Reader's Guide

Vietnam War: Biographies presents biographies of sixty men and women who participated in or were affected by the Vietnam War. These two volumes profile a diverse mix of personalities from both the United States and Vietnam, including politicians, military leaders, antiwar activists, journalists, authors, nurses, veterans, and civilians who got caught in the middle of the conflict.

Detailed biographies of major Vietnam War figures (such as Ho Chi Minh, Lyndon B. Johnson, Robert McNamara, Ngo Dinh Diem, and Richard M. Nixon) are included. But Vietnam War: Biographies also provides biographical information on lesser-known but nonetheless important and fascinating men and women of that era. Examples include Daniel Berrigan, a Catholic priest who went to prison for burning military draft files as a form of protest against the war; Jeremiah Denton, an American prisoner-of-war who blinked the word "torture" in Morse code during a televised interview with his North Vietnamese captors; Tim Page, a daring British combat photographer who produced some of the best known images of the war before being seriously wounded; Phan Thi Kim Phuc, a nine-year-old Vietnamese girl who was photographed running naked down a country road after suffering terrible burns from a U.S.-ordered napalm attack in her village; and Jan Scruggs, an American veteran who led the drive to create the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Vietnam War: Biographies also features sidebars containing interesting facts, excerpts from memoirs, diaries, and speeches, and short biographies of people who are in some way connected with the leading figures of the era. Within each full-length biography, cross-references direct readers to other individuals profiled in the two-volume set. More than seventy black and white photographs enhance the text. In addition, each volume contains a timeline that lists significant dates and events of the Vietnam War era, a glossary, further readings, and a cumulative subject index.

Vietnam War Reference Library

Vietnam War: Biographies is only one component of the three-part U•X•L Vietnam War Reference Library. The other two titles in this set are:

  • Vietnam War: Almanac: This work presents a comprehensive overview of the Vietnam War. The volume's sixteen chapters cover all aspects of the conflict, from the reasons behind American involvement, to the antiwar protests that rocked the nation, to the fall of Saigon to Communist forces in 1975. The chapters are arranged chronologically and explore such topics as Vietnam's struggles under French colonial rule, the introduction of U.S. combat troops in 1965, the Tet Offensive, and the lasting impact of the war on both the United States and Vietnam. Interspersed are four chapters that cover the growth of the American antiwar movement, the experiences of U.S. soldiers in Vietnam, Vietnam veterans in American society, and the effect of the war on Vietnam's land and people. The Almanac also contains "Words to Know" and "People to Know" sections, a timeline, research and activity ideas and a subject index.
  • Vietnam War: Primary Sources: This title presents thirteen full or excerpted speeches and written works from the Vietnam War era. The volume includes excerpts from civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 1967 antiwar speech at Riverside Church in New York City; President Richard Nixon's 1969 "Silent Majority" speech; Le Ly Hayslip's memoir When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, about growing up in a war-torn Vietnamese village and becoming involved with the Viet Cong; and Admiral James Stockdale's memoir about his years in a Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp, In Love and War. Each entry includes an introduction, things to remember while reading the excerpt, information on what happened after the work was published or the event took place, and other interesting facts. Photographs, source information, and an index supplement the work.
  • A cumulative index of all three titles in the U•X•L Vietnam War Reference Library is also available.

Acknowledgments

The authors extend thanks to U•X•L Senior Editor Diane Sawinski and U•X•L Publisher Tom Romig at the Gale Group for their assistance throughout the production of this series.

Comments and Suggestions

We welcome your comments on Vietnam War: Biographies and suggestions for other topics in history to consider. Please write: Editors, Vietnam War: Biographies, U•X•L, 27500 Drake Rd., Farmington Hills, Michigan 48331-3535; call toll-free 800-877-4253; fax to 248-414-5043; or send e-mail via http://www.galegroup.com.