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. These include winners of national book awards and pulitzer prizes, both fiction and nonfiction. Monument almost never got built jan scruggs commemorates the 40th anniversary of the end to the vietnam war with a walk along the memorial he pioneered building. Essential vietnam war reading vietnam veterans of america.
It escalated from a vietnamese civil war into a limited international conflict in which the united states was deeply involved, and did not end. Enough books novels and nonfiction have been published about the vietnam war and its aftermath to fill a modestsized library. A rumor of war, philip caputo to call it the best book about vietnam is to trivialise it. An illustrated history, burns and ward present the details of the vietnam war november 1, 1955april 30, 1975.
Proceeds from sales support the national park service. Art, memory, and the fight for a vietnam war memorial. The 191st assault helicopter company in vietnam john d falcon. To shed new light on such a complicated and unsettled time in our history, to struggle to comprehend the special dissonance that is the vietnam war, we needed to look beyond the familiar stories. I have not seen a more careful or thorough treatment of memorialization of the vietnam war.
Heres an admittedly subjective list, posted on the military history now website, put together by mark masse, a ball state university literary journalism professor. Books, postcards, cds, dvds, and educational materials available for sale at the nearby lincoln memorial bookstore the bookstore is operated by eastern national, a partner of the national park service that sells books and other educational materials and operates many other bookstores at national park sites throughout the country. Critically acclaimed since its release in 1977, dispatches was one of the first books which offered an insiders account of the vietnam war to the general public. Hagopian goes way beyond the standard treatment of the vietnam veterans memorial in his use of sources, his very important treatment of the loaded concept of healing, and his careful and sensitive study of other memorial projects. Feb 05, 2008 a rumor of war, philip caputo to call it the best book about vietnam is to trivialise it. Pages in category vietnam war books the following 42 pages are in this category, out of 42 total. Beyond that, on the fiction front, we quickly traipse into forgettable territory. The memorial, located near the western end of the mall, is a black granite vshaped wall inscribed with the names of the approximately 58,000 men and women who. 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. The vietnam war was a long, costly and divisive conflict that pitted the communist government of north vietnam against south vietnam and its principal ally, the united states.
A slew of war memoirs stand with the best writing of that genre. The best histories of the vietnam war council on foreign. Ia drang the battle that changed the war in vietnam by harold g. Author eve bunting has a gift for writing about serious subjects in a way that makes them accessible to young children, and she has done just that in her picture book the wall. Tracing the evolution of the image of the vietnam veteran from alienated dissenter to traumatized victim to noble warrior, patrick hagopian describes how efforts to commemorate the war increasingly downplayed. Vietnam war, 19611975 engineering and construction base development in south vietnam, 19651970 1991, by carroll h. Built in 1993, the memorial commemorates men and women who have sacrificed themselves to. An oral history of the vietnam war by black veterans by wallace terry vietnam declassified by thomas l. The companion volume to burns vietnam war documentary series on pbs, the book stands alone as a powerful summary of the whole conflict. Vietnam veterans is the term used to describe the 3. This companion volume to the tenpart film series airing on pbs this september will enlighten readers to the events that led up to the war, the combat itself, and its aftermath. Willbanks, a retired army colonel, who has written widely about the war, in which the author recommends ten essential books that should be on every historians bookshelf.
Oct 01, 2017 the open competition for a vietnam war memorial was officially announced in november 1980, and a brochure and a rules packet for it were sent to every art and architecture school in the united. The untold story of spies, saboteurs, and covert warriors in north vietnam by richard h. At the same time, president ronald reagan, after failing to convince the public that the war was a noble cause, seized upon the idea of healing as a way of reaffirming the value of military service and, by extension, countering the effects of the socalled vietnam syndrome the widespread fear that any assertive foreign policy initiative. Mar 02, 2015 sheehan, who covered the vietnam war for the new york times, won the pulitzer prize for chronicling the unusual story of john paul vann. There is catch22, and slaughterhouse five, and these are classics to be sure. This childrens picture book is about a father and his young sons visit to the vietnam veterans memorial. The battle that changed the war in vietnam harold g. Aug 19, 2019 the wall is recommended for six to nineyearolds. In january of 1973 we in the defense attache office in the american embassy, phnom penh, cambodia, found ourselves in an unusual situation. Patrick hagopians longawaited book, decades in the making, arrives at a time when the u. The vietnam war has scarred, transformed and inspired countless writers and art practitioners.
The war began soon after the geneva conference provisionally divided 1954 vietnam at 17 n lat. This book on the vietnam war memorial s throughout the usa has been featured on websites of some of the top news outlets and in rolling thunders thunder alley on memorial day weekend 2017. Sheehan, who covered the vietnam war for the new york times, won the pulitzer prize for chronicling the unusual story of john paul vann. 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. Ten vietnam war novels to read council on foreign relations. Art, memory, and the fight for a vietnam war memorial by. The necessary war, michael lind if you only read one book on the vietnam war, this is it. Vietnam veterans memorial fund, 1991 vietnam veterans memorial washington, d. The war stemmed from americas efforts to contain the spread of communism in southeast asia. Readers weighed in on the best books about the vietnam war. Vietnam became split into a communist north and prowest south.
Shortlisted for canadas prestigious giller prize, this profoundly humane novel vancouver sun, wrings suspense and humor out of the everyday choices we make, revealing the delicate balance between sacrifice and selfinterest, doing good and being good. Among the most positive is an abundance of topnotch books, many written by veterans of the conflict. From time to time during the american war in iraq which began in 2003, aging vietnam veterans wearing baseball caps and khaki jackets emblazoned with pins, patches, and the. Veterans, memorials, and the politics of healing culture, politics, and the cold war 9781558496934. Dog soldiers won the 1975 national book award for fiction, the first vietnam war novel to do so. Vietnam war resources vietnam war music, books, memorials. Seeing the pilot is having a hard time keeping up, one of the chinese mercenaries called nungs, says to the team leader, lets kill the dai uy. This book brings the memorials to them ru airborne inc, 2016. The vietnam veterans memorial book vietnam war books. This is a hilarious tale of an air force combat fighter pilot in vietnam who goes out on patrol with a special forces team he has supported many times from the air. Opinion the dogs of the vietnam war the new york times. These 10 books, in addition to the ones below, were recommended multiple times.
It tells the story of the war from every conceivable angle, including that of the young vietnamese fighters. Remembering the life, death and legacy of quentin walsh jr. Across from the ba dinh square from ho chi minh mausoleum building and in between ho chi minh complex and thang long ancient city is vietnam war memorial. Feel how this story takes you back in time during carsons experiences. Sd version of the vietnam war commemorative book medal of. By reading it aloud to your children, you will have the opportunity to answer any questions they may have, to reassure them, and to discuss the story and the purpose of the vietnam veterans memorial. His coverage of the war in dispatches was groundbreaking for its presented a type of journalism that traded monotonous details for visceral descriptions. All our physical stores and our online store are temporarily closed. There was a time when all i knew of vietnam war books was tim obriens. I was a sentry dog handler in vietnam from 1967 to 1968, a member of the 212th military police sentry dog company stationed in tay ninh. Check out the new look and enjoy easier access to your favorite features. Its extraordinarily wellreported and written, and filled with memorable photographs and illustrationsa reminder that the war was, perhaps for.
This book on the vietnam war memorials throughout the usa has been featured on websites of some of the top news outlets and in rolling thunders thunder alley on memorial day weekend 2017. The wall picture book about a visit to vietnam war memorial. Vann retired from the army in 1963 after failing to. 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. How maya lins vietnam war memorial broke the competitions. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our. The september issue of armchair general magazine contains an article, 10 essential vietnam war books by james h. Nov 08, 2012 enough books novels and nonfiction have been published about the vietnam war and its aftermath to fill a modestsized library. As the book continues to get noticed we take pride in honoring the vietnam war s fallen heroes. Kennedy became involved in 1961, the situation was out of control. List of books and articles about vietnam war online.
Three are novels, two of which were written by vietnam war veterans. List of books and articles about vietnam veterans online. The open competition for a vietnam war memorial was officially announced in november 1980, and a brochure and a rules packet for it were sent to every art and architecture school in the united. 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. See all 4 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Tracing the evolution of the image of the vietnam veteran from alienated dissenter to traumatized victim to noble warrior, patrick hagopian describes how efforts to commemorate the war increasingly downplayed the political divisions it spawned in favor of a more unifying emphasis on honoring veterans and promoting national healing. Michael herr was a war correspondent for esquire between 1967 and 1969. Mar 06, 2015 dog soldiers won the 1975 national book award for fiction, the first vietnam war novel to do so.
Discover the best vietnam war history in best sellers. 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 a printed book. These numbers include not only soldiers who were active in combat but also the nurses who served at military hospitals tending to the wounded. Even if your child is an independent reader, we suggest that you use it as a readaloud. Ready to read the most celebrated and best vietnam war books. Through the years ronny found that many vietnam veterans wish they could visit the numerous vietnam veteran memorials throughout the country but are not able due to time, money, distance or health. This vietnam war book is a tribute to those great men and women who never made it home. Fallen never forgotten is a great gift idea for a vietnam veteran. The book he published, fallen never forgotten is that promise he made all those years ago through the years ronny found that many vietnam veterans wish they could visit the numerous vietnam veteran memorials throughout the country but are not able due to time, money, distance or health. Booktopia buy vietnam war books online from australias leading online bookstore. As the book continues to get noticed we take pride in honoring the vietnam wars fallen heroes. A novel of the vietnam war paperback february 28, 2001 by james amos jr.
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