The Vietnam War

An Intimate History

De: Geoffrey C. Ward, Ken Burns

Narrado por: Brian Corrigan, Fred Sanders, Ken Burns

From the award-winning historian and filmmakers of The Civil War, Baseball, The War, The Roosevelts, and others: a vivid, uniquely powerful history of the conflict that tore America apart--the companion volume to the major, multipart PBS film to be aired in September 2017.

More than forty years after it ended, the Vietnam War continues to haunt our country. We still argue over why we were there, whether we could have won, and who was right and wrong in their response to the conflict. When the war divided the country, it created deep political fault lines that continue to divide us today. Now, continuing in the tradition of their critically acclaimed collaborations, the authors draw on dozens and dozens of interviews in America and Vietnam to give us the perspectives of people involved at all levels of the war: U.S. and Vietnamese soldiers and their families, high-level officials in America and Vietnam, antiwar protestors, POWs, and many more. The book plunges us into the chaos and intensity of combat, even as it explains the rationale that got us into Vietnam and kept us there for so many years. Rather than taking sides, the book seeks to understand why the war happened the way it did, and to clarify its complicated legacy. Beautifully written and richly illustrated, this is a tour de force that is certain to launch a new national conversation.


Read by Brian Corrigan with Fred Sanders, and with an introduction read by Ken Burns

Reseñas de la Crítica

"The companion volume to Burns’ Vietnam War documentary series on PBS, the book stands alone as a powerful summary of the whole conflict. It tells the story of the war from every conceivable angle, including that of the young Vietnamese fighters. It’s extraordinarily well-reported and written, and filled with memorable photographs and illustrations—a reminder that the war was, perhaps for the first time, shaped as much by powerful images as written reports."
—Lancaster Online, Mark Bowden's "Ten Favorite Books on the Vietnam War"

"A vivid and often captivating volume…a valuable resource."
—David Greenberg, The New York Times Book Review

"Once again Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns deliver the grand historical goods in this feast of a book. For those too young to remember the Vietnam War, this is the essential primer. For those old enough to have Vietnam flashbacks or battle scars, read it and weep. Highly recommended!!"
—Douglas Brinkley

"A sweeping, richly illustrated narrative of a conflict fast retreating in memory... As they have done in numerous collaborations, Ward and Burns take a vast topic and personalize it... Of particular value is the inclusion of Vietnamese voices on both sides of the conflict, most of whom agree more than four decades later that the question of who won or lost is less important than the fact that no one really prevailed... The text is accompanied by more than 500 photographs, some of them immediately recognizable...many others fresh... Accompanying the PBS series to be aired in September 2017, this is an outstanding, indispensable survey of the Vietnam War."
—Kirkus, (starred review)

"Lucid, flowing, and dramatic… Robustly detailed writing… Eye-opening… Powerful in its own right… In their new ‘intimate’ yet capacious history, the award-winning, audience-enthralling duo of historian and screenwriter Ward and documentarian extraordinaire Burns investigate the complex, divisive, and tragic Vietnam War from a unique plurality of perspectives… This is a vivid, affecting, definitive, and essential illustrated history."
—Donna Seaman, Booklist (starred review)

"Lavishly illustrated…. Well-written and deeply researched, this history covers virtually every aspect of the French and American wars in Vietnam from 1945-1975, focusing mainly on military, diplomatic, and political issues…. Anyone looking for an expansive overview of the Vietnam War will find much to admire here."
—Publishers Weekly

HANDS DOWN BEST BOOK

Wow, I'm blown away. I listened to this 30 hour book in 4 days. It is insane. The amount of lies, corruption, deceit, loss of honor that our leaders had is hard to listen to. There is so much information provided in this book. I though I knew a lot about the Vietnam war. I DID NOT! Buy this book now!

Informational but uneven

Good historical overview of the war and the men involved. However, in my view overly critical of the US role based entirely on hindsight. All US Presidents made decisions based on information and accepted doctrine of that time. Only in hindsight was it known that the war was virtually not one that could be won conventionally. North Vietnam and the VC were the aggressors and bad people, but the US public was unwilling to bear the sacrifices necessary to win the war and the South Vietnam government was correct. Still a good read.

a well researched book.

A very in depth book. An unfiltered truth of American history. Whether you supported or protested Vietnam, you will get all sides of the people involved.

A journey of a tragedy

Very thoughtfully crafted book, which takes a neutral point of view on the events that unfolded during the Vietnam war.

The Human Side of War

I was very young when The US first sent troops to South Vietnam. Today I have several friends who fought in that war! This book and mini series have educated me on why our government decided to fight the expansion of communism in SE Asia. Now I know why they have become disenchanted with our leaders!

must listen for history buffs

I loved the book. It is a long book, but does not drag a bit. It is laid out very nicely. What a detailed description of the war. So many heart wrenching stories, every story changes your feeling about this war. after reading this book, watch the documentary on PBS and you will have a much more appreciation of the work authors did.

good listen.

enjoyed quite a comprehensive coverage of the war offering multiple perspectives although still biased some what

In Depth Explanation

I was in high school between the time Vietnam was current events and when it was “history”. I knew it was an unpopular war but didn’t have much knowledge about it. Now I understand why it was so horrible, why it never should have happened and why people feel the way they do about it.

Fascinating and sad

This was very fascinating to listen to. I learned so much about the war and its aftermath. However it was such a sad account to hear.

I ask myself if we have learned the right lessons from that war? There are some problems in the world that we should not insert ourselves into, but we also should not always let every power-hungry person or group take over a community or a nation to serve their self interests.

This book gives me much to think about as I ponder current world situations.

gripping.

Really enjoyed this reading. Beautifully written. recommended to anyone who is interested in a thorough account of this difficult chapter in American history.