Customer Reviews

Nam: A Photographic History

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a wonderful Vietnam encyclopedia that is well worth the price and the considerable space it takes up on your bookshelf. The pictures alone make a significant contribution to the study and understanding of Vietnam.

The book is categorized nicely by year, so the reader can pick a year and jump right in. The text is somewhat stilted and abbreviated at times - how can Richard Nixon be adequately explained on one page of large text? But to a reader new to Vietnam study, this book is a nice start.

One more word about the pictures - it's interesting to note that two of the most famous pictures of the war are absent from this text. The first one, of a naked girl running down a road, burned, after an errant U.S. napalm strike; and the second one of a helicopter on the top of a roof near the U.S. embassy shortly before the fall of Saigon, certainly belong in any book that professes to be a photographic history of Vietnam. Also missing is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph of a woman running to greet a returning POW after he steps off a plane. Perhaps these absences are a matter of copyright permission? But, this is a minor complaint, really. This text brings together so many startling and educational pictures about the war, it more than makes up for the absence of a few famous pictures.

One additional point about the text - it's interesting to note the political bent the authors allow to creep into the text (intentionally?). On the topic of draft dodgers, the authors take several shots at President Clinton. In one instance, Daugherty and Mattson bring up a right-wing bumper sticker from 1992: "What's the difference between Jane Fonda and Clinton? Fonda went to Vietnam." In another instance the authors state as fact how Clinton tried to have incriminating documents of his "draft dodging" destroyed during the '92 election. (They offer no proof, but state it as fact.) I guess it's because this is a political year that I even noticed it, but readers could do without this kind of stuff. I wonder why the authors didn't offer any jibes at George W. Bush for having signed up for the National Guard, getting to skip over hundreds of people because of his surname, in order to avoid service in Vietnam? My point is not to defend "Hanoi Jane" for her despicable actions or for Clinton's having dodged the draft, but that there are plenty of people, millions in fact, of all political persuasions who dodged the draft to avoid going to Vietnam. This kind of debate should be presented in a non-partisan manner in a book like this, or not at all.

However, this is a great book worthy of space on any history enthusiast's bookshelf, and I'm happy to own it.

This was an excellent read. Not something you're going to plow through in a couple of days. I'm near the end now, and have been "digesting" this book over the course of several weeks.

The photographs are excellent-some of the best work I've seen in compilation form. Haven't read Larry Burrows yet, but that's on the list. The distraction comes that when you've been inundated with one photographic history, they all become somewhat similar. Carnage on a grand scale, big machines, weapons, sad people and faces, etc. Some useful maps with photo displays.

I found that there were some inaccuracies, particlarly when I submitted this book to my professor of military history as a good read. He was in Vietnam, and immediately picked a couple of issues right off the bat, but overall thought it was a great book for the cost. Typos are a small issue, would have been worth the effort for an additional proofread for such a sturdy, big book, and sentence structure is sometimes off, making things confusing.

While this book does a good job of detailing a photograpic illustration in format by year (e.g. 1965, 66, 67, etc.) it reads a bit dry at times due to the nature of trying to cram a ton of strategic and tactical information in as simple blow by blow. For instance, unit x came from position y, and unit w, from position z, etc. It is, however, very effective in transcribing in detail the history and some of the complications surrounding the Vietnam War.

... well worth the space it takes up in my bookshelf. Don't try toting this thing around, it's massive and heavy.

When I saw this book at a client's house, I had to have it. It impressed me there and it has continued to impress me ever since. He paid $145.00 - I paid $20.00 for a new copy.....

This is a must for history buffs..

This is a good review of the Vietnam War. Having participated, personally, I find it very interesting and accurate. It shows the relevancy of having photo journalists covering our wars because it can help us do things better in the ensuing ones.....we hope. Great pictures!

I still can't believe that I got this book for under $10.00! Simply amazing value.

I purchased this book for my husband who served in Viet Nam. He appreciated the detail in the book. It is a testament to all those who have served in 'the Nam'.

I think this is a great book and I have enjoyed it very much. I think it would be a fantastic addition for history buffs- especially those who enjoy American or military history. I have quite an extensive library of these types of books, and I'm very glad to now have this one in my collection.

Despite some of these comments, the collection of pictures and stories are very well done. I'm glad it doesn't have the same pictures as every other book about this time period. It is obviously not a history of the country of Viet Nam. It never claims to be- it is simply a history of American involvment in this war.

Anyone who actually likes history without slants and with straight facts, this is a good book for you. Buy it, enjoy it, and learn something about this important time in American history. I know I have.

Hooah!

This more and answer to Mr Nguyen, then a review. Mr Nguyen can hardly be considered an objective reviewer. His scolding of the author for calling it NAM
is almost childish. As someone whose been there I can say the country itself is
beautiful, for a stone age country.
Mr Nguyen should know that we Americans use verbal short hand all the time.
And besides; thats what we the soldiers in that war called it at the time. I think
at the time we were showing the ut-most respect for that country and it's people
by trying to allow South Vietnam to exist without interference from the Communitsts
in the North. The fact that most of them didn't care enough to fight for themselves
has been noted historically.
The fact of the matter is this is a really good collection of pictures from that war.
As has been noted by other reviews it may a some inacuracies. But they don't harm
the experience.
My thanks to the author for putting this out for the public to see.

This is an American-centric view of Vietnam War. The chosen title NAM for the book already is seemed to say that these authors do not care to respect the word Vietnam, the country, people, and its national interest. (NAM, literally means South like "Yugo" (Yugoslavia, or Southern Slavs). In fact, they never even respect the name of the country, as we know it. Moreover, these authors tend to call people names such as Ngo Dinh Diem, the president of Disaster, McNamara, the statistical man. By contrast, Ho Chi Minh was sincerely mentioned as Uncle Ho in the same tone as if they would have mentioned Uncle Sam. In the eyes of many Vietnamese, I do not think their writers would put down nicknames or call signs on paper any president of the United States, who should be responsible for the suppression of protesters during the civil right movement. American/Western centric position is a problem to Vietnamese people, who buy and read the book. Through out the book, there is no footnotes or citations. This is not a scholarly work. Nonetheless, it was designed to catch the public eyes with pictures as an album interpreting how the entire world works in the eyes of American "scholars."