Ten vietnam war novels to read council on foreign relations. Quanah parker and the rise and fall of the comanches, the most powerful indian tribe in american history. A history of the vietnamese cambridge concise histories. The historical atlas of the vietnam war provides a penetrating and comprehensive analysis of vietnam based on both u. At his villa, a general of the south vietnamese army is drinking whiskey and, with the help of. This subreddit is intended for civil and informed discussion of the vietnam war and related issues. Taylor is the author of the new book, a history of the vietnamese cambridge concise histories. Caputos troubled, searching meditations on the love and hate of war, on fear, and the ambivalent discord warfare can create in the hearts of decent men, are among the most eloquent i have read in modern literature, novelist william styron wrote. This book is not just a north vietnamese war classic it is a classic war novel of any time and any place. Booktopia buy vietnam war books online from australias leading online bookstore. This vietnam memoir includes exciting tales, close calls, and battle memories.
The books by halberstam, sheehan, karnow and nearly every other orthodox author concentrated on the period from the division of vietnam in 1954 to the tet offensive of 1968, providing minimal coverage of the years 1969 to 1975. The best vietnam war books five books expert recommendations. The best vietnam war stories by vietnamese authors culture trip. One of the most definitive works on the vietnam war, the th valley follows a company of paratroopers as they fight against the north vietnamese.
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. Everything we had, al santoli if i had to recommend only. When he receives an offer to consult for a hollywood film on the vietnam war. National book awardwinning novel based on the authors experiences with the army in vietnam. Young, author of the vietnam wars, 19451990 thirteen years of fieldwork and research have gone into this book, published by harvard university press in april 2016 and a finalist for the national book award in nonfiction and the. Bernard fall author bernard fall was an acknowledged authority on vietnam and the wars fought there.
Recommended vietnams history before and after 1975 books. Historians at war national association of scholars. This book took me back to the vietnam era and the boat people era, and that is a time. After graduating from high school in 1965 dean kohlers rock band landed a record deal and then he was drafted into the us army. The novel explores the war from the perspective of a former north vietnamese soldier, kien, and is a nonlinear telling of how the conflict transformed himself, his country and those around him. Well, there is a big vietnamese community in san jose because the. One of the first classic vietnam war memoirs, a rumor of war garnered immediate praise for the author, a former marine first lieutenant. More info rolling thunder 196568 acm 3 multiple formats. Her memories of that time, and her familys experiences, became the. Del vecchio writes as vividly of the landscape and jungle warfare as he does of the bonds, racial tensions, and doubts amongst the u. Author viet thanh nguyen discusses the sympathizer and. Gloria emerson emerson was best known for her awardwinning reporting of the vietnam war for the new york times. The 696page book covers 2,000 years of vietnamese government, culture and life, from the qin empire in 221 b.
Opinion the great vietnam war novel was not written by an. Subjects range from south vietnamese citizens who opposed their government and joined the viet cong, to important figures in hanoi who dedicated their lives to the communist cause, to nationalists who were stalwart opponents of communism, to north vietnamese. An absorbing and definitive modern history of the vietnam war from the acclaimed new york times bestselling author of the secret war. Dispatches is a memoir describing the authors time as a war. Readers weighed in on the best books about the vietnam war. The sorrow of war is a 1990 novel by the vietnamese writer b. When truong nhu tang returned to vietnam to fight for national liberation, he rose to become the minister of justice for the vietcong. Slaughterhousefive, in that both books are written by authors who couldnt. They are dropped into the jungle of vietnam as boys and are forced to fight. Ready to read the most celebrated and best vietnam war books. So, here is my curated list of 25 books on vietnam and vietnamese culture. The recon company that earned five medals of honor and included americas most decorated green beret.
Vietnam and the memory of war beautifully written, powerfully argued, thoughtful, provocative. And in the acknowledgments for your book, you mention, like, a whole. Another revolutionary telling of the vietnam war, bao ninhs the sorrow of war is reported to have been written against the communist partys wishes. Sorrow of war offers the north vietnamese perspective by tracing the warhaunted life of kien, a former infantryman turned writer, as he struggles to overcome his.
It escalated from a vietnamese civil war into a limited international conflict in which the united states was deeply involved, and did not end. Chronicles the wrecked lives of north vietnamese soldiers who enter the war with. The sympathizer is the 2015 debut novel by vietnamese american professor viet thanh. M atterhorn has been hailed as a brilliant account of war. Literature about the war and its aftermath by vietnamese and. New book explores history of the vietnamese cornell. Author viet thanh nguyen discusses the sympathizer and his. What books are good to read about a complete history of. In november 2017 the book distributors guild of vietnam named the english version of sorrow as the biggest selling vietnamese book in the. And other vietnam war short stories and memories are like clouds worked for uso in vietnam from 197072. The author was the highest ranking member of the communist party to defect after the war. Books there is no book in english, and probably none in any other language, that provides as comprehe. On april 30th, 1975, saigon was overrun by north vietnamese forces, ending the vietnam war.
In this interview, he recommends the best vietnam war books, exploring its moral ambiguities, the warrior mentality and the humanity of the enemy. As for the communist party of vietnam, it, too, would rather not hear certain voices. The great vietnam war novel was not written by an american. Revisionists began fixing that problem in the late 1990s with histories arguing that the south vietnamese government. See more ideas about vietnam war, vietnam and books. A history, stanley karnow the most complete account of the vietnam war to date. Books in this category describe how the war was prosecuted, experienced and understood by the vietnamese. This book is an epic war novel that centers around thetimeless story of a young marine lieutenant, waino mellas, and his comrades in bravo company. A legendary war cameraman in vietnam by yasutsune hirashiki. Vietnam became the western worlds most divisive modern conflict, precipitating a battlefield humiliation for france in 1954, then a vastly greater one for the united states in 1975. This is an educational subreddit dedicated entirely to the wars and conflicts that occurred in vietnam, laos and cambodia between 1946 and 1979 and beyond. The best vietnam war books, as recommended by vietnam war vet karl marlantes, author of the briliant novel matterhorn, set in the vietnam war. Sino vietnamese war reeducation camp vietnam boat people vietnam war casualties opposition to the vietnam war opposition to the u.
If youve only read vietnam war books by american authors, come check out this list of the best books by vietnamese authors to get a new. Us air cavalry trooper vs north vietnamese soldier. My guest is the winner of this years pulitzer prize for fiction, viet thanh nguyen. The author spent ten years in vietnam, starting in 1966 when he went there as a freelancer, and stayed through the fall of saigon in 1975. The companion volume to burns vietnam war documentary series on pbs, the book stands alone as a powerful summary. The vietnam war has scarred, transformed and inspired countless writers and art. Matterhorn by karl marlantes, the things they carried by tim obrien, the th valley by john m. She is vietnams most widely known dissident writer, who was exiled for. My book is about my months in vietnam as an m60 machine gunner in f.
His novel, the sympathizer, is set during and just after the war in vietnam and is told in the form of a. List of books and articles about vietnam war online. An epic novel of vietnam by anthony grey happens to be one of the best books on vietnam war. The ultimate 2020 list of best vietnam books to read. Fredrik logevalls book focuses on the french conflict in vietnam at the end of world war ii and the beginning of the american one in 1959. For a full understanding of the dynamics of the decisions that lost the war, this book is a must. Viet thanh nguyens novel the sympathizer is a new york times best seller and won the pulitzer prize for fiction and other countless honor awards. But his experience in the vietnam war made a reasonable choice. Read this book based on the authors interviews in ken burns vietnam war. The war in vietnam was central to your whole familys story. To mark the day, heres a list of books about the war. The vietnam war, an intimate history, by geoffrey ward and ken burns. Author viet thanh nguyen discusses the sympathizer and his escape from vietnam nguyen and his family fled their village in south. Pages in category vietnam war books the following 42 pages are in this category, out of 42 total.
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