More than forty years after it ended, the vietnam war continues to haunt our country. It is the timeless story of a young marine lieutenant, waino mellas, and his comrades in bravo company, who are dropped into the mountain jungle of vietnam as boys and forced to fight their way into manhood. Popular vietnam war fiction books showing 149 of 49 matterhorn paperback by. Military science fiction is a subgenre of science fiction that features the use of science fiction technology, mainly weapons, for military purposes and usually principal characters that are members of a military organization involved in military activity, usually during a war. A list of interesting, insightful and above all truelife or truetolife books on vietnam. Bao ninh, the sorrow of war 1991 bao ninh is a writer from hanoi who fought for north vietnam, and his novel sorrow of war, though fiction, offers a strikingly intimate portrait of war on. The book s opening thrusts the reader into the thick of the wars climactic 1972 hanoi christmas bombing, an operation so poorly planned that it nearly became a disaster of epic proportions.
Here are eight books about the experiences of those effected by the war. In january of 1973 we in the defense attache office in the american embassy, phnom penh, cambodia, found ourselves in an unusual situation. In 1971, bill blake encounters fragging, racism, and heroin addiction while defending soldiers in courtmartial trials as a young army jag lawyer. Best fictioncreative nonfiction about the vietnam war. Discover the best vietnam war history in best sellers.
Feb 05, 2008 a rumor of war, philip caputo to call it the best book about vietnam is to trivialise it. Apr 25, 2017 one of these books was written before vietnam, one written after. One of these books was written before vietnam, one written after. The vietnam veterans memorial book vietnam war books. To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail or phone. From the awardwinning historian and filmmakers of the civil war, baseball, the war, the roosevelts, and others. The best vietnam war books five books expert recommendations. The korean war was short and bloody, resulting in the deaths of 5 million people, more than half were civilians. The th valley by john del vecchio there have been a number of excellent books about vietnam.
Out of american pulp, comic book, and movie sf of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. In vietnam, all us forces were ordered to cease fighting and that included air assets as well as the ground troops. You may also request these titles online through our opac. Patrick sheane duncan knows war and he knows how to create riveting fiction. In this great and necessary addition to the canon of vietnam war memoirs the author is a thoroughly human virgil guiding us through the hell of combat new york journal of books.
Sf fans who tried escaping from the vietnam war by diving into the magazine of. Apr 08, 2010 intense, powerful, and compelling, matterhorn is an epic war novel in the tradition of norman mailers the naked and the dead and james joness the thin red line. Moyars work, though selfcontradictory in parts, is one of the most lauded texts among those who view the vietnam war as the 20th centurys lost cause. A rumor of war, philip caputo to call it the best book about vietnam is to trivialise it. All the strongest work is here, from mainstream bestsellers to radical poetry, from tim obrien to marvin gaye. To say that the forever war is the best science fiction war novel ever written is to damn it with faint praise. Anyone interested in the war should also read martin windrows the last valley. It is the only work to detail the b52 air war in vietnam from the perspective of a navigatorbombardier. Not all of these books have a direct connection to any particular anti war movement. The list includes fiction and nonfiction, and books for children and younger readers. Conduct to the prejudice of good order dane, dan on. Karl marlantes shelved 5 times as vietnamwarfiction avg rating 4. Feel how this story takes you back in time during carsons experiences. I am yet to read a better general history of the war than michael maclears vietnam.
The vietnam war has produced as much literature as w. The greatest battle of the vietnam air war the air combat trilogy book 2 jeffrey ethell. It is, for all its technoextrapolative brilliance, as fine and woundingly genuine a war story as any ive read. Matterhorn by karl marlantes, the things they carried by tim obrien, the th valley by john m. These 10 books, in addition to the ones below, were recommended multiple times. 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. Most important of all, it has spawned numerous books of the effects on those involved.
The necessary war, michael lind if you only read one book on the vietnam war, this is it. He chooses the best books on the vietnam war, exploring its moral ambiguities, the warrior mentality, the humanity of the enemy, and more. Unlike great war fictionthe red and the black, the red badge of courage, war and peace, all quiet on the western front, and a farewell to armsthat is read for generations, becoming part of a literary culture, the vietnam novels and memoirs are specific to a time and place. In a fight to reunify their divided country under communist rule, the north vietnamese rebelled against the anticommunist southwhich included their longtime enemies, the french. This text book on the vietnam war is to be used in. Harry summers is perhaps the expert on the military history of the war from a western perspective. 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. Tree of smoke, a novel by denis johnson about the vietnam war that features stories of american and vietnamese soldiers, won the national book award for fiction. As long as there has been a military machineand selfimportant leaders turning the crank which turns the cogs soldiersthere have been novels poking fun at armies clashing on the battlefield and in certain strangelovian war rooms.
Ten vietnam war novels to read council on foreign relations. This book is brought to you for free and open access by the research based on the imaginative representations of the. One of the first fictional vietnam war books, and often touted as one of the best vietnam novels, its a facepaced wonder that follows draftee philip dosier as he is drafted into the war, completes a of tour of duty, and comes home. Readers weighed in on the best books about the vietnam war.
Movies, tv shows, paperback novels, magazines, and even comic books on the war have. This muchadmired novelit received the national book award for fictionfeatures a plot that revolves around the vietnam war and drug smuggling. Its been 67 years since the controversial korean war, sometimes called americas forgotten warsandwiched between wwii and vietnam, began. If you are going to vietnam, these books will make your journey more meaningful. Mar 06, 2015 dog soldiers won the 1975 national book award for fiction, the first vietnam war novel to do so. 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. The new york times vietnam correspondent and sometime saigon bureau chief during the war, langguth has since written eight books including patriots. The books opening thrusts the reader into the thick of the wars climactic 1972 hanoi christmas bombing, an operation so poorly planned that it nearly became a disaster of epic proportions.
Oct, 2017 its been 67 years since the controversial korean war, sometimes called americas forgotten warsandwiched between wwii and vietnam, began. Dec 05, 2015 experience what life was like for the general populace during the war. Intense, powerful, and compelling, matterhorn is an epic war novel in the tradition of norman mailers the naked and the dead and james joness the thin red line. His streamofconscious descriptions are chaotic, choppy, dark, and intense, giving the reader an honest sense. If you havent been yet, or dont even plan to go, they will still enrich your knowledge about a. Vietnam war novel wins national book award the new york. Vietnam war nonfiction missouri secretary of state. The duality of these two novels exemplifies a tonal shift in american science fiction.
The vietnam war has scarred, transformed and inspired countless writers and art practitioners. Vietnam war, 19611975 comic books, strips, etc 1 works vietnam war, 19611975 commando operations 5 works vietnam war, 19611975 commando operations fiction 1 works. Books with anti war themes have explicit anti war messages or have been described as having significant anti war themes or sentiments. The vietnam war was a watershed moment in american history. The soldiers and journalists who wrote about the war were close to. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Discover book depositorys huge selection of vietnam war books online.
Historical fiction adventure vietnam war conduct of life. The traitors is an unusual vietnam war novel, lengthy over 500 pages, tedious. The 1960s gave rise to books like kurt vonneguts slaughterhousefive, babel17 by samuel delany, and of course frank herberts dune. Peter clarks year in vietnam began in july 1966, when he was shipped out with hundreds of other young recruits as a replacement in the 1st infantry. 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. 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.
Duncana vietnam war veteran screenwriter, director, and novelist mr. This book brings the memorials to them ru airborne inc, 2016. Conduct to the prejudice of good order offers a glimpse of conditions in the first cavalry division around bien hoa during the last years of the vietnam war. Books with antiwar themes have explicit antiwar messages or have been described as having significant antiwar themes or sentiments. Booktopia buy vietnam war books online from australias leading online bookstore. My top 10 fiction and nonfiction books to read on vietnam. Through the years ronny found that many vietnam veterans wish they could visit the numerous vietnam veteran memorials throughout the country but are not able due to time, money, distance or health. This autobiographical novel features rich characters when stock, cliche characters could have easily been used. When i think back to reading either book for the first time, and other vietnam war books, the memories that come to me are of the owl coffee mug i. While its not literally about vietnam, the author was a soldier in that war. Military police duty in saigon in 196667 was a surreal combination of army nitpicking on a stateside scale, protecting u. Hollands opus, courage under fire, 84 charlie mopic, vietnam war stories, nick o read more. Start your 48hour free trial to unlock this the vietnam war in short fiction study guide and get instant access to the following critical essays.
A vietnam war story 2002, public affairs by john laurence with over half a decade of service as a war correspondent in vietnam, john laurence earned deserved accolades for his reportage. Vietnam war teens, military history teens, books barnes. The vietnam war as american science fiction and fantasy. Committee to aid the national liberation front of south vietnam, ca. But in the right handsholding the pen askew at just the right anglewar can also be funny as hell. The list includes fiction and non fiction, and books for children and younger readers. Vietnam war novels contain elements of fantasy, allegory, black humor. The sympathizer by viet thanh nguyen the 2016 pulitzer prize winner for fiction, viet thanh nguyens the. Dog soldiers won the 1975 national book award for fiction, the first vietnam war novel to do so.
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