Customer Reviews

Vietnam and America: A documented history

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Full of primary source materical, Vietnam in America provides an amazing amount of information on the events leading up to and the involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War. Whether its abstracts from Ho Chi Minh or CIA incursion force leaders, this book contains a great deal of data not to be found in other like works. A tough reader, this book is not suggested for casual reading and should be used for the diehard history buff or for research material.

The collection of essays and official documents comprising this Vietnam history book can be quite a challenge to negotiate, perhaps even for the most serious Vietnam War readers. Personally, I recall reading this book during my (horrible) recovery from having my wisdom teeth removed, which provided the very ironic context for my pushing through the numerous essays, government documents, and accounts presented by the editors. For me, being someone who reads Vietnam War history as a hobby, it was one of those books that I knew was highly valuable while I was reading it, yet this type of enjoyment was often not accompanied by the "can't put it down" type of reading experience.
Overall, however, I would say that the richness, diversity, and balance of the material serves to compensate for any deficiencies the book might have in the excitement and engrossment arena. I often find myself referring back to the book while reading other Vietnam works. I would therefore recommend this book, but with the strong caveat that it should only be taken on if one is prepared to move through the heavy, sometimes even "boring" material in order to reap the substantial benefits yielded by this effort.