The best vietnam war books five books expert recommendations. The military nonfiction book genre is made up of books about military difference from country to county, strategy, personnel, uniforms, symbols, politics, and events. The girl in the picture 2001, penguin, reissue by denise chong one of the most enduring photos from the vietnam war was of kim phuc as a little girl running naked. Vietnam war nonfiction missouri secretary of state. Nonfiction audiobooks matching keywords vietnam war. The original national book awards recognized the most distinguished. He served with the armys 527th personnel service company in qui nhon, vietnam, 196768. One is literary nonfiction by a vietnam war veteran. The ultimate 2020 list of best vietnam books to read. It contains fascinating details about the guerrilla nature in which fighting was. Mar 06, 2015 dog soldiers won the 1975 national book award for fiction, the first vietnam war novel to do so. Oct, 2017 its been 67 years since the controversial korean war, sometimes called americas forgotten warsandwiched between wwii and vietnam, began. The best histories of the vietnam war council on foreign.
Dog soldiers won the 1975 national book award for fiction, the first vietnam war novel to do so. A novel of the vietnam war intense, powerful, and compelling, matterhorn is an epic war novel in the tradition of norman mailersthe naked and the dead and james joness the thin red line. Like so many other books, this one is dubbed the best book to come out of the vietnam war by none other than john del vecchio i suppose that the author of the finest novel to come out of the vietnam war quote which appears on the th valleys cover is bob mason. This new york times bestseller details the authors life story portrayed by tom cruise in the. Dec 05, 2015 the quiet american 1996, reprint, penguin by graeme greene perhaps the most well known book set in vietnam in the english language. But what he did was he interviewed the people he was treating and it was one of the great examples of breaking through the statistics. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. The korean war was short and bloody, resulting in the deaths of 5 million people, more than half were civilians. Wellwritten and deeply researched, this history covers virtually every aspect of the french and american wars in vietnam from 1945 to 1975, focusing mainly on military, diplomatic, and political.
Ive read all the obrien cacciato and in the lake of the woods are my favorites, so you can save those suggestions. Jul 9, 2018 this collection of books includes both fiction and nonfiction books about the vietnam war. Del vecchio writes as vividly of the landscape and jungle warfare as he does of the bonds, racial tensions, and doubts amongst the u. The vietnam war has scarred, transformed and inspired countless writers and art practitioners. Perhaps the only decent thing to emerge from the vietnam war is a body of literature unsurpassed by the writing thats come out of any other war. Time magazine named dispatches one of the one hundred best nonfiction books of alltime. The sorrow of war has gained international acclaim for its brutal honesty and has won numerous awards both in vietnam and around the world. An oral history of the vietnam war by black veterans by wallace terry.
Best fictioncreative nonfiction about the vietnam war. This was a book i read before i went to vietnam and it was written by an army doctor who wasnt even there. Booktopia buy vietnam war books online from australias leading online bookstore. Online shopping for vietnam war from a great selection at books store. In 1969, the fight over hamburger hill was typical of the nowin battles fought again and again during the long vietnam war. My 11yearold thought it was the best nonfiction book by far on the war. Philip caputo was a marine who later became a very wellknown journalist. During the four years following passage of the tonkin gulf resolution aug. The vietnam war was a very tragic time that was destructive and enormously violent. History in an hour is essential reading for anyone interested in postwar history. Dec, 2017 in the fiction section, you will find the best books on vietnam war, other vietnam bestseller novels as well as novels set in vietnam. The book looks at unformed men through a manmade hell, following along. A singleminded interpretation of the vietnam war based on the authors conviction that the conflicts overriding issue was a moscowdirected international communist conspiracy.
His column on books has appeared in the vva veteran, the magazine published by vietnam veterans of america, since 1986. Joy about the french experience in indochina, was killed in 1967 by a mine planted on the very street he used as a book title. Shortlisted for canadas prestigious giller prize, this profoundly humane novel vancouver sun, wrings suspense and humor out of the everyday choices we make, revealing the delicate balance between sacrifice and selfinterest, doing good and being good. Military nonfiction genre complete list of book genres. Diving into a book about the vietnam war can be a daunting task. There is catch22, and slaughterhouse five, and these are classics to be sure. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. I really find that era fascinating and terrible and confusing, and so many great stories about so many great things came out of it. These sections are either interesting stories or clear, simple breakdowns of the vietnam war s main issues. Vietnam war nonfiction books for sale in stock ebay.
The final book on your list of books about the vietnam war is 365 days. This subreddit is intended for civil and informed discussion of the vietnam war and related issues. Military this is a hilarious tale of an air force combat fighter pilot in vietnam who goes out on patrol with a special forces team he has supported many times from the air. The panelists are five writers who are known to be doing great work in their genre or field. A history of americas involvement in and extrication from the vietnam war henry a. The book includes some great observations and agonizing human truths about the nonstop combat of the war. Ten vietnam war novels to read council on foreign relations.
Mar 02, 2015 the best histories of the vietnam war. Herr cowrote the screenplay for full metal jacket, one of the great movies about the vietnam war. Here are the key events leading up to the vietnam war, the deadly guerrilla warfare of the viet cong, the domestic antiwar movement and the fall of saigon. In just a few minutes a day, you can be an expert in vietnam war history and impress both your friends and your history teachers. An intimate history tells once again the painful tale of americas protracted. Thencommunist david horowitz details their involvement in his book. Sheinkin lives in saratoga springs, new york, with his wife and two children. Named by the wall street journal and publishers lunch as one of the top 10 nonfiction books of 2017, an amazon top 100 book of the year, one of the washington posts 50 notable works of nonfiction in 2017, one of. The necessary war, michael lind if you only read one book on the vietnam war, this is it. The military genre can consists, for instance, of an autobiography of a member of military personnel who did great things or made a decision that changed the tide of a war using. With the help of writer jay wurts, she intimately details the life of a vietnamese woman.
Tell me about the first book on your list, a rumor of war 1977. John paul vann and america in vietnam 1988 is a book by neil sheehan, a former new york times reporter, about u. To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail or phone. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the vietnam war. It went on to win a number of prestigious awards, including the pulitzer prize for nonfiction, national book award, and the bancroft prize. What is best historical fiction book written about the. The sorrow of war reprint 1996, riverhead books by bao ninh sad, reflective, poetic book written by a north vietnamese. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. It was part of a larger regional conflict as well as a manifestation of the cold war. At a yard sale where i bought 3 antique trunks, i also had to buy their contents.
Vietnam war, 19611975 engineering and construction base development in south vietnam, 19651970 1991, by carroll h. Jun 14, 2018 authored by journalist frances fitzgerald, this account of vietnam, its history, and the effects of its war with the united states was on the bestseller list for more than ten weeks. You may also request these titles online through our opac. One of my favourites from this list is the beauty of humanity movement, it might be an oldie but it is a great book that tells an interesting story about key characters and their lives in old vietnam.
See more ideas about vietnam war, vietnam and books. List of books and articles about vietnam antiwar movement. Readers weighed in on the best books about the vietnam war. The politics of the vietnam war nonfiction 116 books goodreads. My top 10 fiction and nonfiction books to read on vietnam. It was in central vietnam, near its western border. The th valley by john del vecchio there have been a number of excellent books about vietnam. The novel presents warfare from a nonheroic perspective, removing all romantic connotations of war, and is renowned for its harsh descriptions of all aspects of the vietnam war. Three are novels, two of which were written by vietnam war veterans. Ready to read the most celebrated and best vietnam war books. Each chapter of our trivia book is broken up into 15 bitesize sections.
No 9 dispatches by michael herr 1977 a compelling sense of urgency and a unique voice make michael herrs vietnam memoir the definitive account of war. Its subtitle the definitive oral history told from all sides describes it perfectly. The definitive collection of fiction and nonfiction on the war 1998 by. Vietnam war books this website presents the most informative, insightful and popular nonfiction books about the vietnam war.
One of the most definitive works on the vietnam war, the th valley follows a company of paratroopers as they fight against the north vietnamese. Nonfiction updated december 2006 a war story is good, but sometimes nonfiction can be more interesting, as in these true vietnam war stories, compiled by reader advisor paul mathews. The vietnam war this is a wikipedia book, a collection of wikipedia articles that can be easily saved, imported by an external electronic rendering service, and ordered as a printed book. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the vietnam war. For ten days, a very bloody battle raged on the hill. The definitive expose on why america lost the war, won the pulitzer prize for non fiction in 1989. Friendly fire, one of the earliest 1976 notable nonfiction books about the vietnam war, is now available electronically through open road media. Vietnam war fiction books meet your next favorite book. Vietnam war nonfiction books meet your next favorite book. A true story of american soldiers abandoned by their high command. Feb 05, 2008 a rumor of war, philip caputo to call it the best book about vietnam is to trivialise it. As a huge ken burns fan i am eagerly anticipating the arrival of his next massive documentary series, the vietnam war, which premiered on pbs on september 17.
Daniel ellsberg and the secret history of the vietnam war was a national book award finalist, a yalsa excellence in nonfiction award winner, and a boston globehorn book nonfiction award winner. Daniel ellsberg and the secret history of the vietnam war bccb blue ribbon nonfiction book award awards hardcover september 22, 2015. This book is widely viewed as the best concise history of the vietnam war. While the list of books about this conflict includes hundreds of enlightening works, we pick ten of the best texts offering illuminating perspectives on the war, its context and the effects it had on vietnam. Buy this book prados the presidents secret wars offers a rare fresh look at the war in southeast asia. He also fails to mention that communists regularly organized antiwar rallies in the u. It was a time that many people remember and a time when our county was divided by their opinions.
In my mind its one of the first really wellwritten books that describe the moral ambiguities and difficulties faced by a young marine officer in this particular war. Every book on vietnam in the section claimed to be the best ever written on the subject. Nonfiction biography military biography, nonfiction history military this is a hilarious tale of an air force combat fighter pilot in vietnam who goes out on patrol with a special forces team he has supported many times from the air. Vietnam war 195475, conflict that pitted the communist government of north vietnam and its allies in south vietnam, the viet cong, against south vietnam and its principal ally, the united states. It includes interviews with 5 people involved in the war.
This new york times bestseller details the authors life story portrayed by tom cruise in the oliver stone film version from a patriotic soldier in vietnam, to his severe battlefield injury, to his role as the countrys most outspoken anti vietnam war advocate. Nonfiction an intimate history of killing by joanna bourke. Fields of fire is a brilliant book about the vietnam war. They are presented randomly within the categories of nonfiction and fiction. Army lieutenant colonel john paul vann killed in action and the united states involvement in the vietnam war sheehan was awarded the 1988 national book award for nonfiction and the 1989 pulitzer prize for general nonfiction for the book. Reviews of books both fiction and nonfiction relating to. Described in 1956 as a novel of sexual intrigue, savage warfare, and some mystery. Retro cold warrior lind author of the novel powertown, 1996, as well as works of nonfiction, resembling an intellectual rambo, verbally machineguns vietnamese, russian, and chinese communists, along with americans. The book is not only a splendid account of a conflict often forgotten in the aftermath of americas war in vietnam, but it also speaks to the debate that continues to rage among military experts on the nature of the two wars in indochina and the proper ways to fight them, wrote george herring, the author of americas longest war. The book gives a sense of the people who live and lived in the country and it is well documented, with rich stories in the nonfiction and detailed information that. The national book award for nonfiction is one of five annual national book awards, which are given by the national book foundation to recognize outstanding literary work by u.
All our physical stores and our online store are temporarily closed. The ten best memoirs of the vietnam war council on. This is an educational subreddit dedicated entirely to the wars and conflicts that occurred in vietnam, laos and cambodia between 1946 and 1979 and beyond. The violence, tragedy, bravery, and loss of the vietnam war has been memorialized in countless novels and works of nonfiction. For viewers of the ken burns pbs documentary on the vietnam war. The top 30 vietnam war books to read this winter historynet. Longlisted for the 2017 andrew carnegie medal for excellence in nonfiction. Anyway, there was huge number of books running the gamut of extreme politics to bourgeoise politics, cooking, diet, novels, history, self. Ward has written a weighty companion book to the series.
Daniel ellsberg and the secret history of the vietnam war bccb blue ribbon nonfiction book award awards by sheinkin, steve isbn. Beyond that, on the fiction front, we quickly traipse into forgettable territory. Pages in category vietnam war fiction the following 15 pages are in this category, out of 15 total. Nothing, certainly not our film or book, can make the tragedy of the vietnam war all right. The greatest battle of the vietnam air war the air combat trilogy book 2 jeffrey ethell. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. As the daughter and niece of four veterans of the vietnam war, most of my life ive struggled to really understand the complexities of a piece of my familys life and our nations history that is rarely taught or talked about.