By claiming to stick to the perceptions of the White House, the author often avoids making his own interpretations.

Not having been alive at the time, I felt that I learned quite a bit about the reasons for the US actions from start to finish. But these are detours the focus generally stays on the US presidents and their top advisors from start to finish. The author takes care to switch back and forth between different perspectives - the US government, the North Vietnamese leadership, US soldiers, and occasionally the Chinese and Soviet governments. At one point the book quotes an American in 1990s Vietnam saying, 'Vietnam is a country, not a war.' Despite its title this book is a history of the US war in Vietnam, not the country itself. without stooping to an imitation of their accents. Having listened and reflected on the book for a long time, it is one of the most satisfying I have ever heard.įirst I should say that the narrator does an excellent job of evoking the speaking styles of various real personalities - LBJ, Nixon, Kissinger, etc. Starting with ancient Vietnam and leading up to the modern age, the listener experiences the whole of Vietnam’s history. He does not indulge himself in Monday morning quarterbacking, but instead illuminates the reasoning at the time for the actions that were taken. His treatment of all sides appears to be firm, but not hypocritical. His research includes interviews and commentary from American, South and North Vietnamese.

Having listened to the entire book, I still can’t tell you his personal opinions about Vietnam. Karnow’s point of view is clear and objective. Yet no movie could capture the mystery, intrigue, confusion and frustration of the real story. As a result, my entire knowledge of Vietnam prior to reading this book came from Hollywood movies. Having been born in the mid 70’s almost no one ever wanted to discuss the Vietnam war in my household.

Vietnam by Stanley Karnow