Mr. Isaacs has done a credible job of detailing the ongoing tragedy of Vietnam and its impact upon our politics, our foreign policy, our citizenry, Vietnamese immigrants and many veterans groups and issues, especially the POW/MIA issue. THat he does so in so short a book is a testament to the emotional power of his writing. However, the chapters are uneven, some are so short as to be barely worth mentioning, others give us an overview of issues without going to deeply in to them. The most interesting chapters are the ones on the POW/MIA issue and our ongoing Vietnam syndrome. In the POW/MIA chapter, the author nicely skewers those who continue to perpetrate the myth that there are still POW's in Vietnam. Inded this is one of the greatest postwar tragedies, that many groups feed off the grief of families by keeping this issue at the forefront of their conciousness (and their pocketbook) when in fact there is no proof, living or otherwise of any remaining POW's in Nam. Isaacs points out the folly of the issue and the fact that it keeps us from both reconciling with the families of those lost and normalizing relations with a country that is eager to put the war behind it as well. But the author points out that the war was never really about Vietnam, but more about us, and that is the real tragedy and the source of many of the misunderstandings of the war. The longer the war went on, the more the issue became saving American pride and face, and the less the issue was the people of Vietnam and the impact the war had upon them. Indeed, most postwar discussion focuses on what might have happened if we had either pulled out earlier or let the military unleash its full power, instead of talking about what did happen and why. This only lends credence to the authors point that the issues of the war have not yet been resolved, nor are they likely to be for a long time. If you are looking for a good overview of post Vietnam war issues, this is an excellent source book; but if you want to go into depth on one then its probably not what you are looking for, though it is useful in framing issues. Since this book came out there has been a huge output of information on the war, much of it excellent, though much of it falls into the trap of discussing what ifs instead of what did happen. And those of us who follow politics have heard the frequent references to the Vietnam syndrome by Clinton, BUsh, Reagan and others, both in describing past conflicts, i.e. the GUlf War, BOsnia, Haiti, and in framing future foreign invlovements, i.e. John McCain. Though the author only glazes over the issue i nthe syndrome chapter, another tragedy of Vietnam is that the U.S still has no recognizable foreign policy i nthe post cold war world. Good, if too short of a book, though unquestioably many will find fault with the author's politcs, even in a post war context.

I almost stopped reading this book after the first 3 chapters. While Dr. Isaacs claimed in his preface that he was attempting to be objective in his discussions, subtle derogatory(and I believe unfounded) comments about conservatives, particularly Ronald Reagan, made me doubt his objectivity. I have read enough books with obvious biases against either liberals or conservatives; I felt I didn't want to waste more time reading another one. I'm searching for the truth about the war, not rhetoric. However, I continued to read and I am glad I did. In particular, the chapters on the MIA/POW issue and Southeast Asians immigrants and refugees are absolutely excellent. Given my desire to learn about this period of history (I'm 36 years old and was only 12 years old in 1975), the chapter, Learning about the War, is also very interesting. While I don't feel the first 3 chapters offer anything new to the Vietnam discussion, chapters 5 - 8 are a treasure.

This is one of the best books I have read on the Vietnam War. Isaacs seems to have thoroughly researched the ideas and events he presents in each chapter. I found the chapter entitled "The Myth" very enlightening. The degree that it appears our government messed up in so many areas of this conflict -- before, during, after, and still to this day -- is appalling. I was gratified to see his chapter on The New Americans! As a college teacher, I have encountered many young Vietnamese Americans, but not until this year did I have one thank me for my service (and that of others)during the war that enabled her and her family to come to America (she is a straight "A" student in a professional health curriculum -- she works so hard because she knows the opportunity she has been given). It was disgusting, however, to learn the details of Bill Clinton's evasive manuevers during the war. I do not believe Isaacs will find agreement from Robert Hemphill (author of "Platoon: Bravo Company")on his comment about the movie "Platoon" being the most realistic portrayal of the war. Every student of the Vietnam War owes it to themselves to read this book!

A proud member of the Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club, USS RANGER (CVA-61), 1964-65 and 1965-66 Yankee Station and Dixie Station tours.