Vietnam: A History by Stanley Karnow Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Vietnam: A History
Book Review: Exceptional History of the war
Summary: 5 Stars
I was born the year the last American soldier left Vietnam, and I have grown up under the pall that the Vietnam War continues to cast over this nation. The regret and confusion in my parents generation continues in the nation's subconscious, blackening our memories and passing its scars on to the next generation.I read this book after a visit to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. in order to understand the passion and emotion that sit deep in our nation's heart. I was not disappointed.
Karnow not only provides a supurb history of Vietnam and its most recently fought war, but also speaks of the intensity of emotion that seared this war into the national consiousness. Karnow provides a textbook understanding of the war with the objectivity of a reporter who followed the events in Vietnam since its French occupation just after World War II.
The strength of Karnow's book is that he places the Vietnam War in context of the history of Vietnam. This historical knowledge is essential in understanding America's experience and the many miscalculations made during the conflict. Karnow's book will be read by many generations of people who want to understand this defining moment in American history.
Book Review: Flawed But Fine
Summary: 4 Stars
Much of Mr. Karnow's work is outstanding. Vietnam's historical development, especially the two century lead up to the present time, is expertly handled. The Johnson Administration's slide into the Vietnam quagmire and its inept responses to policy flaws and South Vietnamese political and military setbacks is documented clearly by the author. Karnow expertly portrays the chaotic South Vietnamese political and military situation and seemed to be well-aquainted with all the major figures in South Vietnam. Karnow explains a South Vietnam where major villages within an hour's drive of Saigon would be VietCong strongpoints, resilient enough to be overrun by American forces only to return to being VietCong villages as soon as the Americans left. Although Karnow does not dictate to his readers, one is left with the idea that the war was unwinnable as the Americans chose to fight it and that the war was utterly foolish. However, here is where one of Karnow's flaws comes to bear. He showers contempt on Johnson Administration figure Walter Rostow's suggestion that the only way to defeat the communists in Vietnam was to invade the North and take Hanoi. Yet, in hindsight, invading the North and occupying Hanoi, the organizational center of the communists, was the only way to defeat the communists. Karnow spends little time explaining American military strategy; what the American soldiers on the ground went through is largely ignored. The South Vietnamese military is belittled by Karnow but why it was often ineffectual is not really explained by Karnow. Karnow's explanation of the rapid collapse of the South Vietnamese army in 1975 is lacking as Karnow tells the reader that the South Vietnamese controlled over 80 % of South Vietnam a year before its ignominious defeat. As 1974 begins, Karnow paints a picture of a confident South Vietnamese army on the march. By Christmas, 1974, the first provincial capital is taken by the communists and the demoralization and collapse of the South Vietnamese is at hand. Why? As for North Vietnam, Karnow spends little time in explaining the merciless collectivization of the society. It is not in Karnow's make-up to be too critical of Ho Chi Minh and his fanatical communists. Karnow's villains are to his right and not to his left. Karnow's claim that North Vietnamese General Giap was as much of a military genius as Napoleon or Lee is laughable. Giap had many millions of Vietnamese men to sacrifice to obtain victory and he was more than willing to send them off to their deaths for the greater glory of the communist future. Lastly, it is plain that Karnow does not see Ho Chi Minh or General Giap or their communist fellow-travelers in blood as the wicked creatures that they were. Karnow is almost gleeful that the communist Vietnamese raised their flag over Saigon in April, 1975 and continue to misrule that wretched nation 28 years later.Book Review: Fully Referenced
Summary: 5 Stars
Of all the books on the subject of what the people of Vn call The American War, this book stands out. It's written by someone who was actually there but not biased by having fought for one side or the other. Best of all it's fully referenced, Karnow backs up everything he says. It gives an excellent history of Vietnam showing it's history of being occupied, it's heroes from centuries ago (many women warriors) on up through the French and how the USA got stuck into it. You won't go wrong by buying this book.Book Review: George Ball had it right
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an excellent choice for those wanting to know how the US got involved in Vietnam, why we stayed so long, and how the end game played out. That is why I got the book, and I was not expecting to find the earlier history, involving the French, to be very interesting. But I was surprised by how absorbing that subject was. I grew up during the Vietnam War, but didn't follow it very closely, and so this book was amazing to read. I shook my head a lot, and sat there staring off into space amazed at what LBJ set in motion. I also imagined arguing with someone who still thinks we could have "won" the war, how futile that discussion would be. An excellent companion book is the oral history by Chris Appy. It's a perfect complement to this somewhat detached volume.Book Review: Good but lacking and lopsided
Summary: 3 Stars
For a so-called "complete" history of Vietnam, this book was decidedly lopsided in some areas. For example, he spends hundreds of pages with useful and interesting pre-1965 historical background, but then skims over the post-1969 events, which were some of the most crucial. He does the same with the political leaders involved, describing Generals Ky and Khan, even though each of them only ruled for a short period of time, while devoting little time to exploring Thieu's biography, even though he played the dominant role for much of our involvement there. For the Kennedy-Johnson administrations, Karnow provides rich details of the internal debates, politics, and considerations. One gets the sense that the author's contacts ran out after Nixon won the election, so he doesn't really discuss this period in nearly as much depth.
Overall, I would preferred if the author had given us a bit more of a sense of South Vietnam, why it did not fight and was riddled with corruption, the personalities involved, etc. The best parts of the book are undoubtedly when he recalls interviews from vietnamese, North and South, who played key roles, providing fresh information.
This book was a useful overview of the Vietnam War and its roots, but doesn't really provide any new insights or in-depth understanding of Vietnam the country.