The Best Vietnam War Book Reviews
To Bear Any Burden – Al Santoli, ed, 1999 This fantastic Vietnam oral history compilation brings together a collection of contemporary accounts from a total of 48 Asian and American voices. The express intent of this work is to present a more complete kaleidoscope of experience on the Vietnam War and its aftermath, and [...]
Requiem – Horst Faas, Tim Page, editors, 1997 This carefully-assembled photo essay is a homage to those photographers who lost their lives in the Vietnam War, and represents their best and most striking works. Edited by two of the men who took the most risks of all, this deluxe hardback photography collection reveals the mercilessness [...]
What It Is Like To Go To War – Karl Marlantes, 2011 For those non-combatants seeking to understand ‘what war is really like’ this book is a highly recommended read, and gets to the dark heart of the matter. Thought provoking and carefully written with superb storytelling, What It Is Like To Go To War [...]
Everything We Had: An Oral History of the Vietnam War – Al Santoli, 1985 This readable and varied work reached the New York Times bestsellers list upon release and presents a broad and inclusive kaleidoscope of experience in Vietnam. Everything We Had (aff) brings together the oral histories of 33 men who completed tours of [...]
Tet! The Turning Point in the Vietnam War – Don Oberdorfer, 1971 Don Oberdorfer’s 1971 work traces the events of arguably the most momentous battle of the Vietnam War, the Tet Offensive of early 1968. Facts mixed with stylish reconstructions make this a brilliant read and allow a wider understanding of America’s ultimate defeat in [...]
Achilles in Vietnam – Jonathan Shay, 1995 This is an original and poetic book on interpreting combat trauma after the Vietnam experience, using the metaphor of Homer’s Iliad to demonstrate how war has damaged men since time immemorial. Achilles in Vietnam (aff) is ideal reading for Vietnam vets who consider Vietnam as ‘their war’ and [...]
Page After Page – Tim Page, 1988 Tim Page, perhaps the most celebrated Vietnam War photographer, writes about it all in this often hilarious, irreverent but amazing volume. Part hippy, part drop-out, part genius and totally fearless to get the shot, Page’s work epitomized the war for a generation. Page After Page (aff) is a [...]
Tim Page’s Nam – Tim Page This is the brilliant collection of contemporary images taken by the legendary British photographer Tim Page. Page’s story is an amazing one – he left the UK in 1962 and travelled and hitched overland through Europe, Pakistan, India, Burma and finally to Vietnam where he picked up work with [...]
A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam – Neil Sheehan, 1988 Neil Sheehan’s Pulitzer-winning epic is a dramatised reportage tour de force. Not to be undertaken lightly, this is a cerebral book of vast scope; a patient reading, however, will give you everything you need to know about US involvement in [...]
The Cat from Hue: A Vietnam War Story – John Laurence, 2001 25 years in the writing, The Cat From Hue is a huge and amazing work detailing John Laurence’s kaleidoscope of experiences as a reporter for CBS. Whereas a lot of Vietnam books have been rather wantonly labeled “classics”, take note – this one [...]
Platoon Platoon remains one of Oliver Stone’s finest films, a powerfully directed and … [Read More]
