3 Review(s)

Vietnam: A History is a groundbreaking book on Vietnam’s history, that offers a thorough and riveting account of the war, and Vietnam’s struggle for independence. Summary Of The Book As a seasoned reporter covering Vietnam since the 1950s, the author drew on his immense experience, research, and interviews conducted over a span of many years, to compile an intriguing and compassionate account of the Vietnam war. Vietnam: A History is a monumental book on Vietnam’s history, tracing its complicated past, and search for freedom, through a profound and unbiased analysis of the Vietnam War. It is based on revelations from secret documents, archives, and exclusive interviews with several power players who were involved in the war from either side, including American, Chinese, French, and Vietnamese diplomats, high ranking officials, soldiers, commanders, workers, nurses, and journalists, making it a definitive and authoritative book on the subject of Vietnam. An updated and revised version, Vietnam: A History takes readers back several years in history, to when the early explorers and French missionaries began activity in SE Asia. The book makes astute observations about how the war in Vietnam has impacted the political views of modern Americans. Poignant images of the VN Memorial, families fleeing VN, American homes sheltering Vietnamese people, and war veterans marching in Washington, as well as coverage of issues including drug addiction among the troops, the distrust between Vietnam, China, and Soviet Union, the treatment of Vietnamese expats in Cambodia, changes in the war as seen over the years, the compounded socio economic effects of such a lengthy war, the successes and failures of decisions from both sides, to Vietnam finally achieving its independence, altogether provide a detailed and comprehensive view of this subject. Well written and well researched, Vietnam: A History, with its useful appendices and brilliantly constructed timeline, puts into perspective the key decisions made in Hanoi and Washington, and the subsequent political and military events that unfolded as a result of these in Vietnam, offering readers focus and clarity on this historical event. First published in 1983, Vietnam: A History was adapted for television as a 13-hour PBS documentary entitled Vietnam: A Television History. About Stanley Karnow Stanley Karnow was an American historian and journalist. His books include In Our Image: America's Empire in the Philippines, Mao and China: From Revolution to Revolution, and Paris in the Fifties. Born on February 4, 1925, in Brooklyn, New York, he served in the Army Air Forces during the Second World War. He earned his Bachelor's degree from Harvard University, and later studied politics at the University of Paris, following which, he worked as the Paris correspondent for Time magazine for seven years. After covering the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, he moved to Asia where he worked as correspondent with various publications including Time-Life, The London Observer, The Saturday Evening Post, and NBC News, covering the Vietnam War. He won the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for History. He passed away on January 27, 2013.