What do you think?
Rate this book
Pages from History
The Vietnam War: A History in Documents
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.
- GenresHistoryNonfictionWar
176 pages, Paperback
First published May 2, 2002
2 people are currently reading
76 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
October 31, 2023
1.5
This book was incredibly American and that's not a compliment. The COUNTLESS war crimes committed were barely mentioned (My Lai did get a few pages but that's about it), and the reality of the war for the Vietnamese was basically entirely neglected. It was about the U.S. policy, different views of the war in the U.S., but even in attempting to show the true American war in Vietnam the authors ignore testimonies and lived realities of those who suffered most, and with the least fault of their own.
It gets half a star because reading some of the government documents really showed just how focused the U.S. was not on helping the Vietnamese people but on its own national prestige, but still I think the authors continue to put the focus on the aggressors, rather than giving any space to the victims' voices. They should have done better.
This book was incredibly American and that's not a compliment. The COUNTLESS war crimes committed were barely mentioned (My Lai did get a few pages but that's about it), and the reality of the war for the Vietnamese was basically entirely neglected. It was about the U.S. policy, different views of the war in the U.S., but even in attempting to show the true American war in Vietnam the authors ignore testimonies and lived realities of those who suffered most, and with the least fault of their own.
It gets half a star because reading some of the government documents really showed just how focused the U.S. was not on helping the Vietnamese people but on its own national prestige, but still I think the authors continue to put the focus on the aggressors, rather than giving any space to the victims' voices. They should have done better.
November 17, 2017
As far as textbooks go, it was a relatively decent read. That being said, this book's look at the Vietnam War seemed one sided and not well rounded. It was also not very in depth and only skimmed the surface. If you want to learn about the Vietnam War, this book will open the door for you, but will only get you past the threshold. It's not worth the price of a textbook to buy this book so, if possible, skip this book and get something else. Thank God I didn't have to buy this.
March 28, 2016
This is a useful text for teaching advanced secondary students and/or undergraduates about the Vietnam War while exposing them to discussions about primary documents (both textual and visual documents). Not only are there sections that explain what a document is and how to read it, but there are a variety of content (including an entire chapter in the form of a picture essay) that allows for a wealth of teaching opportunities. I did however receive some consistent feedback from students that the presentation of the information is a little difficult to follow--some students felt the structure was less clear compared to other books due to its scattered interspersing of documents with side captions that floated next to but not in-line with the rest of the textual and visual evidences being introduced and organized in a more traditional linear fashion. Nevertheless, there is a lot to teach from.
The Vietnam War is one of the most agreed upon "mistakes" of U.S. foreign policy during the twentieth century and yet American reasons for entering, staying in, and eventually bowing out of military efforts in the region is often little understood by politicians and citizens alike. The book covers especially well the First Indochina War, 1946-1954, in which the Americans became heavily invested and financially involved in the French struggle to reassert its colonial claim over Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia following the expulsion of the Japanese at the end of the World War II. The successful expulsion of the Japanese and then the French by Ho Chi Minh's Vietminh communist forces is integral information to understanding the Second Indochina War, or what Americans call the Vietnam War.
While some say the war stretched over 30 years, Ho Chi Minh's Viet Cong forces invaded South Vietnam almost immediately after the country's expired unification date following the Geneva Conference, intensive American involvement lasted some 16 years in the "quagmire" of Vietnam. The complex reasons for why such a culturally unpopular and politically dubious war (not to mention why such a militarily advantaged American military was unable to "win" the war) are all examined through the presentation of primary documents with limited organizational interpretations. This is an interesting collection of the cultural, historical, political, and social viewpoints of a hopeless struggle that presents viewpoints from Americans, Vietnamese, citizens, politicians, and military leaders. Those teaching history should take particular note, but the casual reader interested in the conflict will also find themselves engaged with the content (perhaps questioning at times certain interpretations but nevertheless intrigued by why some things got read the way they did at the time and since).
The Vietnam War is one of the most agreed upon "mistakes" of U.S. foreign policy during the twentieth century and yet American reasons for entering, staying in, and eventually bowing out of military efforts in the region is often little understood by politicians and citizens alike. The book covers especially well the First Indochina War, 1946-1954, in which the Americans became heavily invested and financially involved in the French struggle to reassert its colonial claim over Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia following the expulsion of the Japanese at the end of the World War II. The successful expulsion of the Japanese and then the French by Ho Chi Minh's Vietminh communist forces is integral information to understanding the Second Indochina War, or what Americans call the Vietnam War.
While some say the war stretched over 30 years, Ho Chi Minh's Viet Cong forces invaded South Vietnam almost immediately after the country's expired unification date following the Geneva Conference, intensive American involvement lasted some 16 years in the "quagmire" of Vietnam. The complex reasons for why such a culturally unpopular and politically dubious war (not to mention why such a militarily advantaged American military was unable to "win" the war) are all examined through the presentation of primary documents with limited organizational interpretations. This is an interesting collection of the cultural, historical, political, and social viewpoints of a hopeless struggle that presents viewpoints from Americans, Vietnamese, citizens, politicians, and military leaders. Those teaching history should take particular note, but the casual reader interested in the conflict will also find themselves engaged with the content (perhaps questioning at times certain interpretations but nevertheless intrigued by why some things got read the way they did at the time and since).
May 2, 2013
The Vietnam War A History in Documents:This book went more in depth of what happened during the Vietnam War this was very helpful I understood what happened during this time like the war did not end until the 70's. A major theme in this book was that the war was hard fought and the casualties were in thousands and most people who served in this war came back with limbs that were blown off by mines or grenades. What I liked about the book was that it was informational for the reader to get a better understanding of what happened in Vietnam. What I disliked about the book is that half of the pictures were cartoons and I didn't like that as much for this book.Why should you read this book because it is very informational in explaining what is going on during the War the flaw is the silly cartoons and drawings and that is it.If you like non fiction there are tons of books on the Vietnam War if you are interested.My overall rating on this book is 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews