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bjebix's review against another edition
4.0
I'm rating this based on how useful it is for someone who wants to learn about the Vietnam War without much prior knowledge. I had to read this for my class on the Vietnam War and this was super helpful. I think the one thing that could make it better is if there had been a bit more personal experiences added from soldiers or Vietnamese citizens. I went into this with shamefully little knowledge on the Vietnam War and I can honestly say now that I feel like I am well educated on the topic, so for that reason I would definitely recommend this. Combining this with Appy's book containing interviews provides a solid basis of understanding the war.
russk's review against another edition
4.0
This book is good as a starting point for anyone more interested in the Vietnam War or who didn't think that their American History class covered enough.
Don't go in expecting details and specifics in regards to many battles and policies. The book is less than 200 pages long. It's "international" in the sense that it tries to show perspectives from Vietnam, China, Laos, and Cambodia, but overall it definitely still has an American slant.
I do like that a good chunk is spent on the decades before the US ground deployment. What it also does well is make broad arguments that are backed up by specific quotes, usually from politicians or soldiers fighting for either side. It's similar to "The Vietnam War" documentary series by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. Sometimes, the book gives more detail on certain events, in other places the documentaries do.
Don't go in expecting details and specifics in regards to many battles and policies. The book is less than 200 pages long. It's "international" in the sense that it tries to show perspectives from Vietnam, China, Laos, and Cambodia, but overall it definitely still has an American slant.
I do like that a good chunk is spent on the decades before the US ground deployment. What it also does well is make broad arguments that are backed up by specific quotes, usually from politicians or soldiers fighting for either side. It's similar to "The Vietnam War" documentary series by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. Sometimes, the book gives more detail on certain events, in other places the documentaries do.
gregbrown's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty good considering what it is: trying to sum up the two wars in Vietnam (French and American) in less than 200 pages, including the lead-up and aftermath.
One thing that I especially appreciated, considering most of the earlier literature didn't have access, is accounts of the internal political debates in North Vietnam and how that influenced their military strategies. You really get a sense of two societies prepared to gradually escalate their entanglement in the conflict, not wanting to act so rashly that it becomes a larger-scale proxy war but still managing to escalate to the full-scale conflagration of the late-60s/early-70s.
Drawback is it's kinda textbooky: so determined to be even-handed that it doesn't offer much of an organizing thesis, and structured in a somewhat formal way. (Each chapter summarizes that phase of the war in a few paragraphs before sections that cover each focus within that era.) Also really makes you wanna just read a more thorough book on the parts that interest you, but the footnotes aren't as huge of a help in that regard as I'd like, even with a "Further Reading" section at the end. Ah well, I got a big pile of books to read anyways.
One thing that I especially appreciated, considering most of the earlier literature didn't have access, is accounts of the internal political debates in North Vietnam and how that influenced their military strategies. You really get a sense of two societies prepared to gradually escalate their entanglement in the conflict, not wanting to act so rashly that it becomes a larger-scale proxy war but still managing to escalate to the full-scale conflagration of the late-60s/early-70s.
Drawback is it's kinda textbooky: so determined to be even-handed that it doesn't offer much of an organizing thesis, and structured in a somewhat formal way. (Each chapter summarizes that phase of the war in a few paragraphs before sections that cover each focus within that era.) Also really makes you wanna just read a more thorough book on the parts that interest you, but the footnotes aren't as huge of a help in that regard as I'd like, even with a "Further Reading" section at the end. Ah well, I got a big pile of books to read anyways.
dustyduck's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent collection of primary sources that chronicle the Vietnam War. Of course, no single volume can purport to give a full picture, and certain omissions (Laos, Cambodia come to mind) do mean the scope of sources is somewhat limited. Still, the short blurbs that contextualize these sources are extremely useful- a good companion text for more detailed reading or discussion of the war.
asifromancewasborn's review against another edition
4.0
• Read for class. This book is a great introduction to the Vietnam War, but it focuses more on the American perspective of things than on the South Vietnamese/North Vietnamese perspective.
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