Vietnam War Reference Library: Primary Sources

Vietnam War: Primary Sources features excerpts from screenplays, literature, speeches and hearings representing pro and con viewpoints during and after the conflict. From an American soldiers accounts of combat to contemporary reflections, Vietnam War: Primary Sources brings you heated debates from a country in conflict. Look for excerpts from a varied selection of sources:

• Ho Chi Minhs letter to the editor of the the American magazine Minority of One, which shares his perspective on the war
• Martin Luther King Jr.s antiwar speech Beyond Vietnam
• Robert F. Kennedys 1968 speech on the Vietnam War, calling for an end to U.S. support
• Walter Cronkites CBS television broadcast on the war
• Excerpt from Tim OBriens story On the Rainy River|
• Excerpt from Kent State University student Bill Rubensteins essay |Tragedy at Kent, | in which he describes the National Guard shootings that killed four of his fellow students in 1970
• Richard Nixons 1969 |Silent Majority| televised speech, in which he outlines his plan for ending the war
• Excerpt from Le Ly Hayslips memoir |When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, | in which she remembers how the war divided her Vietnamese village
• Excerpt from Philip Caputos memoirs that detail his experiences in Vietnam as a U.S. Marine
• Interview with Julie Forsythe, an American relief worker at a civilian rehabilitation center in Quang Ngai provinc

Grade 7 Up-Almanac provides a good overview of the background to, conduct of, and the continuing legacy of the Vietnam War. Chapters are arranged either chronologically or thematically, with clear headings and subheadings. Biographies profiles 60 people from the era, including political and military leaders, journalists, authors, protestors, soldiers, and civilians. Primary Sources, the strongest title of the set, draws on letters, speeches, excerpts from memoirs, and reminiscences from a wide spectrum of participants and leaders. The Hillstroms have incorporated recent scholarship but the real strength here is the inclusion of so many points of view. The books feature captioned black-and-white photos, many of which are among the best known of the era. Sidebars provide additional information, and each chapter, biography, or primary source has a bibliography, a real help for researchers. Although these books will provide students with outstanding report material, they are so well written they could be recommended to general readers. A comprehensive, objective resource.
Mary Mueller, Rolla Junior High School, MO
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This resource offers students and history buffs coverage of topics, people, and events related to the Vietnam War. The segments--Almanac, Biographies, and Primary Sources--make up the Vietnam War Reference Library ($155 [0-7876-4882-5]).

Almanac combines early history from the colonial period, U.S. involvement, and the war years and continues through the reestablishment of diplomacy and trade in recent years. Arranged chronologically, each of the 17 chapters includes "Words to Know" and "People to Know."

Biographies focuses on 60 important figures, including military and political leaders (Spiro Agnew, Ngo Dinh Diem, Pol Pot), activists (Daniel Berrigan, Jane Fonda), writers (Le Ly Hayslip, Tim O'Brien), and prominent veterans (Ron Kovic, John McCain) on both sides of the conflict. Most of these are arranged alphabetically, but some sidebars highlight other people. All are listed in the complete index at the end of both volumes. A picture of each personality accompanies the informative text.

Primary Sources presents 13 full or excerpted speeches and writings "that reflect the painfully diversified points of view on the war." Among them are excerpts from a letter Ho Chi Minh wrote to the editor of the American magazine Minority of One in 1964; Walter Cronkite's editorial following the Tet Offensive in 1968; and James Stockdale's 1984 memoir, In Love and War. Each excerpt includes background material to provide context. Unfamiliar terms and their definitions fill sidebars, along with other relevant information and photographs.

The numerous sidebars, photographs, and maps enhance the text through all four volumes. Each volume is indexed and has additional bibliographies and glossary helps. A paper cumulative index for all three titles is available free when the entire set is purchased. The individual titles can stand alone, but the complete set gives an all-encompassing picture of the time period.

This set is highly recommended for the junior- and senior-high-school libraries and public libraries. It gathers, in a readable format, information that deserves attention from adults who lived through this time period, as well as the student who needs information about the Vietnam War. RBB
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