Vietnam – An Epic Tragedy, 1945 – 1975

 

 

Vietnam – An Epic Tragedy, 1945 – 1975 – Max Hastings

History is by far my favorite genre to read, and the more recent the history, the better for me. I think there are two reasons. The first is that, as time progresses, we have access to much more information.  Most of ancient history has to be deduced from what little events was actually recorded. Even much of 18^th and 19^th century knowledge is based on writings and correspondence.  The 20^th century, however, has made available the newsreel, so it’s much easier to deduce what actually happened.  The second reason is that the more recent the events are, the more the influence is felt on how the world is currently shaped.  It’s a lot harder to shake off the mistakes from 50 years ago as opposed to 5,000 years ago.  (However historians still warn us about our repetitive nature.)

Anyway, the Vietnam War was by all means, a tragic mistake, yet because of the reasons I described, it’s still fascinating to read and study despite the harshness.  Max Hastings’ account is all encompassing; another factor that adds to my enjoyment.  As the title implies, the story takes place almost two decades before the U.S. involvement and concludes with the overthrow of Saigon.  So yes, the war itself is the major player, but we’re also exposed to much of the “why” in addition to “what has happened since”.

Another highlight is that the author discusses all aspects involved.  He doesn’t simply stay on the battlefield with the divisions and battalions.  Yes, there’s plenty of that here, but there’s also the politics – both Vietnamese and U.S. (and some French), the reactions from the peace movement, the torn up countryside, and various other factions.  It tells the whole story.  The fact that the author is a native of Great Britain means that the story isn’t too skewed. He writes the account as an unbiased observer, and his opinions tend to mesh with what the consensus observed during the conflict.

All of the highlights (nay lowlights) are here and one who has a fairly astute knowledge of the key elements of the war might not necessarily learn anything new, but much of their knowledge will be enhanced by the many personal reflections and various anecdotes. I couldn’t help but think of the wonderful Ken Burns documentary that essentially did the same thing.  There are many books that focus on the fighting, others focus on the U.S. government’s bungling, while yet others focus on the counterculture that took to the streets across the country and loudly protested – both in voice and in song.

I’ve read a bit of all of these, and I have to honestly say that this book was my favorite overall. It’s a great companion piece for one who knows it all, yet it’s equally appealing to the novice who may not know much history.  In fact, I quickly found the author’s other works on Amazon and added them to my already too large compendium of “authors whose work I need to read more”.  A good problem to have, I guess.

The book is big and beefy, but it’s never boring and is extremely rewarding.  The amount of time spent reading is well worth it.  It’s not pretty, but sadly history rarely is.