The Vietnam War - (Uncovering the Past: Documentary Readers in American History) by Edward Miller (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The Vietnam War is an outstanding collection of primary documents related to America's conflict in Vietnam which includes a balance of original American and Vietnamese perspectives, providing a uniquely varied range of insights into both American and Vietnamese experiences.

• Includes substantial non-American content, including many original English translations of Vietnamese-authored texts which showcase the diversity and complexity of Vietnamese experiences during the war
• Contains original American documents germane to the continuing debates about the causes, consequences and morality of the US intervention
• Incorporates personal histories of individual Americans and Vietnamese
• Introductory headnotes place each document in context
• Features a range of non-textual documents, including iconic photographs and political cartoons

From the Back Cover

Through a collection of carefully-selected primary documents, The Vietnam War provides a varied range of both American and Vietnamese perspectives and experiences of this critical international conflict. The text features documents that foster discussion on the continuing debates about the causes, consequences and morality of the US intervention. It also looks at the human side of the war, its impact on ordinary soldiers and civilians, and the deep and enduring fissures that the war created within US society.

A guided tour of primary documents from both countries, the text introduces each source with a brief background summary to help the reader situate it in the context of the period. The text draws on recent scholarship and Miller's own expertise in Vietnamese history and Vietnamese archival sources to examine the motives and experiences of Vietnamese groups and individuals. The author includes several original translations of Vietnamese documents not previously available in English. Documents have been selected with the most important and exciting recent trends in scholarship in mind, and include personal histories from individuals involved.

About the Author

Edward Miller is Associate Professor of History at Dartmouth College. His research uses archival collections in the US and Vietnam to examine both sides of the Vietnam War experience. His first book, Misalliance: Ngo Dinh Diem, the United States, and the Fate of South Vietnam, will be published in 2013.