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Summary: This is the best introduction to the Vietnam War.
Review: For anyone interested in a basic understanding of the politics and diplomacy of the Vietnam War, this is the place to start. It is widely used in college classes around the country. The style is very readable, and the book includes useful maps and an excellent bibliographic essay for further reading.
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Summary: Read the First Edition. Good, but needed North POV
Review: I read the first edition of this book (published 1979). This is an excellent introduction into the Vietnam War. The book does focus on the politics and policies of the United States rather than more palatable topics such as the human stories of the war. The book gives a firm background into the years preceding American involvment in Vietnam. The first edition needed the perspective of communist sources to make it a more well rounded work, but of course at the time that was near impossible. A good book for anyone interested in a general history of the Vietnam war.
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Summary: Read the First Edition. Good, but needed North POV
Review: I read the first edition of this book (published 1979). This is an excellent introduction into the Vietnam War. The book does focus on the politics and policies of the United States rather than more palatable topics such as the human stories of the war. The book gives a firm background into the years preceding American involvment in Vietnam. The first edition needed the perspective of communist sources to make it a more well rounded work, but of course at the time that was near impossible. A good book for anyone interested in a general history of the Vietnam war.
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Summary: Lots of Info, but not a great read.
Review: In retrospect, I enjoyed this book more than some of the other books about Vietnam that I've read. At the time, however, I viewed it as fairly boring. It contains a lot of useful information presented in a readable format. On the downside, it also contains a lot of policy and politics, which is not a subject of great interest to myself. It would prove to be an excellent source of information for any formal research paper or project, etc. All in all, a good book, but not very exciting.
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Summary: One of the enduring images
Review: is the network of bicyclists -- children, women and men -- who expertly navigated the region during the American campaigns. A foot bridge blown up was instantly restored. Supplies were expertly moved about. It was their whole backyard.
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Summary: Very imformative.
Review: This book was assigned reading for my "International Conflict" class. I started this book only because I had to, but I enjoyed it. I would recomend this book to anyone who is interested in learning about the causes of the Vietnam war and why we fought for so long.
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Summary: The Best Vietnam War History in a Small Size
Review: This history by Vietnam War expert Herring is by far the best general history of that war in a small, manageable size. It's suitable for both general readers and classroom use. As a bonus, the annotated bibliography is a terrific standalone resource, a wonderful guide for further study.
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Summary: Herring focuses on diplomacy
Review: Unlike most Vitenam books, America's Longest War chooses to examine the diplomacy element of the war instead of the typical military aspects of the conflict. I was assigned this as a textbook in my Vietnam War class in college and was surprised by the lack of military coverage in it. About two chapters into ALW, I realized that Herring was concentrating on what happened behind closed doors during the war and then it became more easy to understand. Herring also introduces the reader to the movers and shakers of the war and their reasoning behind their decisions. He also starts back with Truman's administration in dealing with French Indo-China and you get the story from the very beginning. Other books typically gloss over Truman and Ike and like to start in LBJ's administration.Herring also informs the reader that contrary to the current popular opinion, JFK was NOT going to get out of Vietnam because he chose to let the aggressive Henry Cabot Lodge make key decisions in escalating the United States' involvement in South Vietnam. The reader begins to understand that the US lost the war in the diplomatic and political theaters and not on the battlefield. After all, the US military's job was to keep communists from taking over South Vietnam and while US troops were deployed in the country, that objective never happened. I highly recommend this book to anybody interested in the Vietnam conflict. Although there is no coverage on military engagements, troop life, or popular battles like Khe Sanh and Dienbienphu, this book will give the reader answers on why we were there and who was making the decisions on what we did in Southeast Asia.
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Summary: Not complete, but an interesting read
Review: Vietnam is one of the most critical and debated subjects In the History of the United States during the twentieth century. Numerous books have been written detailing the only war lost by the American military in its brief two hundred year existence. In America's Longest War George Herring examines the critical periods of American involvement Vietnam. As one reference point, the author researched the presidential libraries, first hand accounts, the official Pentagon Papers and other resources to provide a comprehensive look at the American involvement in Vietnam beginning in 1950.
Herring's essay begins with the First Indochinese war in 1950 as he documents the major factors involved and how America's Longest War escalated in to the struggle that would affect America long after the troops were gone. Each chapter comprises a specific aspect of the conflict ranging from Presidential agreements between Diem and Kennedy, the concept of search and destroy, and ending with Nixon's "Peace with Honor" withdrawal. Clearly drawn maps in the text and a separate foldout map are included supplying the reader with a frame of reference for troop movements, battle locations and routes of the Ho Chi Minh trail. Charts of military strength and casualties assist the reading with understanding impact the American presence had in any given year.
Herring compiles and exhibits his information in an easy to read format allowing the reader to follow the sometimes confusing and often controversial events in Vietnam and the U.S. The author does not concentrate solely on the war or events in Vietnam, but alludes to issues such as support or lack of it. Photos at the beginning of each chapter and throughout help place the reader in the era and closer to the events than plain words on a page would attain. The book concludes with a pronunciation guide for the Vietnamese language and a section of additional readings for further research and understanding that include the author's sources for quotes. Even though Herring provides an abundance of peer sources, he also quotes other works that he produced to help substantiate the work presented here.
Herring's contribution is well thought out, concise and researched. Throughout the essay, the author is able to limit his bias in one of the most controversial subjects in American history which allows the reader to form their own opinion based on facts supplied. While it is not an overall history encompassing every aspect of the war, it does provide a solid starting point as it introduces man of the key representatives present during this time. America's Longest War centers more on the American foreign policy and the diplomatic aspect instead of specific battles or campaigns. Readers interested in strategy of the military or accounts of the conflict should choose from the selections in the Suggested Reading section for more in depth information.
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