Freedman, Russell. Vietnam: A History of the War. Holiday House
2016 150p $20.00 ISBN
978-0-8234-3658-3 hs/adult Nonfiction
E-BN
After reading the first
chapter of this book, any reader would be able to surmise that Russell Freedman
is an award-winning author. One does not
have to read the back cover to know that many of his books have won widespread
praise. His style is very readable. In
addition, his choice of information to include in a book that could easily have been a
ten-volume set and his strategic choice and placement of photographs combine to
make this a stellar book. His vocabulary
is as rich as his narrative style, and he has a way of presenting nonfiction
that makes it read like fiction.
Nonfiction is often a tough choice for young adults to make when
settling down to read. This book will
not be a tough choice. Because of the
great notoriety of the Vietnam War, the book will be read, and read by
many. One could easily see a social
studies teacher centering an entire unit on this book. There is certainly enough content to
encourage lots of debate, both written and oral. It showcases the years of
oppression suffered by the Vietnamese and portrays the indomitable spirit of a
people who despised being under the control of others, starting with the
Chinese, followed by the French, and continuing with the Americans (who, as
Freedman mentions, were viewed as an oppressor by the North.) With nonfiction it can be difficult to
refrain from showing one’s bias, but Freedman does a wonderful job of
presenting controversial data by using lots of primary sources. As Freedman notes, had the United States
agreed to Ho Chi Minh’s wishes, the war could have been prevented. He describes the dismay of the American
people at finding themselves embroiled in a war to prevent the spread of
Communism, when actually, the Vietnamese people suffered far greater harm
during the war than they might have under a Communist dictatorship. Freedman leaves it for the reader to decide
who was right and who was wrong in this war.
Summary: Freedman’s book
starts with pre-history, goes through the French occupation, continues with the
rise in power of Ho Chi Minh, and describes the details of the war, both
politically and emotionally, with statistics, dates, principle characters and
aftermath.
Vietnam War —Martha
Squaresky
