Vietnam War

Gr. 6-9. Like most DK books, this new entry in the Eyewitness Books series is jam-packed with detailed color photos and brief snippets of text that readers will want to return to again and again. Besides identifying major political and military figures from both sides of the conflict, photos and text also document supporters and protesters, as well as the medical workers and civilians caught in the crossfire. Pictures and descriptions of weaponry and machinery will please military buffs, while troubling descriptions of Napalm and Agent Orange expose the grim realities of warfare. Photos of memorabilia, such as patches, pins, and bracelets, add a personal dimension to the struggle. Fully illustrated end matter concludes, including factoids and FAQs, a detailed time line, and a glossary. This wide ranging resource, which holds appeal for readers well beyond the target audience, should reinforce DK's reputation for publishing visually captivating, dependable nonfiction. --Roger Leslie Copyright 2005 Booklist

Murray provides a fact-filled tour d'horizon of the wars suffered by Vietnam from World War II to the Paris Peace Accords.In the familiar Eyewitness format, each (usually) two-page spread highlights a particular incident or element (the Indochina War of 1946, the Tet Offensive, the "Television War," the fall of Saigon in 1975, etc.) with a paragraph to set the scene, surrounded by a swarm of photographs and maps. These are each carefully captioned, providing a sense of what people wore, the landscapes they moved through, the logistical and strategic considerations. The various military operations and weaponry are just old enough to convey the frisson of close-quarters fighting, but Murray covers the field hospitals and anti-war movement with an urgency that imbues the history with humanity. Until, of course, readers begin to understand the technological dominance of one side, the massive bombing missions designed at a distance, the pure viciousness of the defoliation and napalm campaigns. Geopolitics are touched on, but the emphasis here is to gain an appreciation of what it was like on the ground. The sheer amount of material presented requires a slow reading, and the proceedings are not strictly chronological, making for some jumping back and forth. But the big picture emerges with patience. A powerful and illuminating overview of the war in Vietnam even though the facts fly like the detonation of an antipersonnel mine. (Nonfiction. 10-16) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.