Where the Domino Fell: America and Vietnam 1945-1995

Rating:
Summary: Excellent work on the Vietnam War and its issues.
Review: The authors incorporate the persepectives of all sides of the war in their work. Not only is the war itself discussed, but the antiwar movement, North Vietnam's strategies and policy decisions. The book although full of details, the writing moves the book along avoiding the weight of tedium, (I was able to read the book in a few days). At the end is an admirable attempt at assesing not only the historiography of the Vietnam War but also the evolution of popular depictions of the war and American/Vietnamese relations during the intervening 25 years. This last section could have been a little more clearly written. It kind of felt like the authors were jumping all over the place in dealing with post-1975 relations, historiography, and popular perceptions of the war. Overall, a must read to any student of the Vietnam War.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent work on the Vietnam War and its issues.
Review: The authors incorporate the persepectives of all sides of the war in their work. Not only is the war itself discussed, but the antiwar movement, North Vietnam's strategies and policy decisions. The book although full of details, the writing moves the book along avoiding the weight of tedium, (I was able to read the book in a few days). At the end is an admirable attempt at assesing not only the historiography of the Vietnam War but also the evolution of popular depictions of the war and American/Vietnamese relations during the intervening 25 years. This last section could have been a little more clearly written. It kind of felt like the authors were jumping all over the place in dealing with post-1975 relations, historiography, and popular perceptions of the war. Overall, a must read to any student of the Vietnam War.

Rating:
Summary: An American Perspective of Vietnam
Review: Where the Domino Fell by Olsen and Roberts is a comprehensive and informative novel focusing on the Vietnam War from an American perspective. It is easy to read and understand, even for someone that does not know anything about Vietnam prior to reading this book. The authors provide enough background information that gives the reader a sense of what is happening, and more importantly why. This book has helped me (a college student in a U.S. History Class) fully understand the political events transpiring between 1945-1995. The text not only offered factual informotion, but also a complete analysis of the decisions made concerning the Vietnam War on all sides. I found this book to be both educational and interesting. The only drawback was that it provided a little too much detail with regard to the descriptions of all of the attack proposals presented by the various U.S. officials. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the Vietnam War.