"An overwhelmingly eloquent book of the purest and most simple writing on Vietnam."—David Halberstam
More than twenty-five years after the official end of the Vietnam War, Dear America allows us to witness the war firsthand through the eyes of the men and women who served in Vietnam. In this collection of more than 200 letters, they share their first impressions of the rigors of life in the bush, their longing for home and family, their emotions over the conduct of the war, and their ache at the loss of a friend in battle. Poignant in their rare honesty, the letters from Vietnam are "riveting,...extraordinary by [their] very ordinariness...for the most part, neither deep nor philosophical, only very, very human" (Los Angeles Times). Revealing the complex emotions and daily realities of fighting in the war, these close accounts offer a powerful, uniquely personal portrait of the many faces of Vietnam's veterans. Over 100,000 copies sold.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Always an extremely moving read, but I think never more than now. -- New York Times, Bob Herbert, 27 May 2002
An overwhelmingly eloquent book of the purest and most simple writing on Vietnam. -- David Halberstam
Not a history book, not a war novel....Dear America is a book of truth. -- Boston Globe
An overwhelmingly eloquent book of the purest and most simple writing on Vietnam. -- David Halberstam
Not a history book, not a war novel....Dear America is a book of truth. -- Boston Globe
About the Author
Bernard Edelman served as a broadcast specialist/correspondent in Vietnam. He is the author of Centenarians: The Story of the 20th Century by the Americans Who Lived It
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
33 of 34 people found the following review helpful
By Dizziey
Format:Paperback
This book consists of letters written by American soldiers during the Vietnam War. It's extremely heart-breaking to read these letters as they gives "voices" instead of a mere figure. A lot of times, the figure of how many were killed, wounded, missing, etc but it does not portray any "emotions" the soldiers felt. At the end of each letter, the editor includes a few sentences on what happened to the author. It's extremely sad to read how many of those killed were just 19 year-olds, 20 year-olds, and these soldiers were just kids! It makes you think how wasteful, stupid, unnecessary wars are, and the sacrifices that has to be made.
The last chapter of this book speaks a lot. It is chronologically listed and you can see the evolving sentiments of the soldiers. At the beginning of the war, the soldiers were proud to fight against the Communists, how they think the war will be over soon. Towards the end of that chapter, most soldiers were scared, depressed and just wanted to get out of the war... alive! This shows why many Vietnam War veterans suffered from postwar depression as the horror of the war, how their friends, buddies were killed or wounded in front of their own eyes and how many could not possibly forget these horrifying images.
I highly recommend this book as this book speaks a lot. To me, the important message that it is trying to convey is the unnecessary sacrifices that these soldiers have to make, to fight a war that is not theirs, and the horror and bloodiness of the war is vividly described by these soldiers.
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
I still remember the day I walked into my college's library back in the late 1980s and saw this publication sitting on the table of new releases. I picked it up and headed for a couch. About six hours, many tears, mixed emotions, and several missed classes later I emerged from that couch and put the completed book back on the table. In those six hours my view about the Vietnam experience and those who fought it changed. The words of those soldiers in their letters are powerful evidence of the collision between innocence and experience that takes place when young men are thrust into battle.
This book should be required reading for all students of that war and required reading for every President who ever contemplates sending soldiers into battle.
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
Of all the books I have read none have touched me this much. It is powerful because it is real. These are real stories, real feelings, real lives. This book will keep you up all night just thinking.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This book is one of the hardest books I have ever had to read. To know some of these men would never return home and to read emotional letters home to their girlfriends, parents and friends, made reading very hard with tears in my eyes. As a VietNam veteren I could relate to some of those feelings expressed in the letters.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
After the amazing documentary about Vietnam that solely exists of actor voice overs of funny, goofy, anxious and heartbreaking letters home from soldiers at the battlefront in Vietnam, accompanied by graphic footage of the war itself, this book came out. It contains the letters read out in the movie, and additionally has some more background information about the soldiers who wrote the letters.
Even without the trained actor voices reading the letters out loud to you, and without the grim and realistic war images, this book is a pageburner. Heart-wrenching accounts of the legacy of war written by the soldiers that fought it, as well as by the people they left behind.
Even without the trained actor voices reading the letters out loud to you, and without the grim and realistic war images, this book is a pageburner. Heart-wrenching accounts of the legacy of war written by the soldiers that fought it, as well as by the people they left behind.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By S. Peavy
Format:Paperback
This is a wonderful book for anyone who wants to see the Vietnam war from the eyes of those who were there. The book is a collection of writings from Vietnam veterans that were written during there time in country. This book shows the War as more than casualty numbers and battle field dates. A good read for everyone.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By A. G. Taylor
Format:Paperback
This book captivated me so that i could not put it down, untill i had finished. It touches your heart and soul. Wonderful read!! Please put it on DVD!!! Thank you :-)
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Donald Negri
Format:Paperback
This marvelous little book offers a parallel and human voice to the more academic books about Vietnam.
There is no "agenda", here just a selection of moving, articulate, impassioned voices talking about their experiences and feelings at the time they were there. Some of the most moving, of course, being those from young people who would die shortly thereafter. We see through the letters in the book that even on the front lines this "war" was seen through a wide diversity of opinions, from those that were totally committed to it, and why (though they tend to become less prevalent as the years pass), to those who came to believe it was not a worthy effort to justify the consequences. And the majority, just confused. A must read.
There is no "agenda", here just a selection of moving, articulate, impassioned voices talking about their experiences and feelings at the time they were there. Some of the most moving, of course, being those from young people who would die shortly thereafter. We see through the letters in the book that even on the front lines this "war" was seen through a wide diversity of opinions, from those that were totally committed to it, and why (though they tend to become less prevalent as the years pass), to those who came to believe it was not a worthy effort to justify the consequences. And the majority, just confused. A must read.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book
I wasn't really sure how I was going to like this book as it's not a typical story li e, but once I started reading it, I fell in love. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Me
5.0 out of 5 stars
Touching
Great read. Touching stories. A different story to what you are used to reading on the Vietnam war. Reading this book you'll find yourself shedding a tear or two from time to... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Eric Gibeau
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everyone needs to Read This
Very touching collection of letters. This is one book that won't leave my library. I have reread it several times to remind me what or military still experiences today.
Published 3 months ago by Nancy J. Sandoz
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good value
The book I got was a great value that I got for college. My budget is very restrictive to what I need, so I am always looking for a great deal. And that is what this book was.
Published 6 months ago by Barbara Merritt
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book gives pause to reflect on our soldiers committment to the...
This book is honoring the U.S. soldiers that served in Vietnam. Being a Vietnam vet, I was still in awe at the sacrifice of our guys. A lot of guys gave, and some gave all... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Big D
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book this avid reader has ever picked up
It is hard to describe the impact and power of this book. The best way I can put it is this; the book will transport you to the Vietnam war better than any book I've read or movie... Read more
Published on January 10, 2011 by Blue Adams
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Riveting Stand-Alone Book....
Although this book is often spoken about in tandem with the HBO Documentary in which famous actors read aloud actual letters sent home from soldiers in Vietnam, don't feel as if... Read more
Published on April 10, 2010 by M. Jacobsen
5.0 out of 5 stars
great condition
love this book broke down many times on some of the letters great book!!
Published on June 7, 2007 by David D. Sheppard
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 19
books:
See all 19 books this book cites
40
books
cite this book:
See all 40 books citing this book
- Americal Division by Turner Publishing on 8 pages
- Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam by Bernard Edelman in Front Matter, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Vietnam Veterans of America by Turner Publishing on page 60, and Back Matter
- Free Fire Zone by Rob Riggan on page 115, and page 217
- A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo on page 103
See all 19 books this book cites
- Women at War: The Story of Fifty Military Nurses Who Served in Vietnam (Studies in Health, Illness, and Caregiving) by Elizabeth Norman in Back Matter (1), Back Matter (2), and Back Matter (3)
- The Vietnam Experience: A Concise Encyclopedia of American Literature, Songs, and Films by Kevin Hillstrom on page 97, and page 101
- After Tet: The Bloodiest Year in Vietnam by Ronald H. Spector in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Vietnam War (Chronicle of America's Wars) by Debbie Levy in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Nextext Historical Readers: The Vietnam War The Vietnam War by MCDOUGAL LITTEL on page 108, and Back Matter
See all 40 books citing this book
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