The Vietnam War

An Intimate History

By: Geoffrey C. Ward, Ken Burns

Narrated by: Fred Sanders, Ken Burns, Brian Corrigan

From the award-winning historian and filmmakers of The Civil War, Baseball, The War, The Roosevelts, and others: a vivid, uniquely powerful history of the conflict that tore America apart - the companion volume to the major multipart PBS film to be aired in September 2017.

More than 40 years after it ended, the Vietnam War continues to haunt our country. We still argue over why we were there, whether we could have won, and who was right and wrong in their response to the conflict. When the war divided the country, it created deep political fault lines that continue to divide us today. Now, continuing in the tradition of their critically acclaimed collaborations, the authors draw on dozens and dozens of interviews in America and Vietnam to give us the perspectives of people involved at all levels of the war: US and Vietnamese soldiers and their families, high-level officials in America and Vietnam, antiwar protestors, POWs, and many more. The book plunges us into the chaos and intensity of combat, even as it explains the rationale that got us into Vietnam and kept us there for so many years. Rather than taking sides, the book seeks to understand why the war happened the way it did and to clarify its complicated legacy. Beautifully written, this is a tour de force that is certain to launch a new national conversation.

©2017 Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns (P)2017 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Lucid, flowing, and dramatic...robustly detailed writing...eye-opening...powerful in its own right.... In their new 'intimate' yet capacious history, the award-winning, audience-enthralling duo of historian and screenwriter Ward and documentarian extraordinaire Burns investigate the complex, divisive, and tragic Vietnam War from a unique plurality of perspectives." (Donna Seaman, Booklist)

"The melancholy tone of Ken Burns's voice exactly suits the mood of this history of the Vietnam War... Burns adds no false drama but always reads with a tone of respect for the front-line combatants and the earnest opponents.... Overall, the audio does the print version full justice." (AudioFile)

Its thorough, but perhaps a bit biased.

I learned a lot about a war I didnt know much about, Vietnam. I feel that the book is a biased in favor of the communists. However I still enjoyed it overall and would recommend it to anyone interested in learning about Americas least favorite war.

I didn’t know where I was

I weep today in the autumn of my years. I couldn’t know how when I was there.

Impossible to avoid bias.

I’ve read about and discussed the Vietnam war with many people, and I believe bias is impossible to avoid - it raises too many strong emotions. The strength of this book is that it draws on so many different sources and personal interviews. Many different voices and perspectives are presented. In my opinion, as a whole, I think it favors a North Vietnamese perspective. However, I also believe that the overall goal of the project (book & documentary) was to strive for impartiality. That is what makes this book absolutely worth reading.

As a veteran it was hard to realize how bad our government really was then.

I thought this was an honest rendition of that time period and an excellent book.

A great 360 story of the war

I came into this book having listened or read 2 books on the war. I was looking for a in-depth book and this delivered. I am sure that it left some parts out and everyone might not agree with some of the highlights of the book. I think it can agree that it gave a 360° view of the war that is exactly what I wanted. It is definitely worth a listen and sticking with it.

Enlightening Book

WOW, this book opened my eyes to what was going on with our government behind the scenes, and everything that was not told to the American public and the lies we were told and what that cost to our American youth then, and even now.
It should have been ‘lesson learned’, but I don’t think so. Great book.

An incredibly well done assessment of the Vietnam War

A mesmerizing account of the political,military, social, and historical aspects of the Vietnam War
I found myself listening to this Audible book whenever I had a free moment whether walking, in the car, or at home. It reviewed events that I had forgotten, or didn’t want to remember, or never knew. I would highly recommend this Audible selection if you have any interest in this subject.

best book

this was one of the best books I've listened to in awhile.
a true understanding of the history of Vietnam, from both sides. bless those who served

The War that nobody wanted!

you have to listen to this book and hear the real storey and you will want to never stop this book pulls you in and in and in.

I never understood the Vietnam war until now

This is a long book, but well worth the time spent. So many older Americans like me have never understood the Vietnam war. I was a 60s child and the Vietnam war was all around us. I have friends whose lives were shattered by the war. This book help me understand the utter fruitfulness of the conflict, and the devastation is brought both onto a beautiful country in Southeast Asia and to the American people. Although both countries have recovered, since “the war“ it has forever changed the lives of countless millions of families. “War, what is a good for? Absolutely nothing“ (Edwin Starr).