10,000 Days of Thunder: A History of the Vietnam War [Hardcover]

Philip Caputo (Author)

Book Description

It was the war that lasted ten thousand days. The war that inspired scores of songs. The war that sparked dozens of riots. And in this stirring chronicle, Pulitzer Prize- winning journalist Philip Caputo writes about our country's most controversial war -- the Vietnam War -- for young readers. From the first stirrings of unrest in Vietnam under French colonial rule, to American intervention, to the battle at Hamburger Hill, to the Tet Offensive, to the fall of Saigon, 10,000 Days of Thunder explores the war that changed the lives of a generation of Americans and that still reverberates with us today.

Included within 10,000 Days of Thunder are personal anecdotes from soldiers and civilians, as well as profiles and accounts of the actions of many historical luminaries, both American and Vietnamese, involved in the Vietnam War, such as Richard M. Nixon, General William C. Westmoreland, Ho Chi Minh, Joe Galloway, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Lyndon B. Johnson, and General Vo Nguyen Giap. Caputo also explores the rise of Communism in Vietnam, the roles that women played on the battlefield, the antiwar movement at home, the participation of Vietnamese villagers in the war, as well as the far-reaching impact of the war's aftermath.

Caputo's dynamic narrative is highlighted by stunning photographs and key campaign and battlefield maps, making 10,000 Days of Thunder THE consummate book on the Vietnam War for kids.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 5 Up–In this truly multifaceted presentation of the conflict, both on the front lines and on the homefront, Caputo has produced what is at once an overview and a sensitive, resonant picture of the war as seen and experienced by American soldiers, the Viet Cong, North Vietnamese guerrillas, and the citizens of both South Vietnam and the United States. Covering the period from the rise of Bolshevism in Russia in the early 20th century to the American normalization of relations with Vietnam in 1995, it's an ideal source for both information and understanding. Beginning with an affecting introduction, the author then gives a history of communism and the origins of the war. Following this, the American involvement in Vietnam is traced in numerous two- to four-page sections dealing with various aspects of the conflict, such as the Viet Cong, the Ho Chi Minh Trail and the DMZ, and the draft. Each section has a quick facts box that highlights the main issues surrounding each topic. Caputo's prose is clear and direct, and the award-winning photos, both black and white and color, add an immediacy that sets this title apart from more conventional treatments. The glossary is detailed and informative, and the bibliography is a veritable gold mine of sound sources. This is the book of choice for libraries serving today's students.–Ann Welton, Grant Elementary School, Tacoma, WA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-10. Caputo, whose 1977 memoir A Rumor of War provided adults with a personal glimpse of the Vietnam War, chooses a more straightforward, wide-angle approach for this introduction to the "most unpopular war in American history and the only war America ever lost." Background comes first, including chapters about the role of Communism and how America became involved. Page-long profiles of various groups taking part in the conflict (tunnel rats, nurses, journalists, villagers, etc.) follow, interspersed with discussions of key battles, the evolving politics, and events on the home front. Sidebars expand the information, and the 10 by 10 trim size allows for large photos, many of which are candid close-ups: a wounded soldier in agony; a paratrooper carrying a Vietnamese toddler out of harm's way. Dramatic and immediate, they humanize the tragedy and celebrate the heroism, which Caputo makes abundantly clear in his thoughtful, articulate text. A time line appears on the endpapers, and the appended material features a bibliography that includes many classic adult books. An excellent way to expand on the highly visual approach Stuart Murray took in his recent Eyewitness Guide The Vietnam War (2005). Stephanie Zvirin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 128 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers; 1ST edition (September 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689862318
• ISBN-13: 978-0689862311
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 10.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #223,271 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Children's Books > History > Modern

More About the Author

Novelist and journalist Philip Caputo (1941 -- ) was born in Chicago and educated at Purdue and Loyola Universities. After graduating in 1964, he served in the U.S. Marine Corps for three years, including a 16-month tour of duty in Vietnam. He has written 14 books, including two memoirs, four books of general nonfiction, and eight novels. His acclaimed memoir of Vietnam, A Rumor of War, has been published in 15 languages, has sold over 1.5 million copies since its publication in 1977, and is widely regarded as a classic in the literature of war. His most recent novel, Crossers, is set against a backdrop of drug and illegal-immigrant smuggling on the Mexican border and is to be published in the Fall of 2009 by Alfred A. Knopf. In addition to books, Caputo has published dozens of major magazine articles, reviews, and op-ed pieces in publications ranging from the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and the Washington Post to Esquire, National Geographic, and the Virginia Quarterly Review. Topics included profiles of novelist William Styron and actor Robert Redford, the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the turmoil on the Mexican border.

Caputo's professional writing career began in 1968, when he joined the staff of the Chicago Tribune, serving as a general assignment and team investigative reporter until 1972. For the next five years, he was a foreign correspondent for that newspaper, stationed in Rome, Beirut, Saigon, and Moscow. In 1977, he left the paper to devote himself to writing books and magazine articles.


Caputo has won 10 journalistic and literary awards, including the Pulitzer Prize in 1972 (shared for team investigative reporting on vote fraud in Chicago), the Overseas Press Club Award in 1973, the Sidney Hillman Foundation award in 1977 (for A Rumor of War), the Connecticut Book Award in 2006, and the Literary Lights Award in 2007. His first novel, Horn of Africa, was a National Book Award finalist in 1980, and his 2007 essay on illegal immigration won the Blackford Prize for nonfiction from the University of Virginia.

He and his wife, Leslie Ware, an editor for Consumer Reports magazine, divide their time between Connecticut and Arizona. Caputo has two sons from a previous marriage, Geoffrey, a jazz composer and music teacher, and Marc, a political reporter for the Miami Herald.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In short, everything a young researcher needs to know about the war, December 14, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 10,000 Days of Thunder: A History of the Vietnam War (Hardcover)

Kids in grades 5-7 will find 10,000 Days Of Thunder to be a readily accessible survey of the Vietnam War which explores a war which lasted ten thousand days, sparking riots and controversy across America. Here are anecdotes from soldier and civilians, profiles of the actions of leaders, antiwar movements, and sidebars of quick facts paired with full-page maps, black and white and some color photos, and a dynamic coverage of key campaigns and battles: in short, everything a young researcher needs to know about the war.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great overview of the Vietnam War, April 16, 2011

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cathespo - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 10,000 Days of Thunder: A History of the Vietnam War (Hardcover)

I actually ordered this book after reading Tatjana Soli's "The Lotus Eaters." That novel left me wanting to know more about the Vietnam War. I was an adolescent in the late 60's/early 70's, and while I saw images and read headlines every day, I really didn't understand the war. Caputo has put together a very comprehensive, compelling history of this long and brutal conflict.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great overview of Vietnam, January 27, 2012

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Amy in Ohio - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 10,000 Days of Thunder: A History of the Vietnam War (Hardcover)

This was a wonderfully written book we used for homeschooling as we learned about the Vietnam war. Well organized with short sections on lots of different topics relating to the war. Excellent history resource!