Rating: 
Summary: Comprehensive history of the war
Review: Stanley Karnow has assembled all the major events of the Vietnam War into a single well-written volume. His thesis, argued throughout the book, is that the Vietnamese people viewed the French and then the Americans as merely the latest in a centuries-long series of invaders. Those who are not convinced may wish to skim the early chapters, which start thousands of years ago, and skip to 1945 or so.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely the best book I've ever read.
Review: The reshearch that went into this work is extensive, Mr Karnow is a word mechanic extrodinary. BR P During my three tours there as a Special Forces Medic and the famed MACVSOG I wished that I'd read the book first.BR P
It should be taught in our schools, 9th grade as government, 10 grade as history, 11 and 12 as litature.BR P
Rating: 
Summary: A Companion to the PBS Television Series
Review: The TV series has a visual impact. You can almost feel you are there. If you were there, then you know how on the money this series is. Now hold something tangible in your hand. This book shows the complexity of the war on all levels from worldwide politics to the individual on the ground. Unlike today's professional army many of these people were drafted some were even given this job as an alternative to jail time. Pacifists were used as RTO's. I was able to get the RTO position in the special reactionaries, as my LT preferred someone willing to carry an M16 as well as the 25 LB PRC-25 radio. Aside form the 600+ pages that parallel the series, there is: Chronology: Starting with 208 B.C. Trieu Da a renegade Chinese general, through 1982 Vietnam veterans memorial unvalued in Washington, D.C., November 11 Cast of Principal Characters: From Bao Dai last emperor of Vietnam to Zhou Enlai as China's foreign minister during Nixon's visit to Beijing. Notes on Sources: Over views and divided by chapter. Acknowledgments: All packed together with out description. Photo Credits: Divided by chapter and page. Index
Rating: 
Summary: Too much Washington nonsense
Review: There's a lot of interesting material in this book, but the narrow focus on the political machinations in Washington at the expense of the actual war quickly becomes tiresome. The coverage of the actual war on the ground is very thin. Also the author's support for the Vietcong and North Vietnam becomes irritating pretty quickly. I mean, sure the Americans and French did some stupid things and acted brutally on numerous occasions, but the Communist regime was and is incredibly repressive and violent towards its own people. The author's ideological blinders allow him to repeatedly brush this off.
Rating:
Summary: A good into book on Vietnam
Review: This book gives the reader with no knowledge about The Vietnam War good background information. This book is very descriptive in covering the History of Vietnam.
Rating:
Summary: Op-Ed History
Review: This book has many merits: It is comprehensive, it attempts to explain Vietnamese history, and it is full of on the spot interviews and remembrances. This remains the basic history text of record on American involvement in Vietnam. There is a breadth of perspective here that is lacking in many accounts of this most up-close and personal of wars. Despite these advantages, the book has some real limitations. The writing is pedestrian, the characterizations (if one can say that about history) tend to be thin, and Karnow fails to convey a sense of wholeness in many chapters. The book at times feels more like a collection of dispatches from a reporter in the field (which Karnow was in Vietnam) rather than the work of a historian who has integrated fact and theory based on deep understanding and research. As comprehensive as the book tries to be, Karow's reach may have exeeded his grasp with his project. The book also suffers from a real bias against American involvement and the American establishment, Republican and Democratic. When "Uncle Ho" commits murders in the thousands the book makes one feel like this is a natural outpouring of exuburant nationalism rather than good old fashioned absolutism. But when the admittedly corrupt and inept Diem regime or confused ARVN or American soldiers commit atrocities, the condemnation is acid and biting. Communists are presented as "golden," or "tough," while Southerners or Amercians are usually charactured as "greedy," or "arrogant." There is also an irony in the book's approach. Karnow should be complemented for attempting to fit American involvement in Vietnam into the wider context of Vietnam's history. However, Vietnam's history is presented mostly through lense of Western or Colonial contact. There is little sense of Vietnam as a nation, and its people, religion and history are merely players on the stage of American Imperialism. In suggesting that the policy of containment as expressed in the Vietnam war was a misjudgment of Vietnamese Nationalism (which is now common wisdom), Karnow ironically describes that nation as through an American TV camera, rather than a Vietnamese watercolor. Now, almost 20 years after it was written, the Vietnam: A History still has valuable perspective and information. But be forewarned: This is still a myopic document of American liberal self-analysis.
Rating:
Summary: Op-Ed History
Review: This book has many merits: It is comprehensive, it attempts to explain Vietnamese history, and it is full of on the spot interviews and remembrances. This remains the basic history text of record on American involvement in Vietnam. There is a breadth of perspective here that is lacking in many accounts of this most up-close and personal of wars. Despite these advantages, the book has some real limitations. The writing is pedestrian, the characterizations (if one can say that about history) tend to be thin, and Karnow fails to convey a sense of wholeness in many chapters. The book at times feels more like a collection of dispatches from a reporter in the field (which Karnow was in Vietnam) rather than the work of a historian who has integrated fact and theory based on deep understanding and research. As comprehensive as the book tries to be, Karow's reach may have exeeded his grasp with his project. The book also suffers from a real bias against American involvement and the American establishment, Republican and Democratic. When "Uncle Ho" commits murders in the thousands the book makes one feel like this is a natural outpouring of exuburant nationalism rather than good old fashioned absolutism. But when the admittedly corrupt and inept Diem regime or confused ARVN or American soldiers commit atrocities, the condemnation is acid and biting. Communists are presented as "golden," or "tough," while Southerners or Amercians are usually charactured as "greedy," or "arrogant." There is also an irony in the book's approach. Karnow should be complemented for attempting to fit American involvement in Vietnam into the wider context of Vietnam's history. However, Vietnam's history is presented mostly through lense of Western or Colonial contact. There is little sense of Vietnam as a nation, and its people, religion and history are merely players on the stage of American Imperialism. In suggesting that the policy of containment as expressed in the Vietnam war was a misjudgment of Vietnamese Nationalism (which is now common wisdom), Karnow ironically describes that nation as through an American TV camera, rather than a Vietnamese watercolor. Now, almost 20 years after it was written, the Vietnam: A History still has valuable perspective and information. But be forewarned: This is still a myopic document of American liberal self-analysis.
Rating:
Summary: The best place to begin studying America's war in Vietnam.
Review: This book is an excellent factual overview of the American experience in Vietnam. Stanley Karnow was there, as a reporter, and this book has become a staple in the vast collection of American Vietnam War books. This is an excellent primer for those looking for a basic chronological understanding of the events of the war. Unlike so many of the more recent volumes on the subject, this book contains almost no speculation. This book is well researched, well written, and pretty safe, in that you can rely on the factual veracity of its contents. If you're looking for complex political theories, you'll need to dive deeper into the subject, such as Logevall's Choosing War, or Kaiser's American Tragedy. This book also contains some excellent, if standard, photographs, a basic chronology, and a very brief `cast of characters' that are all of use to the beginner. If you are said beginner, you also want to tackle Sheehan's A Bright Shining Lie.
Rating:
Summary: The best place to begin studying America's war in Vietnam.
Review: This book is an excellent factual overview of the American experience in Vietnam. Stanley Karnow was there, as a reporter, and this book has become a staple in the vast collection of American Vietnam War books. This is an excellent primer for those looking for a basic chronological understanding of the events of the war. Unlike so many of the more recent volumes on the subject, this book contains almost no speculation. This book is well researched, well written, and pretty safe, in that you can rely on the factual veracity of its contents. If you're looking for complex political theories, you'll need to dive deeper into the subject, such as Logevall's Choosing War, or Kaiser's American Tragedy. This book also contains some excellent, if standard, photographs, a basic chronology, and a very brief 'cast of characters' that are all of use to the beginner. If you are said beginner, you also want to tackle Sheehan's A Bright Shining Lie.
Rating:
Summary: Recommended by Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 295
Review: This book is on the "Recommended Reading List" of Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 295, Indianapolis, Indiana
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