Moreover, the prose fiction of the vietnam war serves other functions in its role as cultural diary. See more ideas about vietnam, vietnam war and books. An oral history of the vietnam war by black veterans by wallace terry. Halberstam, who was a vietnam war correspondent for the new york times. Obrien received the 1979 national book award in fiction for his novel going. Short fiction and other writing about the vietnam war edited by vivian vie balfour this collection offers solid writing as well as a variety of perspectives on the vietnam war civilian and military, past and present. Other fiction deals with veterans and their suffering robert stones dog soldiers, national book award, 1975, the effects of the war on families bobbie ann masons in country, 1985, living and working in vietnam before the war ward justs a dangerous friend, 1999 and reinterpretations of our involvement denis johnsons tree of. The complete text of the bestselling narrative history of the vietnam war based on the celebrated pbs television series by ken burns and lynn novick more than forty years have passed since the end of the vietnam war. Enough books novels and non fiction have been published about the vietnam war and its aftermath to fill a modestsized library.
It escalated from a vietnamese civil war into a limited international conflict in which the united states was deeply involved, and did not end. The th valley by john del vecchio there have been a number of excellent books about vietnam. Since the 2015 publication of his pulitzer prizewinning debut novel. We would be organized militarily, but we would have to break the bad habit, of trying to fight a conventional war in a guerrilla warfare environment. My challenge, though, is that i have only read three novels about vietnam. You may also request these titles online through our opac.
The vietnam war has scarred, transformed and inspired countless writers and art practitioners. This is the story that inspired the acclaimed burt lancaster movie, go tell the spartans. It is the only work to detail the b52 air war in vietnam from the perspective of a navigatorbombardier. Herr commands one of the great voices in american literature, and is so overwhelming, so powerful, that he can, like hemingway, wreak havoc on the style of wouldbe writers who would fall under his spell. His novel the sympathizer won the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction. The novel presents warfare from a nonheroic perspective, removing all romantic connotations of war, and is renowned for its harsh descriptions of all aspects of the vietnam war. Booktopia buy vietnam war books online from australias leading online bookstore. Vietnam war nonfiction missouri secretary of state. List of books and articles about vietnam war in literature. The violence, tragedy, bravery, and loss of the vietnam war has been memorialized in countless novels and works of nonfiction.
He chooses the best books on the vietnam war, exploring its moral ambiguities, the warrior mentality, the humanity of the enemy, and more. Americas wars have inspired some of the worlds best literature, and the vietnam war is no exception. More than a decade later, he returned to his former battlegrounds and recorded his journey in goodbye vietnam. Committee to aid the national liberation front of south vietnam multiple formats at. This book and movie both show how the war effected the american troops and the people of vietnam. Growing up in postwar europe, i absorbed a good dose of aversion to the.
Nonfiction updated december 2006 a war story is good, but sometimes non fiction can be more interesting, as in these true vietnam war stories, compiled by reader advisor paul mathews. Below is a sampling of the lc subject headings used for the vietnam war notice that the word conflict is sometimes used rather than war this is a subtle but important distinction that in itself could serve as a research topic and for author tim obrien and his work. Vietnam war in literature a vast body of literature has been dedicated to the vietnam war 195475, including scientific research volumes, fiction stories, autobiographical accounts and poetry. Five great books about the vietnam war for middle readers october, 2017 by staff leave a comment american infantrymen crowd into a mudfilled bomb crater and look up at tall jungle trees seeking out viet cong snipers firing at them during a battle in phuoc vinh, northnortheast of saigon in vietnam s war zone d, june 15, 1967. The final book on your list of books about the vietnam war is 365 days. Opinion the great vietnam war novel was not written by an. Thud ridge is a 1969 memoir by jack broughton about flying the f105 thud for the united states air force in the vietnam war during operation rolling thunder. In vietnam, all us forces were ordered to cease fighting and that included air assets as well as the ground troops. This is easily one of the five best nonfiction books i have read on the american intervention in vietnam, and i suspect.
One of my favourites from this list is the beauty of humanity movement, it might be an oldie but it is a great book that tells an interesting story about key characters and their lives in old vietnam. Before he penned the screenplays for jarhead and castaway, a young william broyles enlisted to serve in the vietnam war. Among the most positive is an abundance of topnotch books, many written by veterans of the conflict. From his encounters with exvietnamese soldiers to interviews with victims of his own violence, broyles memoir is a reminder of how the brotherhood of man can. A story of rescue in wartime vietnam 9780820324159. What is best historical fiction book written about the. Best fictioncreative nonfiction about the vietnam war. Discover the best vietnam war history in best sellers. The year is 1964early days in south vietnam and the u.
Some made high falutin claims to be as good a war novel as. Personal accounts of a number of young people in the us during the latter stages of the vietnam war. These 10 books, in addition to the ones below, were. The author was a government engineer and became involved in the corruption common at that time. Five great books about the vietnam war for middle readers. Along with the hilarious title story, this book of short stories includes the vietnam war related story tan. A history of americas involvement in and extrication from the vietnam war henry a. A novel of the vietnam war intense, powerful, and compelling, matterhorn is an epic war novel in the tradition of norman mailersthe naked and the dead and james joness the thin red line.
The sorrow of war has gained international acclaim for its brutal honesty and has won numerous awards both in vietnam and around the world. Dec 19, 2014 i have read literally 100s of books on these topics. Army raiders have garrisoned a town that the french abandoned ten years before. One part of the war that has seen little light read more. Edited by stewart onan, the vietnam reader is a powerful collection covering the breadth of the vietnam war and its impact.
Wehrle page images at hathitrust personalities of the liberation movement of south vietnam 1965, by u. Nonfiction an intimate history of killing by joanna bourke. Online shopping for vietnam war from a great selection at books store. While the list of books about this conflict includes hundreds of enlightening works, we pick ten of the best texts offering illuminating perspectives on the war, its context and the effects it had on vietnam. Waist deep in the big muddy has a nameless narrator recalling an army patrol that almost drowns crossing a river in louisiana in 1942 because. Winner of the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction, this debut novel could fit into half a dozen genres of vietnam war books from war narrative to. Lederer, and the shorttimers 1979 by gustav hasford. Very few aspects of the american war in vietnam have not come under the microscope in books, magazine articles, scholarly journals, blog postsor any other medium. The fall of an empire and the making of america s vietnam, by fredrik logevall fredrik logevalls book focuses on the french conflict in vietnam at the end of world war ii and the beginning of the american one in 1959. Herr also cowrote the screenplay for stanley kubricks vietnam war film. If you were to read only one book on the vietnam war, the vietnam reader should be it. A novel of the vietnam war kindle edition by marlantes, karl. Novel in form and approach, the issue is an innovative teaching tool. I really find that era fascinating and terrible and confusing, and so many great stories about so many great things came out of it.
Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Pages in category vietnam war fiction the following 14 pages are in this category, out of 14 total. Readers weighed in on the best books about the vietnam war. Recollecting the vietnam war is a new special issue of the asian. Bryan alexander from the augustseptember 2019 issue. Catfish and mandala is the story of an american odyssey.
The war s literature first emerged in the 1950s during the cold war when americans were serving as advisors to the french and the vietnamese in. Popular vietnam war fiction books goodreads share book. Vietnam war in american literature oxford research. Organized chaos, seemed like a contradiction in terms, but after a few weeks in vietnam, it seemed plausible. Science fictionvietnam war website of robertleader. After we posted this article, times readers weighed in with their favorite books on the vietnam war. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading matterhorn. The quiet american 1955 by graham greene, the ugly american 1958 by eugene burdick and william j. An oral history unlike any other, bloods features twenty black men who tell the story of how members of their race were sent off to vietnam in disproportionate numbers, and of the special test of patriotism. The first two made my list of the best cold war novels. All wars are fought twice, the first time on the battlefield.
Sep 15, 2017 whats your favorite book about the vietnam war. This was a book i read before i went to vietnam and it was written by an army doctor who wasnt even there. If you are doing research on the vietnam war this book is a musthave. The marreghriken have watched the war with the americans through the eyes of the viet cong guerrilla nguyan nam kim, and at the same time watch a mirror version of those war years through the mind melt with irvin jones, a us marine, drafted to fight for his country. Within a week, viet thanh nguyens darkly comic first novel, the sympathizer, won the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction, and his nonfiction book. Derived of the authors vietnam war experience, the thirtyseven stories in this sometimes harrowing, sometimes hilarious collection look back at the vietnam war from a distance of forty or more years, nearly a halfcentury, and via the perspectives of not only the soldiers themselves, but also their children, spouses, siblings, parents, friends. The last ghostrider military life, vietnam war, candid, kindle, novels, fiction. Vietnam war literature is a prolific canon of literature that consists primarily of works by american authors, but it is global in scope in its inclusion of texts from writers of other nationalities like australia, france, japan, korea, and vietnam. The title thud ridge derives from the nickname given by f105 pilots to the tam dao range, which was both a waypoint during air attacks in the vicinity of hanoi, north vietnam, and a terrain masking feature for ingressing fighters. Nothing, certainly not our film or book, can make the tragedy of the vietnam war all right. Every book on vietnam in the section claimed to be the best ever written on the subject. These include winners of national book awards and pulitzer prizes, both fiction and nonfiction. Pages in category vietnam war novels the following 45 pages are in this category, out of 45 total. Three are novels, two of which were written by vietnam war veterans.
The vietnam antiwar movement in young adult fiction. This literature, although dealing mostly with the participation of the united states in the war and the consequences of this, is not solely of american. A new york times notable book the national bestseller that tells the truth about the vietnam war from the black soldiers perspective. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. A collection of good, well researched vietnam war centered fics based around hintons plans for sodapop and steve following the outsiders.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Matterhorn by karl marlantes, the things they carried by tim obrien, the th valley by john m. Schlundvials and sylvia shin huey chong, commemorating the 40year anniversary of the fall of saigon and examining the complex gacgacies of the vietnam war. This book is a great read if you enjoy reading books about the vietnam war.
The powerful words in these eleven books help us understand a complicated time in our recent history, and the political and personal legacy that it still carries. By remembering others, we expand and enrich our own stance. Winner of the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction, this debut novel could fit into half a dozen genres of vietnam war books from war narrative to immigrant story, from mystery to political, from metafiction to. Fascinating facts and interesting vietnam war stories. Discussing the vietnam war through picture books november 20, 2017 by staff leave a comment our special exhibition the vietnam war. Shortlisted for canadas prestigious giller prize, this profoundly humane novel vancouver sun, wrings suspense and humor out of the everyday choices we make, revealing the delicate balance between sacrifice and selfinterest, doing good and being good. Winner of the 2016 pulitzer prize for fiction, this debut novel could fit into half a dozen genres of vietnam war books from war narrative to immigrant story, from mystery to political, from metafiction to historical and even dark comedy. Subtitled a revolution, a crime, a remarkable boy, a honeymoon, a war a generation revealed 19701979. If you want gripping, true action of ww2, read last battle station, if you can find it, about one of the greatest, rarely told battles of ww2, the battle of java sea, the story of the uss hous. Recalling the vietnam war, 50 years on rice university. The alien surveillance of vietnam has revealed only contradictions and madness. The book describes the expatriate life and relations with the local chinese population.
Ive read all the obrien cacciato and in the lake of the woods are my favorites, so you can save those suggestions. Vietnam war short stories vietnam veterans of america. From his encounters with exvietnamese soldiers to interviews with victims of his own violence, broyles memoir is a reminder of how the brotherhood of man can overcome death, bloodshed, and hatred. Nguyen produces close readings of the novels, films, monuments. But what he did was he interviewed the people he was treating and it was one of the great examples of breaking through the statistics. Online shopping for vietnam war history books in the books store.
Search results for vietnam war download free fiction. The horror of war and the thrill of horror a new book explores the first world war s role in creating the horror genre. Thus, the fiction of the vietnam war proves to be a far more useful device for analyzing the common daily psyche of a people than it proves to be a fount of deathless or even challenging literature. Remembering michael herr, whose dispatches brought the war in. Second, the call number had to begin with pz7, indicating fiction written for a non. Not only one of the best books about the vietnam war, but one of the best non fiction books written by an american. These 10 books, in addition to the ones below, were recommended multiple times. This book was written by a vietnam combat veteran with d1st502nd infantry, 101st aibrone division, mike m60 kelley, who is also an accomplished artist, producing exquisite images of the vietnam war. Vietnam and the memory of war and millions of other books are available for instant access. Dog soldiers won the 1975 national book award for fiction, the first vietnam war novel to do so.
It draws from the entire spectrum of media concerning the war fiction, nonfiction, poetry, song lyrics, film, photography, etc. Books vietnam war era countess at huntingdon college. To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail or phone. In the fiction section, you will find the best books on vietnam war, other vietnam bestseller novels as well as novels set in vietnam.
The ultimate 2020 list of best vietnam books to read. Ten vietnam war novels to read council on foreign relations. These books are set in america during and after the war and explore the experiences of those who fought in vietnam. The book s opening thrusts the reader into the thick of the war s climactic 1972 hanoi christmas bombing, an operation so poorly planned that it nearly became a disaster of epic proportions.
A novel of the vietnam war is a novel by american author and decorated marine karl marlantes. The events of the book are set in hong kong during the vietnam war. May 02, 2017 the great vietnam war novel was not written by an american. The systematic recollection of the vietnam experience ends up being a. The best vietnam war books five books expert recommendations. Nonfiction updated december 2006 a war story is good, but sometimes nonfiction can be more interesting, as in these true vietnam war stories, compiled by reader advisor paul mathews. List of books and articles about vietnam war online. Complete organized chaos for the new guys would begin as we landed in vietnam. The powerful words in these seven books help us understand a complicated time in our recent history, and the political and personal legacy that it still carries. What is a good recommendation for a nonfiction book on wwii. Larry heinemannthe awardwinning novelist much of whose work reflected his experiences as a workingclass kid from chicago who was drafted into the army and served a 196768 vietnam war tour of duty with the 25th. A novel of the vietnam war by karl marlantes from amazons fiction books store.
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