What Was the Vietnam War?
The Vietnam War was as much a part of the tumultuous Sixties as Flower Power and the Civil Rights Movement. Five US presidents were convinced that American troops could end a war in the small, divided country of Vietnam and stop Communism from spreading in Southeast Asia. But they were wrong, and the result was the death of 58,000 American troops. Presenting all sides of a complicated and tragic chapter in recent history, Jim O'Connor explains why the US got involved, what the human cost was, and how defeat in Vietnam left a lasting scar on America.
Reviews (107)
Well written
The book covered the war very well for the audience it was intended for. However, there are a number of references in which the author failed to tell the full story, for example: - On pg 54 he did not properly discuss the true results of Agent Orange use in Nam on American Troops who are now affected, fighting for benefits and dying. - On pg 57 he refers to a Vietnamese 9 yr old girl whose clothes were set on fire by a US bomb which is 100% incorrect. Phan Thi Kim Phúc and her family were residents of the village of Trảng Bà ng in South Vietnam. On June 8, 1972, South Vietnamese planes dropped a napalm bomb on Trảng Bà ng, which had been attacked and occupied by North Vietnamese forces. AMERICAN forces did not do it. Phan Thi Kim Phuc is an American citizen now. - On pg 63, the author refers to the 30,000 young men who went to Canada rather than be drafted. The correct number is 90% of the 100,000 deserters that President Carter pardoned in 1971. ~90,000 living in Canada. There are other miscues, but those should document the major ones. thank you, Signed: An American Vietnam Veteran
A bit involved for a young person but excellent summarization
I am reading this to my 9 year old who has a difficult time reading. I'd let him try himself, but the number of unique vocabulary words and terms is pretty high. The author could do little about that as the names of Vietnamese locations and people cannot be changed for the book. But, the book starts with the history of Vietnam (going back prior to Christ) and explains everything from the French colonization (in the 1800s), the French war, vietnamese elections, UN decision process, Ho Chin Minh's childhood and all. Actual History majors don't learn this extensive a history of the region. I thought it would start with the domino theory and then the escalation 1965 escalation, some battles, the Tet Offensive, negotiations for peace, more battles and the deescalation. The added information was interesting to me, but a bit involved for a kid just learning about the war's existence.
Great for boys!
My 8 year old loves these books so much, we’ve worked most of our homeschooling around them. It’s very common for boys to be more interested in non-fiction titles so I’m very happy to have these books for him. They are a very quick read so he averages two a day but he’s also a bookworm. We have our own little library of this series at home and can’t wait for more titles!
Our kids love these books
There are so many Who Is/Was? What Is? Where is? books and they are super informative. It has been so neat to have had the kids read some of these books together and then way later we run in to an area that they read about and they recall so many details from the books. We have this one and several others and are building up our collection!
I learn too
My 9 year old son is deeply into history so we are devouring these books. We actually read this in 2 days over Christmas vacation. A totally depressing topic written for everyone to understand. These books are a gem.
That it's telling the truth
Like, my cousin read it to his grandfather who is a VN VET.
Would use seller again
Waiting to send it to our grandson with a note from his grand father who was an Air Force Commander there.
worth it
when i read who/what was books its always satisfying reading them from a person who came from Vietnam its exacty what my grandparents told me of the war.
Great Book Series
I love the What Was/Is series of books. This book was added to my classroom library. Fifth graders love these books.
WHAT WAS THE VIETNAM WAR?
I DID NOT order the Kindle version of the Vietnam book. I DID order the paperback version of the Vietnam book. PLEASE MAKE THE CORRECT ADJUSTMENTS.
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