Our Vietnam - by A J Langguth (Paperback)

About the Book

Selected as a best book of the year by the "Los Angeles Times" and "The Washington Post, Our Vietnam" is a thoroughly documented, deftly written in-depth report on the 20-year conflict that forever changed not only Vietnam, but America as well. 40 photos. 2 maps.

Book Synopsis

"A magisterial narrative history. Brilliantly recaptures the hopes, illusions, fears, suspicions, frustrations, and disappointments of these tumultuous years" (Los Angeles Times) during the Vietnam War.

*Winner of the Overseas Press Club's Cornelius J. Ryan Award for Best Nonfiction Book, the Commonwealth Club of California's Gold Medal for Nonfiction, and the PEN Center West Award for Best Research Nonfiction*

Twenty-five years after the end of the Vietnam War, historian and journalist A. J. Langguth delivers an authoritative account of the war based on official documents not available earlier and on new reporting from both the American and Vietnamese perspectives. In Our Vietnam, Langguth takes us inside the waffling and deceitful White Houses of Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon; documents the ineptness and corruption of our South Vietnamese allies; and recounts the bravery of soldiers on both sides of the war. With its broad sweep and keen insights, Our Vietnam brings together the kaleidoscopic events and personalities of the war into one engrossing and unforgettable narrative.

Review Quotes

"A history that will be admired and studied by scholars and journalists, [and] a collection of character portraits and relationships that beats most bestselling fiction."-- "The Christian Science Monitor"

"A magisterial narrative history. Brilliantly recaptures the hopes, illusions, fears, suspicions, frustrations, and disappointments of these tumultuous years."-- "Los Angeles Times"

"Employing new sources and up-to-date scholarship, Jack Langguth has written an excellent and accessible history of the war in Vietnam. His fast-paced narrative and his vivid portraits of the central characters will allow new generations of Americans to understand the drama of the war and the intensity of the emotions on both sides. The book is a major achievement."--Frances FitzGerald, author of Fire in the Lake and Way Out There in the Blue

"Having interviewed a cast of characters worthy of Dickens, with a story line to match, Jack Langguth's history brings a new and sharper focus on the American century's enduring enigma: What were we doing in Vietnam?"--H.D.S. Greenway, editor, The Boston Globe

"If you thought there was nothing more to add to our knowledge of the Vietnam War, Jack Langguth's graphic narrative contains a wealth of new information and keen analysis. It is bound to take its place among the best books on the tragic conflict."--Stanley Karnow, author of Vietnam: A History

"The best book yet on our perverse crusade to make Vietnam safe for democracy."-- "The Washington Post Book World"

"The most complete and compelling narrative on the war."-- "The Economist"