A Few Of Many Viet Nam Books Are Recommended

Editor's Note: There is no end to the list of recommendations re: books on Viet Nam. However, our Special Features Writer, Viet Nam veteran and retired Marine - Tom Cole - gives us a start with some of his favorites:

• Apocalypse Now

• Bat 21

• Boys in Company C

• First Blood (Rambo)

• Full Metal Jacket

• Forrest Gump (I just threw this one in

• Good Morning Vietnam (Robin Williams)

• Go Tell The Spartans

• Hamburger Hill

• Platoon

• The Deer Hunter

• The Great Santini

• The Green Berets (John Wayne)

• The Killing Fields

• Tigerland

• We Were Soldiers (Mel Gibson)

Further, George Black comments on the plethora of worthy reads about the Viet Nam period:

The Vietnam War, 50 Years On: A Reading List

By George Black

April 28, 2023

By one estimate, something like thirty thousand books have been written about what we call "the Vietnam War." It's a term I generally try to avoid, because it distorts our understanding of what the conflict was about, where it was fought, and by whom. My own preference is to talk about the American War in Vietnam, which is what the Vietnamese themselves call it, as opposed to the earlier French War, from which it grew organically.

It's more accurate still to talk about the First and Second Indochina Wars, and the themes I explore in my own book on the war and its aftermath, The Long Reckoning, make no sense without embracing the critical role of the famous Ho Chi Minh Trail through neighboring Laos.

Any list of books on the war, whatever we choose to call it, has to include some of the early classics, even if time, hindsight, and new generations of scholarship can sometimes be harsh judges of their shortcomings. Agreed, the earliest of these classics, Graham Greene's The Quiet American, set during the latter years of the French War, has in some ways not aged well, especially in its stereotypical portrait of the young Vietnamese woman, Phuong-beautiful, passive, available, but in the end inscrutable. Yet Greene nails all of the illusions and naïveté that led the Americans to disaster more than a decade after it was published, and needs less than 200 pages to do it. (The Long Reckoning: A Story of War, Peace, and Redemption in Vietnam by George Black is available from Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.)

Vietnam War (Booklet): A History From Beginning to End

The Vietnam War remains one of the most iconic events of the twentieth century. In the United States, it polarized public opinion and changed foreign policy. It destroyed the presidency of Lyndon Johnson and was the catalyst for a massively impactful protest movement. More importantly, in Vietnam, as well as surrounding areas, it caused untold destruction, death, and suffering. Inside you will read about - - Vietnam's Past- Exit the French,- The United States and Ngo Dinh Diem, - The Resistance War Against America Begins,- "Americanization"- The American Home Front,- Vietnamization and President Nixon, - The End of the Vietnam War and Its Aftermath.

Millions of Vietnamese and Cambodian people were killed, and many-including Americans-remain missing. Its origins lie in Europe's colonial conquests, and its legacies endure to this day. Read this comprehensive, concise history of the Vietnam War.

The Vietnam War Summary The Vietnam War by Dk

The definitive telling of one of the longest and most controversial wars in US history. Delve into the compelling history and impact of the Vietnam War in reverting detail. This authoritative visual guide unpacks accounts of struggle, sacrifice, and bravery, making this a perfect read for any military history enthusiast. Inside the pages of this retelling of America's bloodiest conflict, you'll discover: - A vivid, moving, and informative read written in an engaging style. - A clear and compelling account of the conflict, in short, self-contained events from the Battle of Ia Drang to the Tet Offensive and The Khmer Rouge.

Biography pages highlight major military and political figures such as Henry Kissinger, President Nixon, General Thieu, and Ho Chi Minh. - Features on everyday life in the war offering additional context. - Stunning image double page features display weapons, spy gear, and other equipment that defined the war. - Maps and feature boxes provide additional information on significant events during the conflict.

Created in association with the Smithsonian Institution, this history book for adults is an authoritative history of both the first televised war and its lasting impact through the lenses of both sides of the conflict. The Vietnam War explores all aspects of the conflict and the wider political landscape using compelling text, maps, and archive photography of collections of weapons, aircraft, and armored vehicles.

The military techniques and conduct employed against the inferior technologies of the Viet Cong remain controversial and intriguing to date. Eyewitness accounts and iconic photographs bring events to life - from the background of the conflict to the incidents that drew America into Vietnam, the chronological event

Last, But By No Means Least, Two More Recommendations

The Things They Carried

Tim O'Brien

A classic work of American literature that has not stopped changing minds and lives since it burst onto the literary scene, The Things They Carried is a ground-breaking meditation on war, memory, imagination, and the redemptive power of storytelling.

The Things They Carried depicts the men of Alpha Company: Jimmy Cross, Henry Dobbins, Rat Kiley, Mitchell Sanders, Norman Bowker, Kiowa, and the character Tim O'Brien, who has survived his tour in Vietnam to become a father and writer at the age of forty-three.

Taught everywhere-from high school classrooms to graduate seminars in creative writing-it has become required reading for any American and continues to challenge readers in their perceptions of fact and fiction, war and peace, courage and fear and longing.

The Women

Kristin Hannah

From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's The Women-at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances "Frankie" McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets-and becomes one of-the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm's way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era.

Editor's Note: I suggest you go online and do your own search for good reads on the Viet Nam conflict. Depending on room available, we'll be listing more suggestions in our April issue, both in print and online. We shall be featuring "Welcome Home".