Vietnam - An Epic Tragedy, 1945-1975
This is an interesting book, if you are really really into history. A book by Max Hastings.
I started this book with the intention of learning the cause and story behind the notorious Vietnam war. I ended up with knowing a US officer dick being shot off in a battle.
The book is so much in details, it really is impressive. The author spent three years interviewing people from both sides of the war and gave a neutral stand and accurate report of the whole incident. This is a fresh perspective for the western people, where most of them only understand or choose to believe that the tragedy is theirs and only theirs. In fact, both sides commit unforgivable atrocities which the author captured and conveyed clearly.
The author construct the book in a chronological fashion, the historical event is easy to follow and the map in each chapter is a lot easier for understanding the various battles. It is simply amazing the author can be so accurate for the reporting without making the reader feels like it is siding with either party. If you are a huge history nerd, this will be a very good companion book for a long time.
Yes, for a long time. This book is very very long, at least for me. I've spent months on this book, got bored, then came back and months more to finish it. Max Hastings is a highly respectable historian, he has many other highly acclaimed historical non-fiction as well. However, I think this type of book only appeal to smaller audience. I would only suggest it if you really really like reading detailed history events.