Synopses & Reviews
The first-ever major biography of one of the most towering and least understood figures in modern history.
To grasp the complicated causes and consequences of the Vietnam War, one must understand the extraordinary life of Ho Chi Minh, the man generally recognized as the father of modern Vietnam. Because of the inaccessibility of vital sources on his life and career, until now there has been no full-length biography of this significant world leader. Now, William Duiker, a world-renowned authority on Vietnam, delivers an immensely captivating portrayal of Ho. His compelling narrative tells an epic story of a renaissance man his early years of poverty and rebellion, his wild days as an expatriate in the United States, in France, and in the Soviet Union, his interaction with world leaders ranging from Harry Truman and Lyndon Johnson to Stalin and Mao Zedong, and his ultimate commitment to the success of the Vietnamese revolution and the reunification of his country under Communist rule. With unprecedented access to information in five Languages, some of it only recently declassified, Duiker provides startling insights into Ho's true motivation, as well as into the Soviet and Chinese roles in the Vietnam War. Riveting and impeccably researched, Ho Chi Minh is a stunning and revelatory portrait of an extraordinary man whose life holds the key to understanding a conflict that continues to divide and confound Americans.
Review
"Meticulously researched, profoundly perceptive, and highly readable." Stanley Karnow, author of Vietnam: A History
Review
"A major scholarly achievement...the most authoritative account of Ho's life we are likely to have for a long time..." Washington Post
Review
"Sweeping...the first full-scale treatement of Ho from start to finish." Chicago Tribune
Review
"Impressive...A welcome intrusion to the silence that has surrounded Ho Chi Minh." Los Angeles Times Book Review
Review
"Magnificent." Frances FitzGerald, The New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
A world-renowned authority on Vietnam delivers an immensely captivating portrayal of Ho. Riveting and impeccably researched, "Ho Chi Minh" is a stunning and revelatory portrait of an extraordinary man whose life holds the keys to understanding a conflict that continues to divide and confound Americans. 32 photos.
Synopsis
To grasp the complicated causes and consequences of the Vietnam War, one must understand the extraordinary life of Ho Chi Minh, the man generally recognized as the father of modern Vietnam. Duiker provides startling insights into Ho's true motivation, as well as into the Soviet and Chinese roles in the Vietnam War.
Synopsis
The magisterial and authoritative biography of one of the towering and mysterious figures of the twentieth century. Ho Chi Minh's epic life helped shape the twentieth century. But never before has he been the subject of a major biography. Now William Duiker has compiled an astonishing work of history that fills this immense void. A New York Times Notable Book and one of the Los Angeles Times Best Books of 2000--now in paperback!
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [581]-670) and index.
About the Author
William J. Duiker is Liberal Arts Professor Emeritus of East Asian Studies at The Pennsylvania State University. He was a member of the History Department at Penn State until his retirement in the spring of 1997. A former foreign service officer with posts in Taiwan and South Vietnam, he currently specializes in the history of modern Vietnam and China. He was awarded a Faculty Scholar Medal for Outstanding Achievement in the spring of 1996.
Professor Duiker has written several books and articles on subjects related to modern China and Vietnam. His The Communist Road to Power in Vietnam (Westview, 1981) received a Choice Outstanding Book Award for 1982-1983, and a second award when it was published in a second edition in 1996. Other books include U.S. Containment Policy and the Conflict in Indochina (Stanford, 1994) and Sacred War: Nationalism and Revolution in a Divided Vietnam (McGraw-Hill, 1995). In recent years he has developed a strong interest in world history and with colleague Jackson Spielvogel published a textbook entitled World History (West, 1994), a third edition of which appeared in the fall of 2000.
While at Penn State, he served as chairman of the East Asian Studies Program, as well as director of International Programs in the College of Liberal Arts. He is currently a regular lecturer for the Foreign Service Institute in Washington, D.C., and lives on the Outer Banks in North Carolina.