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About Vietnam: A History Of The War
Product Description A comprehensive overview of one of the most controversial wars in America's history written by masterful children's historian and Newbery Medalist Russell Freedman. With prose that is clear, concise, and enthralling, Russell Freedman presents a detailed overview of the Vietnam war. Beginning with the rise of communism in Vietnam and detailing the increase of American involvement, Freedman then explains why, twenty years later, an exit was so difficult. In addition to explaining the complex beginnings of the conflict through the catastrophic damage the war caused, Freedman concludes with a hopeful epilogue on modern Vietnam. This is a definitive resource for young history readers as well as anyone who wants a concise and authoritative understanding of the Vietnam War, exploring both the American and Vietnamese perspectives. Freedman chronicles the history leading up to the war and the unfolding events in Vietnam and in the US as increasing numbers of young men were sent into the jungles to fight. Coverage includes the French war in Vietnam, the rise of Ho Chi Minh, the fall of President Diem, the Tonkin Gulf, the Tet Offensive, the My Lai massacre, the bombing of Cambodia, and the fall of Saigon, as well as the US anti-war movement. The book includes nearly 100 historic photographs and illustrations, as well as candid photographs showcasing the state of Vietnam today. A glossary, source notes, bibliography and index are included. A Junior Library Guild Selection From School Library Journal Gr 6–8—In his customary well-honed prose, Freedman presents a coherent overview of the Vietnam War. First he retraces Vietnam's 2,000 year struggle to become and stay independent and how the United States went from ally to aggressor (a result of shifting from fighting colonialism to opposing communism after World War II). He goes on to recount the major events in the war, the course of the antiwar movement in the United States, U.S. troop withdrawal, and the long process of reconciliation. Amid descriptions of larger events, the author offers favorable or sympathetic glimpses of frontline soldiers—including quotes from a North Vietnamese soldier's diary—and documents the war's escalating brutality on both sides in a matter-of-fact but not sensationalistic way. The many documentary photos include the screaming child Kim Phuc (with a caption that describes what became of her) but not some of the more well-known disturbing images. Though positively judicious next to Albert Marrin's rabidly opinionated America and Vietnam: The Elephant and the Tiger, Freedman's account leans toward the view that the carnage resulted from a perfect storm of missed opportunities for alliances or political solutions, misunderstood history and culture, wrongheaded strategic decisions, and mulish pride on the part of U.S. political and military leaders. The extensive back matter will be useful to serious students of the era. VERDICT Along with being more readable than the plethora of assignment titles on the subject, this is a clear-eyed view of a watershed event in U.S. history and a significant update to older histories for middle graders.—John Peters, Children's Literature Consultant, New York City Review * "In his customary well-honed prose, Freedman presents a coherent overview of the Vietnam War . . . Will be useful to serious students of the era . . . Along with being more readable than the plethora of assignment titles on the subject, this is a clear-eyed view of a watershed event in U.S. history and a significant update to older histories for middle graders."—School Library Journal, Starred Review * "Solid history that doesn’t shy away from difficult truths and important moral and political lessons."—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review * "In an excellent study of the Vietnam War that examines the conflict and its aftermath from multiple angles, Freedman (We Will Not Be Silent) again tackles a complex historical event and breaks it d
