Voices from Vietnam

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

``This book is not about the politics of history of the Vietnam War. It is about what it was like to be in Vietnam,'' writes Denenberg (The True Story of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI). Using the words of men and women affected by the events in Vietnam, the author paints a disturbing picture of ``the first war the United States ever lost.'' The quotes come from a variety of sources, including then-president Lyndon Johnson, Jane Fonda and Walter Cronkite, and provide conflicting viewpoints on the war and its purpose. But most memorable are those of the numerous soldiers who fought in Vietnam-they discuss, among other things, the fear of death, the use of drugs to escape the horror of fighting, the pressure to believe in what they were doing, and confusion over anti-war sentiment. Arranged chronologically, the statements (except those made by military officials) become progressively more doubtful and despondent as the war drags on. Throughout, the terrible suffering of all involved remains the central focus. A moving tribute to the lingering effects of a painful period in American history. Ages 12-up. (Jan.)

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-Denenberg has gathered accounts that attest to the terrible human cost of the long conflict in Vietnam. Although the entire period of U.S. involvement is covered, this is not meant to be a general history. The author supplies only limited background information, supplemented with primary-source material from scholarly works, to provide a structure for the quotes, letters, diary entries, and reminiscences (some of which are quite graphic) of Americans and Vietnamese who experienced the war. Their words provide a perspective that is often missing in books that have a more traditional historical focus. Denenberg includes some material that is critical of the North Vietnamese, but he saves his harshest criticisms for the U.S. and South Vietnam, an interpretation that does little to help readers gain a fuller understanding of the war. Although report writers will need to consult titles with more coverage and analysis, such as Albert Marrin's America in Vietnam (Viking, 1992), Voices from Vietnam will draw students who want to understand why the conflict continues to invoke such extreme personal reactions.-Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MO

Chris Sherman

Denenberg scoured an impressive array of personal narratives and histories of the Vietnam War to produce this fine chronicle of U.S. involvement, which stretches from the late 1940s to 1975. Readers will surely be moved by the carefully chosen excerpts from the letters and personal accounts of soldiers, military and political leaders, diplomats, intelligence officers, medical personnel, Vietnamese citizens, journalists, and activists, whose varied experiences convey the traumatic climate of the period. The inclusion of writings by North Vietnamese soldiers is particularly interesting. Denenberg's seamless commentary introduces each phase of the war and links the passages, providing a balance that heightens the poignancy, frustration, or resolve expressed. A high-caliber oral history expressly for young adults, this definitely deserves a place in both school and public library collections. Source notes are provided for each chapter, and the book includes an extensive bibliography of adult books, a glossary, and a chronology.