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Rating: 
Summary: Excellent overall review of the Vietnam war
Review: Being 22 years old, I wasn't even born when the Vietnam war was going on. Nevertheless, something about it has always captured my interest, and I try to read several books a year regarding various aspects of Vietnam. I did not feel that my historical knowledge of the subject was up to par, so I purchased this book with hopes of filling in the gaps. I'd say it performs nicely. It gives an excellent overall review of the war and everything leading up to it. I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to refresh themselves on the general history of America's involvement in the Vietnam war. I have since purchased other books focusing on more specific aspects of the war, but this book has served as a nice launchpad from which I formed a general understanding of Vietnam.
Rating:
Summary: The Whole Story--Complete and Concise
Review: I was young while the vietnam war was taking place. I've always wanted to learn more about it. This book tells precisely everything that went on very concisely. It also tells what went on in America during that time and you're able to get the whole picture. I wish that I would have read this a long time ago and I now know what other areas to look into for future reference. My family and I went to view "The Moving Wall" (Vietnam Memorial Duplicate) and I was fortunate and very honored to be able to discuss some situations with Vietnam Vets that were there. It was a great experience and those that I spoke with were impressed with what I knew!
Rating:
Summary: A Great Summary
Review: It is a rare book that can effectively summarize a long war and a longer historical process in a short space, yet this book does so with gem-like clarity. It is also extraordinarily evenhanded--a great accomplishment given the depth of feeling surrounding the war. The text weaves various perspectives into the narrative so well that I always felt unimpeded by bias and appreciative of its broad objectivity. The author keeps the larger focus on the main political and military issues which shaped the war yet always includes enough detail to give a strong sense of what was taking place both in policy circles and on the ground. The author has cleary mastered a great deal of material and keeps to the facts, yet through it I was deeply moved. I think there is a subtle tone to the book of compassion for human tragedy that makes it not just highly readable but important to all of us who struggle to understand human events, and particularly this war.
Rating: 
Summary: Not exactly what I was looking for
Review: The book provides are very thorough accout aobut the tactics employed during the war and the battles that resulted. The level of detail is tremendous and the book is well written. However, I was hoping for a more thorough examination of the sociological effects of the war, particularly here in the US. Maybe there is another book that I can read for this.
Rating:
Summary: Not exactly what I was looking for
Review: The book provides are very thorough accout aobut the tactics employed during the war and the battles that resulted. The level of detail is tremendous and the book is well written. However, I was hoping for a more thorough examination of the sociological effects of the war, particularly here in the US. Maybe there is another book that I can read for this.
Rating:
Summary: A Mixed Response
Review: The first word in this book is "Vietnam," and the last two words are "folly there." That sums up the author's view of American involvement in Vietnam.I appreciated the brevity of the book; I finished it in only two evenings. The author explains clearly the military problems the US faced there, how they found themselves caught up in a war they couldn't win, at least in a way acceptable to world opinion, but also a war they couldn't disengage from without endangering the South Vietnamese they'd vowed to help. The book could have used more maps and at least some photos. The author portrays the North Vietnamese in a favorable light, with Ho Chi Minh coming off as almost a hero; the chief culprits are America's policy makers and presidents, particularly Johnson, who were driven by anti-communist paranoia. This is the part that made me uneasy. I know the US government made plenty of mistakes then, but I find it hard to believe that the North Vietnamese communists were as benign as this book makes them out to be. There was a reason why America was so opposed to communism in the 50's and 60's, but this book doesn't address it. So this book was useful for a quick read on the military operations in Vietnam, but less so in addressing (even in brief) the larger issues of why the US was there.
Rating:
Summary: A Mixed Response
Review: The first word in this book is "Vietnam," and the last two words are "folly there." That sums up the author's view of American involvement in Vietnam. I appreciated the brevity of the book; I finished it in only two evenings. The author explains clearly the military problems the US faced there, how they found themselves caught up in a war they couldn't win, at least in a way acceptable to world opinion, but also a war they couldn't disengage from without endangering the South Vietnamese they'd vowed to help. The book could have used more maps and at least some photos. The author portrays the North Vietnamese in a favorable light, with Ho Chi Minh coming off as almost a hero; the chief culprits are America's policy makers and presidents, particularly Johnson, who were driven by anti-communist paranoia. This is the part that made me uneasy. I know the US government made plenty of mistakes then, but I find it hard to believe that the North Vietnamese communists were as benign as this book makes them out to be. There was a reason why America was so opposed to communism in the 50's and 60's, but this book doesn't address it. So this book was useful for a quick read on the military operations in Vietnam, but less so in addressing (even in brief) the larger issues of why the US was there.
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