Customer Reviews

Vietnam Shadows: The War, Its Ghosts, and Its Legacy (The American Moment)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The book discusses about the Vietnam War topics that have been ignored in the past: the veterans, the wall, the syndrome, the myth and the refugees. Basically it is about the long-term effects of the war on the public and the nation.

It is a well-written and conceived book that explained why the Vietnam War would not go away in the minds of many Americans. Part of it is related to the fact that Americans, especially veterans have invested so much in the process and have not gotten anything out of it, except physical and emotional scars. And to this day many still have not recovered from these scars.

Mr. Isaacs has done a credible job of detailing the ongoing tragedy of Vietnam and its impact upon our politics, our foreign policy, our citizenry, Vietnamese immigrants and many veterans groups and issues, especially the POW/MIA issue. THat he does so in so short a book is a testament to the emotional power of his writing. However, the chapters are uneven, some are so short as to be barely worth mentioning, others give us an overview of issues without going to deeply in to them. The most interesting chapters are the ones on the POW/MIA issue and our ongoing Vietnam syndrome. In the POW/MIA chapter, the author nicely skewers those who continue to perpetrate the myth that there are still POW's in Vietnam. Inded this is one of the greatest postwar tragedies, that many groups feed off the grief of families by keeping this issue at the forefront of their conciousness (and their pocketbook) when in fact there is no proof, living or otherwise of any remaining POW's in Nam. Isaacs points out the folly of the issue and the fact that it keeps us from both reconciling with the families of those lost and normalizing relations with a country that is eager to put the war behind it as well. But the author points out that the war was never really about Vietnam, but more about us, and that is the real tragedy and the source of many of the misunderstandings of the war. The longer the war went on, the more the issue became saving American pride and face, and the less the issue was the people of Vietnam and the impact the war had upon them. Indeed, most postwar discussion focuses on what might have happened if we had either pulled out earlier or let the military unleash its full power, instead of talking about what did happen and why. This only lends credence to the authors point that the issues of the war have not yet been resolved, nor are they likely to be for a long time. If you are looking for a good overview of post Vietnam war issues, this is an excellent source book; but if you want to go into depth on one then its probably not what you are looking for, though it is useful in framing issues. Since this book came out there has been a huge output of information on the war, much of it excellent, though much of it falls into the trap of discussing what ifs instead of what did happen. And those of us who follow politics have heard the frequent references to the Vietnam syndrome by Clinton, BUsh, Reagan and others, both in describing past conflicts, i.e. the GUlf War, BOsnia, Haiti, and in framing future foreign invlovements, i.e. John McCain. Though the author only glazes over the issue i nthe syndrome chapter, another tragedy of Vietnam is that the U.S still has no recognizable foreign policy i nthe post cold war world. Good, if too short of a book, though unquestioably many will find fault with the author's politcs, even in a post war context.

Dr. Isaacs takes a subject that is coated in misconception and mythology and proceeds to strip away layer after layer of "conventional wisdom" about the war and its effects on American society to reveal some ugly and painful truths. For me, the book was very good, but not as good as his classroom lectures. I had Dr. Isaacs for a Vietnam class at Towson University in the fall of 1997 and the range of that man's knowledge and experience is truly, truly amazing. If you can't get to his classroom, definitely get his book.

In this surprisingly small book, Isaacs manages to cover, in very straight forward, but affecting prose, some of the most troubling aspects of the US war in Vietnam. His discussion of veterans and protestors is a new take on this thorny area and one which Isaacs manages to keep on the razors edge of objectivity. His inclusion of the Vietnamese point of view, is obviously one that has been needed for quite a while. Although I've read a great deal about Vietnam through the years, only a handful of books have been really memorable: Fire in the Lake (which Issac's curiously does not, in his voluminous bibliography, site), Nam, A Bright Shining Line, and several very good novels. Indeed, Fire in the Lake, in its in-depth historical approach comes closest to Vietnam Shadows in giving the reader a new, more thorough understanding of the history. The only critique, albeit small, is that more time should have been spent on the protestors of Vietnam who did so for extremely strong moral reasons that they have never questioned. There was some mention of people like Muhammed Ali, but I was left with the impression that for the most part, protestors were young and really not clear about why they were protesting. On the other hand, the compassionate treatment of the young soldiers was very good. This book is a must read for anyone desiring to get a better understanding of not just the history of American involvment in Viietnam, but what this has meant in US and Vietnamese memory.

This is one of the best books I have read on the Vietnam War. Isaacs seems to have thoroughly researched the ideas and events he presents in each chapter. I found the chapter entitled "The Myth" very enlightening. The degree that it appears our government messed up in so many areas of this conflict -- before, during, after, and still to this day -- is appalling. I was gratified to see his chapter on The New Americans! As a college teacher, I have encountered many young Vietnamese Americans, but not until this year did I have one thank me for my service (and that of others)during the war that enabled her and her family to come to America (she is a straight "A" student in a professional health curriculum -- she works so hard because she knows the opportunity she has been given). It was disgusting, however, to learn the details of Bill Clinton's evasive manuevers during the war. I do not believe Isaacs will find agreement from Robert Hemphill (author of "Platoon: Bravo Company")on his comment about the movie "Platoon" being the most realistic portrayal of the war. Every student of the Vietnam War owes it to themselves to read this book!

A proud member of the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club, USS RANGER (CVA-61), 1964-65 and 1965-66 Yankee Station and Dixie Station tours.

I almost stopped reading this book after the first 3 chapters. While Dr. Isaacs claimed in his preface that he was attempting to be objective in his discussions, subtle derogatory(and I believe unfounded) comments about conservatives, particularly Ronald Reagan, made me doubt his objectivity. I have read enough books with obvious biases against either liberals or conservatives; I felt I didn't want to waste more time reading another one. I'm searching for the truth about the war, not rhetoric. However, I continued to read and I am glad I did. In particular, the chapters on the MIA/POW issue and Southeast Asians immigrants and refugees are absolutely excellent. Given my desire to learn about this period of history (I'm 36 years old and was only 12 years old in 1975), the chapter, Learning about the War, is also very interesting. While I don't feel the first 3 chapters offer anything new to the Vietnam discussion, chapters 5 - 8 are a treasure.

Even though this book was published in 1997, it is still a valuable book, and still relevant to American society in 2004.

First, the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia is *still* peddling its misinformation. I quote from their web site: "The League's highest priority is resolving the live prisoner question. Official intelligence indicates that Americans known to have been alive in captivity in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia were not returned at the end of the war. *In the absence of evidence to the contrary, it must be assumed that these Americans may still be alive.*" (emphasis supplied) In _What's the Matter With Kansas_ Thomas Frank mentions Vietnam veterans who pretend that there are live American prisoners of war in Vietnam. Obviously, there are still many people in the USA who are intent on continuing the war against Vietnam by any means they can.

Second, the fawning sycophancy that was seemingly the order of the day after Ronald Reagan died gave powerful evidence of how many Americans prefer a pleasant fantasy to the unpleasant truth. That does not bode well for the way the USA deals with the legacy of the war in Vietnam.

Third, the way a group of shameless right-wing ideologues was able to smear John Kerry about his war-time record during the recent "election" not only demonstrates how far such ideologues will go in their efforts to rewrite history about the war in Vietnam but also what the USA will allow such people to get away with.

So, this book is very much worthwhile reading seven years on, although, sad to say, the people who most need to read it probably wouldn't accept it because it doesn't tell them what they want to hear (Americans in general seem to be inordinately insistent on being told what they want to hear).

I do have a few small complaints, but 4 1/2 stars is not an option in this reviewing system.

For one thing, the author seems to give the impression at one point (inadvertent, I'm sure), that if you didn't serve in Vietnam you were somehow guilty of something. I joined the US Navy rather than be drafted, and yes, staying out of a war that I thought was quite pointless was part of my decision. Am I supposed to feel guilty about that?!?! I don't think so.

For another, the author seems to give people like James Webb too much credit for sincerity when they get self-righteous about those who didn't go to Vietnam. Somehow, those people don't seem to get upset about the chicken-hawks who act as though it was peachy keen for other people to go die in Vietnam as long as they didn't have to risk doing so. The author does mention the chicken-hawks, but he doesn't really point out the hypocrisy of people like Webb where they are concerned.

A few small flaws notwithstanding, this is an excellent book.

Covering an enormous amount of ground, this scholarly book presents a very thorough and conscientious examination of the available facts on the fallout from the Vietnam war.Emotional topics such as the POW/MIA issue receive fair and comprehensive treatment.As a veteran and one who has returned to Vietnam several times recently, the portrayal of the country today is very accurate.Historical perspective needs to hear voices from both sides, and the commentary from former refugees and soldiers alone makes this excellent book worth reading.

A stunningly successful examination of the multiplicity of ways the Vietnam experience has stained America's soul. Isaacs provides a wealth of insight into why it is that we as a people just can't seem to get past this, and demonstrates why the War remains a part of the collective national unconscious even three decades after its tawdry conclusion. He also-fittingly, in my judgment- devotes considerable attention the the War's impact on the Vietnamese, both those who are still there (both North and South) and the thousands of refugees. This is a must-read for any citizen having the slightest interest in avoiding the consequences of such colossal misjudgment, mismanagement, and hubris in the future. (This reviewer is a 12-month combat veteran of Vietnam.)

The author spent two or so years as a correspondent in Vietnam (1972-1975) The book has eight chapters, each discussing a factor involved with the aftermath to the war and how the war has affected events and people since its end and up to 1997. When the book was written the desire to avoid "another Vietnam" was strong. Our present President has however disregarded that desire and one would like to have an updated version of the author's thoughts on how Vietnam has affected the present war--which has proven the prescience of the first President Bush in avoiding a prolonged first Gulf War. This book is as fine a discussion of the aftereffects of Vietnam as I have read--I only wish it were updated to consider the events since 1997.