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A thinking approach to learning history. Makes history fresh, relevant, and real!

Instruction/Answer GuideIncludes objectives, teaching suggestions, focus questions, and answers. Use of the guides is highly recommended.
-Critical Thinking Press ... Read more

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In college and high school classrooms across the United States, students display a keen interest in knowing more about what they rightly sense was a pivotal event in the recent past, one that brought a sea change in the life of the nation.

In a long-awaited alternative to the lengthy and overly expensive texts on the Vietnam War, Charles Neu presents America’s Lost War, a balanced, lively narrative account of that tragic conflict, one that sweeps across the whole time-span of the war and explores American, Vietnamese, and international perspectives. Recreating the physical and psychological landscape of the war, Neu fluidly describes policy disputes—among leaders of both the United States and North Vietnam—as well as individual policy makers, battles, and military realities, tracing the legacy of the "Vietnam" phenomenon that shapes American domestic politics and elections, as well as foreign relations, to the present day. 320 pages. Includes Maps, Three Photographic Essays, A Guide to Acronyms, Bibliographical Essay, and Index. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Outstanding summation of the war
An objective, succinct and fair summation of the war in Vietnam as experienced from all sides.Neu uses numerous books as a reference for quotations from many of those in power during this difficult time for America - and for Vietnam.

The book also has many photographs leading up to and during the war, including some of the most famous images of that terrible time: the street execution of a Viet Cong officer by the South Vietnamese Police Chief, and the villagers running from a napalm strike (accidentally dropped by a South Vietnamese aircraft).

I am pleased to add my comments to the review by Dick Stratton.I flew F-4's for the Marine Corps in Vietnam in 1968/69, but fortunately did not experience the horror of the Hoa Lo prison as did he.

A Look at the Vietnam War Without Agenda or Bias
In his "Preface and Acknowledgements" Professor Neu mentions the fact that Vietnam Veterans were invited to lecture at his Brown University undergraduate class: "History 158: America's Longest War: The United States in Vietnam".

I was one of those veterans participating 1991 to 1993 at a University noted for it's anti-war activies and the expulsion of the ROTC from its campus. I was never advised on what to say, how to say it or what not to say. I was given an entire session to tell my story as a participant in the war and a prisoner or war. I was treated by student and faculty alike with intersest, courtesy and respect.

This illustration of inclusiveness and even-handedness is important in understanding the value of this volume. As in the classroom so too in this volume, all sides of the story of the Vietnam War have been presented: South Vietnamese, North Vietnamese, military, politicians, anti-war activitists and the media all have equal time in having their positions presented.

This book will be an excellent tool for use in the classroom and in the professional library of all who participated in or lived through the Vietnam era. Of particular value is the "Biographical Essay" at the end of the book. Additionally it just a plain 'good read' for all. ... Read more

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An essential new resource for students and teachers of the Vietnam War, this concise collection of primary sources opens a valuable window on an extraordinarily complex conflict.

The materials gathered here, from both the American and Vietnamese sides, remind readers that the conflict touched the lives of many people in a wide range of social and political situations and spanned a good deal more time than the decade of direct U.S. combat. Indeed, the U.S. war was but one phase in a string of conflicts that varied significantly in character and geography. Michael Hunt brings together the views of the conflict's disparate players--from Communist leaders, Vietnamese peasants, Saigon loyalists, and North Vietnamese soldiers to U.S. policymakers, soldiers, and critics of the war. By allowing the participants to speak, this volume encourages readers to formulate their own historically grounded understanding of a still controversial struggle.
... Read more

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Presents opposing viewpoints on various aspects of the Vietnam War, including the reasons for American involvement, the failure of United States policy there, and the effects on veterans. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

VietNam War Underestimated by Older Generation---GENERATION GAP
David Bender certainly leaves out a very important piece concerning opposing viewpoints of the Vietnam War.Those of us who were of military age during the mid 60's know the truth.The truth is our older male friends, relatives and neighbors thought that we were basically out of control and needed to learn a lesson. There was a very large generation gap in Values. This was based on how they viewed us.They certainly didn't like the fact that their music of the 40's and early 50's was rarely played on the radio.Rock and Roll was now king.They didn't like Rock and Roll and they thought we were out of control in terms of how we reacted towards it.They also did not like the way we dressed.Most of us dressed in similar fashion and they didn't care for it.They certainly hated the way we let our hair grow similar to the Beatles.They enjoyed crew cuts and didn't understand why we changed.At this time (64-65-66) the VN War was really starting up and they saw a Two-For on the horizon.They could get us all dressed up in a military uniform with our hair cut, no rock and roll and send us to do a man's job overseas.They felt that one battalion of marines would probably take care of the commies in a month and that we would suffer very few casualties before coming back home. When we returned home they "knew for sure" we would be more like them.Short hair, decent clothes, Respectful and No Rock and Roll.

The truth is that generation of Americans had seen their better days both physically and mentally.When we came back we didn't come back victorious because our own government did not allow us to "win the war".We still enjoyed Rock and Roll and our hair got even longer.We dressed as we pleased and decided that the old timers were full of you know what for sure.

For some strange reason David Bender didn't include the generation gap in his book.The generation gap gave the folks favoring the war a sizeable advantage during the early years of the fiasco in terms of support for the war.That should have been included in this book.Frankly I have not seen much written at all about this part of the early feelings about the VN War.It truly gave the war effort a popular advantage until the body bags started to pile up.It was then that the older generation began to realize that one battalion of marines would not win this fiasco in a month.

Vietnam War
This book is very helpful in helping you undersand how everyone felt about the Vietnam War. It gives you opinions from everyone, even if it's a small group that felt the way they did, they still included it. I was thrilled to find such a book because I had to do a research paper for the Vietnam War. It has the history to back things up completely to show why people felt the way they did. The only thing that I felt was left out was who wrote what. It gave pages of great writing, but you don't know who wrote it. ... Read more

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In At the Water's Edge, Melvin Small delivers the first study of the Vietnam War's domestic politics. Popular perceptions of the war at home produced a dramatic and longstanding realignment in political allegiances, an assault on the media that still colors political debate today, and an economic crisis that weakened the nation for a decade after the last U.S. troops left Vietnam. The war ultimately destroyed the presidency of Lyndon Johnson and indirectly forced the resignation of Richard Nixon. Those presidents who followed constructed their foreign policies mindful that they would not survive politically if they were to lead the nation into another protracted limited war in the Third World. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Showing how the war transformed American society and produced changes in long-standing political alliances
Over all other wars, the long Vietnam War had heavy impact at home, creating divisions and social strife which had lasting effects on American politics. At The Water's Edge: American Politics And The Veitnam War focuses on these domestic changes, showing how the war transformed American society and produced changes in long-standing political alliances and a fundamental shift in values which was to impact politics, media reporting, economics and more - lasting to this day. Melvin small is a professor of history: his survey provides an important focus on the domestic front of the war. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

njchurchill
A great book. If you want to know what was going on on the ground in Viet Nam, read it.

One of the best books I've ever read...
A compilation of oral recounts, "Everything We Had" gets to the meat and potatoes of the stories without delay. It kept me captivated, I could not wait to read the next story in the book. The authors were interviewed when these events were still fresh in their minds, the way they recount the stories proves this.

A must read for anyone seeking an unbiased, realistic look at the viet-nam conflict, from the people that were right there. ... Read more

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War veterans, journalists, poets and professors have contributed to this study which describes how US culture represented and continues to represent the Vietnam War on television, in newspapers, in military propaganda films, novels, plays and music. ... Read more

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Companion to the Vietnam War contains twenty-four definitive essays on America’s longest and most divisive foreign conflict. These historiographical and narrative essays by leading historians examine the war in its most important contexts. The broad thematic coverage of the book includes the political strategy of three American presidents, the American military tactics and their consequences, the adjoining wars in Laos and Cambodia, the American home front and antiwar movement, and the intersections of race, class, and gender in both America and Vietnam.

This volume represents the best current scholarship on one of the most controversial and influential episodes in modern American history. It also contains an expanded bibliography of hundreds of secondary sources to guide further research. For students, scholars, and general readers of Vietnam War studies, this Companion is a vital resource. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An excellent portable seminar on the Vietnam War
This is a first rate collection of definitive, state of the art essays on just about all aspects of the Vietnam War. Buzzanco and Young have put together an outstanding collection of essays on the Vietnam War by an impressive cast of the leading scholars in the field. The war itself may have been created by the "best and the brightest" of the Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon administrations, but this book shows that the "best and the brightest" can be brought together to do justice to a complicated and controversial period of American and world history. This book should be on the shelf of every serious student of the war and it certainly deserves a place in every public and college library. Buzzanco and Young deserve our thanks for collecting such an excellent crew of scholars.
Yours truly, John J. Fitzgerald Longmeadow, MA
Vietnam Veteran and student of the Vietnam War. ... Read more

Product Description
The Vietnam War was the longest war in American history. It was also the most controversial and devisive since the American Civil War. And it was one the United States failed to win. Disturbing questions concerning the use of military force that emerged in the 1960s and early 1970s still haunt policy makers today. This book details the causes of the American involvement in Vietnam, the great events that shook both Vietnam and the United States during the long conflict, and the painful consequences of war. (20010801) ... Read more

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Brings to life monumental events of the events of the past through the accounts of people who were there at the time. This compelling series invites the reader to look at history with new eyes by questioning the reliability of historical documents and asking what it is that we can learn by bearing witness to history. Ages 14-16. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

An Insightful, Personal Look at 13 Years of War
Al Santoli has collected the recollections (including his own) of thirty-three American soldiers who fought in Vietnam.The soldiers include an Army enlistee who finds a "nine-to-five war" when he arrivesin Vietnam in 1962; an Army drill sergeant who worries that the Armyprevents him from teaching his men the killer instinct; and a Navy SEALwhose job is terrorism.["It was a business, and the business wasterrorism." (pg. 219)]The soldiers also include a naval aviator whoas senior POW officer worries as much about his men's mental health as hisown; and a medical corpsman present during the 1975 fall of Saigon.

Mostof these recollections do not emphasize bloodshed.Instead they emphasizethe Vietnam War's effect upon men and women soldiers; white and minoritysoldiers; and enlisted personnel, officers, and their families.Therecollections discuss the relationship between the Americans and theVietnamese people.The recollections also discuss the Viet Cong warphilosophy: terrorism and erosion of will.

On April 30, 2000 acopyrighted Reuters news article "Vietnam Celebrates WarAnniversary" reported that Vietnamese "Officials paid glowingtribute to the three million Vietnamese soldiers and civilians who diedduring the war. More than 58,000 American troops were also killed in theconflict."The same article reported that many Vietnamese "alsoexpress growing unease over Vietnam's woes: graft, smuggling, heroinaddiction, prostitution, excessive party control over the economy and afeeling that the world isgetting wired to the future and leaving thembehind."

The Vietnam War was long, confusing, and controversial.AlSantoli's collection of oral histories dispels some of the confusion, butthe controversy remains.Did anyone win the Vietnam War? ... Read more

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More than a quarter of a century after the last Marine Corps Huey left the American embassy in Saigon, the lessons and legacies of the most divisive war in twentieth-century American history are as hotly debated as ever. Why did successive administrations choose little-known Vietnam as the "test case" of American commitment in the fight against communism? Why were the "best and brightest" apparently blind to the illegitimacy of the state of South Vietnam? Would Kennedy have pulled out had he lived? And what lessons regarding American foreign policy emerged from the war?
The Columbia Guide to the Vietnam War helps readers understand this tragic and complex conflict. The book contains both interpretive information and a wealth of facts in easy-to-find form. Part I provides a lucid narrative overview of contested issues and interpretations in Vietnam scholarship. Part II is a mini-encyclopedia with descriptions and analysis of individuals, events, groups, and military operations. Arranged alphabetically, this section enables readers to look up isolated facts and specialized terms. Part III is a chronology of key events. Part IV is an annotated guide to resources, including films, documentaries, CD-ROMs, and reliable Web sites. Part V contains excerpts from historical documents and statistical data. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Complete Refernce Guide
I'd come across this book while trolling through dozens of websites related to the Vietnam War (most of which are good; some of which are terribly inaccurate).With the perspective of 25+ years since the end of the war, David Anderson is able to put together a very complete look at the war.

The chapters are clearly written and cover major issues: background; maps; American involvement in the war; diplomatic attempts to end the war; and even the impact on American culture.

The book has a very complete bibliography, as well as useful timelines and a "Vietnam A to Z."Simply having all of the statistics on the cost of the war accumulated in one place is priceless.That may make this book sound dry -- but it's not, as Anderson cuts through to key issues quickly and even provides vivid descriptions of major websites. ... Read more

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This book explores the international leadership of the AFL-CIO, the UAW and UAW Local 600, the world's largest union local, and reveals that overall, working-class response to the Vietnam War mirrored that of the American society as a whole. ... Read more

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"With the first page the book explodes...a story of fortitude and patriotism to inspire generations of Americans to come."

—Philadelphia Evening Bulletin

"It's to our experience as Blackstone is to the law."

—Col. George E. "Bud" Day, USAF (Ret.), attorney, former POW and Medal of Honor winner ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

The Bible of the POW Experience
This book covers a lot of ground.It is generally considered to be one of the two (along with Honor Bound) major accounts of the POW experience in Vietnam.Unlike "Honor Bound" this book is not published by the Navy Press.

While writing a long article on a particular POW I was able to use this book as an excellent guide to the various timelines, facilities and actual implementations of the Code of Conduct.The book does not seek to be damning, except in one case where 8 men are named as total turncoats charged by their Sr. Ranking Officer with treason.

The book is smooth reading, but long.It is possible that this could be the only POW book many people will ever need.

1 of 2 Part Bible on Vietnam Captivity
As the title states, this is a definitive exploration of the experience of US heroes while in Vietnam captivity.Hubble's research is exemplary.The book is fact based with little bias.If one is interested in this topic, then this is the FIRST book they should read - from there, the reader can find particular people/topics of interest and branch out.The next book to read is "Honor Bound" by Rochester and Kiley - a later text using declasified sources.In reading these two books, a reader will come to understand the POW experience in Vietnam and appreciate America's TRUE heroes.Personnaly, I feel these should be required reading for ALL Americans - particularly our youth.

An Invaluable Rersource
As a POW researcher, I would have been lost without Hubbel having gone before me to pave the way.This book continues to be a resource for me, a one of a kind history that says it all.I recommend it to anyone who wants to understand what the 566 POWs who were repatriated to the US in 1973 endured.The books by and about individuals give their person accounts, but Hubbel offers an objective analysis and global persecptive.

Learn about moral courage practiced by the most vulnerable
I regretted loaning my Readers Digest Press hardcopy of this book and never seeing it return.I had to wait years for the re-publication of this marvelous book.

This book is the quintessential book on the POW experience in North Vietnam, and I have read many of them.The atrocities committed by the North Vietnamese captors were barbaric, horrific, and inhuman.The POWs mostly Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force pilots and crewmen were left with no guidance other than their consciences, their moral compass, their pride of service, their patriotism and an outmoded "Code of Conduct" to fight back against unspeakable tortures designed to win over and break the "American Enemy" and score political propaganda points.For these prisoners, the war was not over when they were shot down.A new and completely unexperienced war commenced upon their capture, a cold, calculating battle to exploit those most vulnerable in the Vietnam War in order to exact concessions from the United States of America.

Against the background of these torturous events, North Vietnam's enablers from the U.S. and international anti-war activists cravenly cooperated with North Vietnamese officials to further undermine the courageous efforts of our POWs who endured barbaric handling to not betray their country's honor.

Not all POWs held up to the rigors of the "Code of Conduct" as well as the greatest majority.However, fortunately not having walked in their shoes, I cannot judge their behavior.The activities of the most stalwart POWs as well as those who were less so are chronicled it this very readable and very moving book.These were the true "heroes" of the Vietnam War.They have never received due honor and recognition.This book attempts to do so in a very meaningful way.If you read ANY book on the Vietnam experience, this must be the one.

A monumental account of POW captivity.......
Researched over a 9 year time span using information gleaned from hundreds of interviews from Vietnam war POW's, this extensive saga of captivity is truly outstanding in its depth.

John G. Hubbell not only relates the stories of high profile POW's from North Vietnam, he explores the many aspects and rigors faced by U.S. servicemen in the brutal Southern Vietnamese prison camps.In helping the reader to truly understand the entire experience, this being a cautionary note to everyone, torture methods suffered by our U.S. servicemen are described very graphically throughout the text and may be difficult to read about at times.

Included in the superbly written and well researched narrative are maps of the various prison compounds, photographs of POW's and their captors, and the entire list of repatriated servicemen at Operation Homecoming in 1973.

"P.O.W. - A definitive history of the American Prisoner of War Experience, 1964-1973" is a very comprehensive and powerful study that makes for a lasting, memorable, and emotional reading experience.Upon recommending this book to everyone with interests in POW captivity, I would also like to suggest the brilliant and epic work "Honor Bound - American Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973". ... Read more

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A social history of the protest by United States citizens against the Vietnam War, from the days of the first American involvement in Vietnam in the early 1960s through the 1970s. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Give peace a chance
Violent or non, organized or not, protesters had one thing in common - a desire to end the war in Vietnam. An informative look at the groups, individuals, and events rocking the end of the 60's and early 70's untilthe conflict ended. The government and other officials are, of course, thebad guys, while the protesters are idealistic and self-sacrificing. A veryreadable text, enough for reports. Black and white photos, bibliography,and index are included. ... Read more