
The Public Debate
Chapter Four: Picture Essay: Selling Patriotism
Chapter Five: Going to War
Soldiers at War
Other Voices
The Condition of the Army
Chapter Six: A People Divided
The African-American Community
Opposition within the Military
Chapter Seven: Nixon's War
My Lai
The Nixon Doctrine
Bombing Hanoi to the Bargaining table
Chapter Eight: After the War
Looking Back
Legacies
Timeline
Glossary
Further Reading and Websites
Text Credits
Picture Credits
Index