These 10 books, in addition to the ones below, were recommended multiple times. The 89 best vietnam war books recommended by steve blank, amber theoharis, mary. His column on books has appeared in the vva veteran, the magazine published by vietnam veterans of america, since 1986. How it got that way is the subject of stewart justmans fascinating exploration of the rise of ptsda story of a questionable diagnosis and of medicine gone astray. Reviews of books both fiction and nonfiction relating. Three are novels, two of which were written by vietnam war veterans. A new york times notable book the national bestseller that tells the truth about the vietnam war from the black soldiers perspective. One of the many ironies of the vietnam war is that the one war america lost gave rise to more and better literaturecollectivelythan any of americas other twentieth century wars, the overwhelming majority of it written by the war s veterans, who realized early on that this was not their fathers war.
The vietnam war this is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as. Retro cold warrior lind author of the novel powertown, 1996, as well as works of nonfiction, resembling an intellectual rambo, verbally machineguns vietnamese, russian, and chinese communists, along with americans. Mar 02, 2015 the best histories of the vietnam war. Anyone interested in the war should also read martin windrows the last valley. One part of the war that has seen little light read more. Law reform vietnam asian socialism and legal change. Readers weighed in on the best books about the vietnam war. Vietnam order of battle shelby stanton, us news books isbn 0891937005.
More than forty years after it ended, the vietnam war continues to haunt our country. The soldiers and journalists who wrote about the war were close to. Very few aspects of the american war in vietnam have not come under the microscope in books, magazine articles, scholarly journals, blog postsor any other medium. The th valley by john del vecchio there have been a number of excellent books about vietnam. Apparently the lrrps reputation far exceeded their actual accomplishnents. Oct 08, 2015 perhaps the only decent thing to emerge from the vietnam war is a body of literature unsurpassed by the writing thats come out of any other war. From the awardwinning historian and filmmakers of the civil war, baseball, the war, the roosevelts, and others. Annotated bibliography, 1995 of narrative and other modes of literary expression is the synergy generated by the creative opposition of two very different ways of interpreting and representing the. Covering world war i, world war ii, and the vietnam war, this book does an exceptional job illuminating the psychological aspects of wartime on those who do the killing. Dec, 2017 find below a collection of the best books on the vietnam war. What we experienced transcended the normal experience of life.
All our physical stores and our online store are temporarily closed. Wehrle page images at hathitrust personalities of the liberation movement of south vietnam 1965, by u. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Nonfiction an intimate history of killing by joanna bourke. This authoritative book separates the facts of the war from the polemics that engulfed them, and takes a fascinating look at the people, places, events, and ideasboth on the battlefield and the home frontof this. The definitive collection of american fiction and nonfiction on the war. An oral history of the vietnam war by black veterans by wallace terry. We would be organized militarily, but we would have to break the bad habit, of trying to fight a conventional war in a guerrilla warfare environment. While the list of books about this conflict includes hundreds of enlightening works, we pick ten of the best texts offering illuminating perspectives on the war, its context and the effects it had on vietnam. If you are going to vietnam, these books will make your journey more meaningful. One is literary nonfiction by a vietnam war veteran. It was a time that many people remember and a time when our. In over a decade of bitter fighting, it claimed the live. What is a good recommendation for a nonfiction book on.
Vietnam war, 19611975 engineering and construction base development in south vietnam, 19651970 1991, by carroll h. Dec 19, 2014 i have read literally 100s of books on these topics. The helicopter war philip chinnery, airlife isbn 1557508755. An international history of the war for peace in vi. Sinovietnamese war reeducation camp vietnam boat people vietnam war casualties opposition to the vietnam war opposition to the u. Determined to maintain their code of conduct, the pows developed a. Michael herrs frontline reporting of the vietnam war is collected in dispatches, one of the first books to capture the unique feel of life on the vietnam battlefront. His stream of conscious descriptions are chaotic, choppy, dark, and intense, giving the reader an honest sense of war from the perspective of a soldier.
I have read literally 100s of books on these topics. Letters and remembrances from the vietnam veterans memorial. Unlike great war fictionthe red and the black, the red badge of courage, war and peace, all quiet on the western front, and a farewell to armsthat is read for generations, becoming part of a literary culture, the vietnam novels and memoirs are specific to a time and place. Complete organized chaos for the new guys would begin as we landed in vietnam. He was later awarded a second monbusho scholarship to conduct. Vietnam war teens, military history teens, books barnes. Lyndon johnson, robert mcnamara, the joint chiefs of staff, and the lies that led to vietnam is a 1997 book written by h. Military police duty in saigon in 196667 was a surreal combination of army nitpicking on a stateside scale, protecting u.
This book is a great read if you enjoy reading books about the vietnam war. It was a time that many people remember and a time when our county was divided by their opinions. This work by jeffrey kimball, who wrote a major book on the subject prior to the. A history of americas involvement in and extrication from the vietnam war henry a. This captivating nonfiction investigation of the pentagon papers has captured. Nonfiction updated december 2006 a war story is good, but sometimes nonfiction can be more interesting, as in these true vietnam war stories, compiled by reader advisor paul mathews. Organized chaos, seemed like a contradiction in terms, but after a few weeks in vietnam, it seemed plausible. Determined to maintain their code of conduct, the pows developed a powerful underground resistance. I am yet to read a better general history of the war than michael maclears vietnam. Discover the best vietnam war history in best sellers. Catfish and mandala is the story of an american odyssey.
The vietnam war was a very tragic time that was destructive and enormously violent. The inspiring true story of green beret medic gary beikirch, medal of honor. Not really interested in something where the person is in. During the vietnam war, hundreds of american prisoners of war faced years of brutal conditions and horrific torture at the hands of north vietnamese guards and interrogators who ruthlessly plied them for military intelligence and propaganda. The vietnam war was americas longest conflict, outlasting u. Ten vietnam war novels to read council on foreign relations. Making history come alive with the nonfiction literature. Friendly fire, one of the earliest 1976 notable nonfiction books about the vietnam war, is now available electronically through open road media. The definitive expose on why america lost the war, won the pulitzer prize for non fiction in 1989. A singleminded interpretation of the vietnam war based on the authors conviction that the conflicts overriding issue was a moscowdirected international communist conspiracy. I really find that era fascinating and terrible and confusing, and so many great stories about so. Committee to aid the national liberation front of south vietnam multiple formats at. My top 10 fiction and nonfiction books to read on vietnam.
I will be marking the fiftieth anniversary of those marines going ashore at da nang by posting my favorite vietnam war books, memoirs, novels, movies. Im not sure what kind of book youre looking for fiction or nonfiction. To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail or phone. You may also request these titles online through our opac. Discover book depositorys huge selection of vietnam war books online. The girl in the picture 2001, penguin, reissue by denise chong one of the most enduring photos from the vietnam war was of kim phuc as a little girl running naked and screaming from a napalm attack on her village. Despite how one may feel about the war, the universal themes bourke exposes re. The best histories of the vietnam war council on foreign. War story author jim morris ponders the hated nickname baby killers given to vietnam war soldiers, and then explains the extraordinary lengths u. Ive read all the obrien cacciato and in the lake of the woods are my favorites, so you can save those suggestions. When the war divided the country, it created deep political fault lines that continue to divide us today.
Whilst some of these books are a bit older, they are still brilliant to read and give you great insight into the war. Ward introduction by ken burns and lynn novick illustrated. On the non fiction side, i enjoyed working class war. The vietnam war deserters who sought asylum in sweden. Matterhorn by karl marlantes, the things they carried by tim obrien, the th valley by john m. We still argue over why we were there, whether we could have won, and who was right and wrong in their response to the conflict. The magnificence of my men in combat has inspired me forever. Vietnam war nonfiction missouri secretary of state. Posttraumatic stress disorder, or ptsd, has become one of the more popular psychological conditions of our time. Best fictioncreative nonfiction about the vietnam war. Winner of the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction, this debut novel could fit into half a dozen genres of vietnam war books from war narrative to immigrant story, from mystery to political, from metafiction to historical and even dark comedy. The united states and vietnam, 19501975 george herring widely recognized as a major contribution to the study of american involvement in vietnam, this comprehensive and balanced account analyzes the ultimate failure of the war, and the impact of the war on us foreign policy. There are an extraordinary number of works both fiction and nonfiction that seek to understand the impact of the war or simply excise the longfestering wounds. Daniel ellsberg and the secret history of the vietnam war is new york times bestselling author steve sheinkins awardwinning nonfiction account of an ordinary man who wielded the most dangerous weapon.
There is catch22, and slaughterhouse five, and these are classics to be sure. If you want gripping, true action of ww2, read last battle station, if you can find it, about one of the greatest, rarely told battles of ww2, the battle of java sea, the story of the uss hous. After we posted this article, times readers weighed in with their favorite books on the vietnam war. My novel sweden, which is based on true characters and events, traces the. A history of the vietnamese by keith weller taylor, hanois war. Choose from used and new textbooks or get instant access with etextbooks and digital materials. His streamofconscious descriptions are chaotic, choppy, dark, and intense, giving the reader an honest sense. When i think back to reading either book for the first time, and other vietnam war books, the memories that come to me are of the owl coffee mug i. I really find that era fascinating and terrible and confusing, and so many great stories about so many great things came out of it. Mcmaster blamed leaders in washington for losing the vietnam war, writing. Dk publishes highly visual, photographic nonfiction for adults and children. In a fight to reunify their divided country under communist rule, the north vietnamese rebelled against the anticommunist southwhich included their longtime enemies, the french.
The definitive illustrated history dk, smithsonian. A list of interesting, insightful and above all truelife or truetolife books on vietnam. Beyond that, on the fiction front, we quickly traipse into forgettable territory. Sep 14, 2017 the vietnam war an intimate history by geoffrey c. Like so many other books, this one is dubbed the best book to come out of the vietnam war by none other than john del vecchio i suppose that the author of the finest novel to come out of the vietnam war quote which appears on the th valleys cover is bob mason. Miami and the siege of chicago norman mailer nonfiction novel, 1968. Experience what life was like for the general populace during the war. Webb, as you probably know, went on to write a few other books and still find the time to become a u. Find below a collection of the best books on the vietnam war. The ultimate 2020 list of best vietnam books to read.
Uncovering the secret history of nixonera strategy. What is a good recommendation for a nonfiction book on wwii. I will be marking the fiftieth anniversary of those marines going ashore at da nang by posting my favorite vietnam war. The new york times vietnam correspondent and sometime saigon bureau chief during the war, langguth has since written eight books including patriots. First used to describe the symptoms related to combat experiences in war, today a diagnosis of ptsd has been expanded to include some of the most common everyday situations. Some of these are fiction books about vietnam war based on factual information, whilst others include some of the best books on vietnam history of the war. A rumor of war, philip caputo to call it the best book about vietnam is to trivialise it. Emering, schiffer military history books isbn 0764307584. The vietnam war has scarred, transformed and inspired countless writers and art practitioners.