The 14 best military nonfiction books of alltime americas. Three are novels, two of which were written by vietnam war veterans. Mar 07, 2018 the military nonfiction book genre is made up of books about military difference from country to county, strategy, personnel, uniforms, symbols, politics, and events. 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. Bibliography of booklength works and short fiction dealing with the. 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. Drafted as young men, each of them would endure the hardships of a soldiers life and carry those memories long after the war ended. The sorrow of war reprint 1996, riverhead books by bao ninh sad, reflective, poetic book written by a north vietnamese. This was a book i read before i went to vietnam and it was written by an army doctor who wasnt even there. Not only one of the best books about the vietnam war, but one of the best nonfiction books written by an american. These include winners of national book awards and pulitzer prizes, both fiction and nonfiction. Military this is a hilarious tale of an air force combat fighter pilot in vietnam who goes out on patrol with a special forces team he has supported many times from the air. Ten vietnam war novels to read council on foreign relations. The violence, tragedy, bravery, and loss of the vietnam war has been memorialized in countless novels and works of nonfiction.
The vietnam war stands as one of the pivotal moments in recent u. It follows the physical and moral path of a north vietnamese soldier looking to defend the values of communism he thought he believed. It went on to win a number of prestigious awards, including the pulitzer prize for nonfiction, national book award, and the bancroft prize. May 26, 2016 the violence, tragedy, bravery, and loss of the vietnam war has been memorialized in countless novels and works of nonfiction. Vietnam war nonfiction missouri secretary of state. Authored by journalist frances fitzgerald, this account of vietnam, its history, and the effects of its war with the united states was on the bestseller list for more than ten weeks. It is a valuable contribution to the literature not only on vietnam but on the. Among the most positive is an abundance of topnotch books, many written by veterans of the conflict.
A new york times notable book the national bestseller that tells the truth about the vietnam war from the black soldiers perspective. One is literary nonfiction by a vietnam war veteran. Sep 14, 2017 as before, ward has written a weighty companion book to the series. National book awards american literary award britannica. Vietnam \s revolution sparks war the cold war heats up the conflict sinking deeper into hostilities resistance and division spiraling to the end war \s aftermath.
As before, ward has written a weighty companion book to the series. Making history come alive with the nonfiction literature of the vietnam war article in the clearing house 763. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. The definitive collection of fiction and nonfiction on the war 1998 by stewart onan. 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. 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. Philip caputo was a marine who later became a very wellknown journalist. Ive read all the obrien cacciato and in the lake of the woods are my favorites, so you can save those suggestions. Dec, 2017 in the fiction section, you will find the best books on vietnam war, other vietnam bestseller novels as well as novels set in vietnam. Making history come alive with the nonfiction literature. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. The top 30 vietnam war books to read this winter historynet. Johannessen no book about vietnam, or about america itself, will ever have the power for me that this one does, with its haunting, remarkable, ghastly memories of what the young were required to endure.
Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Few american military conflicts of the 20th century were as controversial as the vietnam war. Military nonfiction genre complete list of book genres. History with a human face creative nonfiction and the oral. Literary legacy of the vietnam war ken lopez bookseller. Oct 06, 2016 the pulitzer prizewinning novelist viet thanh nguyen has made the shortlist for the national book award for nonfiction, for his investigation into how the vietnam war is remembered around the world.
Best literature about the vietnam war 285 books goodreads. Go beyond ken burns documentary and discover the landmark memoirs and bestselling novels of the vietnam war. Tell me about the first book on your list, a rumor of war 1977. 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 selections in the book are examples of popular vietnam some are fiction. Gloria emersons winners and losers, which won the national book award, is a collection of pieces by an awardwinning correspondent for the new york times which gives voice to the vietnamese views of the war as well as american ones. The quiet american 1996, reprint, penguin by graeme greene perhaps the most well known book set in vietnam in the english language. Valley of the purple hearts the vietnam war series book 3 kindle edition by destefanis, rick. Valley of the purple hearts the vietnam war series book 3. An oral history of the vietnam war by black veterans by wallace terry.
Daniel ellsberg and the secret history of the vietnam war was a national book award finalist, a yalsa excellence in nonfiction award winner, and a boston globehorn book nonfiction award winner. The general nonfiction award was one of three when the national. An international history of the war for peace in vi. The bookseller discovery and the most original book sometimes recognized nonfiction.
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. A books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. The ultimate 2020 list of best vietnam books to read. Our books experts recommends 10 authors to read on the conflict. Americas wars have inspired some of the worlds best literature, and the vietnam war is no exception. The th valley by john del vecchio there have been a number of excellent books about vietnam. A history of the vietnamese by keith weller taylor, hanois war. Nov 08, 2012 our books experts recommends 10 authors to read on the conflict. By 1955, and after decades of resistance to french colonials, vietnam was partitioned into northern and southern territories. The picture of the little girl and the napalm bombing is one of the most famous pictures concerning the war. The military genre can consists, for instance, of an autobiography of a member of military personnel who did great things or made a decision that changed the tide of a war using. This book is a collection of fascinating short stories, photos, and documents furnished by the heroic and courageous men that served as air or ground crew members in vietnam. An intimate history tells once again the painful tale of americas protracted, divisive and most would.
The final book on your list of books about the vietnam war is 365 days. Vietnam\s revolution sparks war the cold war heats up the conflict sinking deeper into hostilities resistance and division spiraling to the end war\s aftermath. A few years ago when i began teaching the american literature of the vietnam war, i tried to find an anthology my students could usea book that collected all the major work in one place. Dec 05, 2015 the quiet american 1996, reprint, penguin by graeme greene perhaps the most well known book set in vietnam in the english language. The awards were founded in 1950 by the american book publishers council, american booksellers association, and book manufacturers institute. These short fictions, most of them memoirbased, neither glorify nor even excuse war but come forward instead as eloquent testament to the tragic lunacy of it. The panelists are five writers who are known to be doing great work in their genre or field. It is difficult to commit to one without dwelling on what the others could have offered. 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.
Diving into a book about the vietnam war can be a daunting task. To order any of these titles, contact the library by email, mail or phone. The literature about the vietnam war, as raw and real as it was, seems to have faded from view. History with a human face creative nonfiction and the oral histories of the vietnam war. Discover the best vietnam war history in best sellers. Best fictioncreative nonfiction about the vietnam war. Some of the better literature of the war is unambiguously nonfiction. Being the first major american military blunder to happen, more or less in the public eye, it comes as no surprise that there has been a lot of literature, both fiction and nonfiction, centered around it. The original national book awards recognized the most distinguished. Described in 1956 as a novel of sexual intrigue, savage warfare, and some mystery. Discover some of the most recommended and best vietnam war books in fiction, nonfiction, and middle grade and childrens literature. Jun 14, 2018 authored by journalist frances fitzgerald, this account of vietnam, its history, and the effects of its war with the united states was on the bestseller list for more than ten weeks.
The best vietnam war books five books expert recommendations. Teaching nonfiction literature of the vietnam war larry r. My top 10 fiction and nonfiction books to read on vietnam. Making history come alive with the nonfiction literature of the. The military nonfiction book genre is made up of books about military difference from country to county, strategy, personnel, uniforms, symbols, politics, and events. Stuart murray traces the history of the asian war that killed over 58,000 americans, discussing the causes and effects, leaders, major battles, guerrilla warfare, aerial bombing, weaponry, peace negotiations, and. Dog soldiers won the 1975 national book award for fiction, the first vietnam war novel to do so. National book awards, annual awards given to books of the highest quality written by americans and published by american publishers. The national book award for nonfiction is one of five annual national book awards, which are given by the national book foundation to recognize outstanding literary work by u. Nothing comparable to this collection exists within the literature growing out of the vietnam war. Readers weighed in on the best books about the vietnam war. In my mind its one of the first really wellwritten books that describe the moral ambiguities and difficulties faced by a young marine officer in this particular war.
Friendly fire, one of the earliest 1976 notable nonfiction books about the vietnam war, is now available electronically through open road media. Banned in vietnam, duon thu huongs powerful novel offers an entirely different perspective from what much of american literature and film about the war has brought to the forefront. I think this book is a great overview of vietnam era literature and reccommend it. In the short history of vietnam war literature, publishers would hardly touch a. Sep 19, 2017 banned in vietnam, duon thu huongs powerful novel offers an entirely different perspective from what much of american literature and film about the war has brought to the forefront. Nonfiction an intimate history of killing by joanna bourke. 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. Nam is hardly just another batch of macho war stories. Making history come alive with the nonfiction literature of. The pulitzer prizewinning novelist viet thanh nguyen has made the shortlist for the national book award for nonfiction, for his investigation into how the. Unlike great war fiction the red and the black, the red badge of courage, war and peace, all quiet on the western front, and a farewell to arms that is read for generations, becoming part of a literary culture, the vietnam novels and memoirs. The vietnam war in literature further reading essay. Sheinkin lives in saratoga springs, new york, with his wife and two children.
Vietnam war nonfiction books for sale in stock ebay. Its subtitle the definitive oral history told from all sides describes it perfectly. A slew of war memoirs stand with the best writing of that genre. I really find that era fascinating and terrible and confusing, and so many great stories about so many great things came out of it. 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. The vietnam war has scarred, transformed and inspired countless writers and art practitioners. Student response to nonfiction literature of the vietnam war a number of teachers who have taught the nonfiction literature of the vietnam war report that student response always goes beyond their expectations. Banned in vietnam, duon thu huongs powerful novel offers an entirely different perspective from what much of american literature and film. The original national book awards recognized the most distinguished biography and nonfiction books two of 1935 and 1936, and the favorite nonfiction books of 1937 to 1940. It includes interviews with 5 people involved in the war.
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