Major Problems in the History of the Vietnam War: Documents and Essays (Major Problems in American History (Wadsworth)) [Paperback]

Robert McMahon (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 061819312X | ISBN-13: 978-0618193127 | Publication Date: September 4, 2002 | Edition: 3

Designed to encourage critical thinking about history, the Major Problems in American History series introduces students to both primary sources and analytical essays on important topics in U.S. history. Major Problems in the History of the Vietnam War incorporates a spate of new research and a number of recently declassified documents concerning the Vietnam War.

Product Details

• Paperback: 539 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 3 edition (September 4, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 061819312X
• ISBN-13: 978-0618193127
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #360,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lessons learned, February 1, 2006

By 

William Byrd (Sitting in the Pope's office) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Major Problems in the History of the Vietnam War: Documents and Essays (Major Problems in American History (Wadsworth)) (Paperback)

As the book title and "a reader" suggests this is a book with tons and tons of essays on the Vietnam War. These essays cover just about everything that was political or social or anything else about the war. It has topics on Kennedy, Johnson, Eisenhower, Nixon, My Lai, The Tet Offensive, discrimination, the domestic homefront, etc. This book provided a great wealth of sources for a research paper that I had to do. However, unless you are really into the Vietnam War, or that era, this book may be a little dry some times. It does provide a lot of good information, such as facts and figures, but it is just a bunch of peoples, the scholars who wrote the essays, opinions; as well as some Vietnam Vets accounts of the war itself, coming home, etc.

I am giving it four out of five because of the dryness that sometimes occurs. Yet, it does remain a really good source for material, if one has to do research or just has general curiosity. Of course, by the end of the book, the reader will begin to see the lessons learned from Vietnam.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good, although sometimes boring look at the Vietnam War, March 6, 2006

By 

Christoph P. O'connell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Major Problems in the History of the Vietnam War: Documents and Essays (Major Problems in American History (Wadsworth)) (Paperback)

This book has a lot of good information in it. Through the essays you gain a deep understanding of some of the events that influenced the course of the war that other books cover only slightly or omit all together.

There are a couple HORRIBLE essays that seem to drag for a long long time. Each chapter concludes with 2 essays that either have differing points of view or cover different aspects of the chapter in more detail.

The blessing of this book is that it has a lot of information that comes directly from the Vietnamese, including some translations of South Vietnamese army members as they consider their defeat and flee Saigon after the North takes it over.

Over all, I like this book. At least one of the essays in the very beginning is bad enough that I almost put the book down and didn't pick it back up, but once you get past that, you are in for a good read!

1.0 out of 5 stars Overrated!, October 27, 2010

By 

JET9810 (MO, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Major Problems in the History of the Vietnam War: Documents and Essays (Major Problems in American History (Wadsworth)) (Paperback)

I was required to read this book as part of a class, and unless you enjoy reading the same information repeated over and over you will not enjoy this book.

Some of the sources are decent reads, but the majority of the book's essays are long and dry.

If you're looking for a book on Vietnam I'd recommend you look some where else. Vietnam An American Ordeal by George Moss wasn't a bad read