Book Description
For the first time, one book gives voice to the haunting, painful, tender, and healing tales of those who lost so much in America's least popular war.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
Customer Reviews:
Read This Book!.......2004-07-27
If you lost a loved one in Vietnam then you'll understand the poingnancy, intimacy, loss, and anguish of the writers of these letters found throughout the book. It brings out the grim and stark realization that behind every name on the Wall is a story as told by the families who suffered a loss. The most important thing though is the book is about remembering those men and women who served and paid the ultimate sacrifice.
One of the best.......2002-01-16
Shrapnel In the Heart is a book to be read by everyone no matter what generation they were born in. Shrapnel In The Heart is a book that has letters and rememberances left behind at the Vietnam War Memorial. Some of the letters tell the story about the people behind the letter. The stories are sad, but the courage of the men and women is a true inspiration. The people written about in this book were extrememly young (18, 19, 20) and it seems like they died in vain. But through their letters that were left behind it is easy to see that these young men knew their duty and refused to shirk from it. These men and women are true heroes.
I wish all young people had to read this!.......2000-04-13
I read this book for a college history course and until now have thought very little about war, military, or world politics. Young people today rarely understand or realize what goes with becoming a soldier. This book gives real images of the devastation war brings from the people who lived through the tragedy of losing their loved ones. It opens our eyes to things we just shouldn't close our eyes on.
Do I dare?.......2000-02-09
Do I dare to give this book a less-than-glowing review? I am inclined to do so not because of the power and dignity of the people and the stories in the book--those speak for themselves. It was Palmer (the author) that bothered me. As I was reading the book, I could not help but feel that she was trying to manipulate me, tugging at heartstrings that needed no tug to be moved by these heartfelt stories. I felt a bit patronized by her. A good book (or movie, or whatever), if it moves me, should not make me feel the push; this one did, and it left me feeling the way people usually feel when they were pushed in a direction that they would have gone anyway--irritated.
Don't miss this one!.......1998-09-22
If you have any interest at all in the VietNam War you should not miss this book. It puts a face on all those whose names are inscribed on The Wall. Guaranteed to break your heart!
Book Description
More than twenty-five years after the official end of the Vietnam War, Dear America allows us to witness the war firsthand through the eyes of the men and women who served in Vietnam. In this collection of more than 200 letters, they share their first impressions of the rigors of life in the bush, their longing for home and family, their emotions over the conduct of the war, and their ache at the loss of a friend in battle. Poignant in their rare honesty, the letters from Vietnam are "riveting,...extraordinary by [their] very ordinariness...for the most part, neither deep nor philosophical, only very, very human" (Los Angeles Times). Revealing the complex emotions and daily realities of fighting in the war, these close accounts offer a powerful, uniquely personal portrait of the many faces of Vietnam's veterans. Over 100,000 copies sold.
Customer Reviews:
great condition.......2007-06-08
love this book broke down many times on some of the letters great book!!
Indispensable.......2007-04-25
This marvelous little book offers a parallel and human voice to the more academic books about Vietnam.
There is no "agenda", here just a selection of moving, articulate, impassioned voices talking about their experiences and feelings at the time they were there. Some of the most moving, of course, being those from young people who would die shortly thereafter. We see through the letters in the book that even on the front lines this "war" was seen through a wide diversity of opinions, from those that were totally committed to it, and why (though they tend to become less prevalent as the years pass), to those who came to believe it was not a worthy effort to justify the consequences. And the majority, just confused. A must read.
First hand account of the Vietnam War.......2005-10-26
After the amazing documentary about Vietnam that solely exists of actor voice overs of funny, goofy, anxious and heartbreaking letters home from soldiers at the battlefront in Vietnam, accompanied by graphic footage of the war itself, this book came out. It contains the letters read out in the movie, and additionally has some more background information about the soldiers who wrote the letters.
Even without the trained actor voices reading the letters out loud to you, and without the grim and realistic war images, this book is a pageburner. Heart-wrenching accounts of the legacy of war written by the soldiers that fought it, as well as by the people they left behind.
5 star book.......2005-07-21
This is a wonderful book for anyone who wants to see the Vietnam war from the eyes of those who were there. The book is a collection of writings from Vietnam veterans that were written during there time in country. This book shows the War as more than casualty numbers and battle field dates. A good read for everyone.
Heartfelt story of men at war.......2004-08-19
This book captivated me so that i could not put it down, untill i had finished. It touches your heart and soul. Wonderful read!! Please put it on DVD!!! Thank you :-)
Amazon.com
"I've cast out my razor, divorced my soap, buried my manners, signed my socks to a two-year contract, and proved that you don't have to come in out of the rain." So wrote Corporal Thomas P. Noonan from Vietnam, proving that humor doesn't fail even in war. Noonan's letter is just one of over 50,000 that letter-enthusiast Andrew Carroll (Letters of a Nation) received after Abigail Van Buren publicized his Legacy Project in her Dear Abby column. Out of this treasure trove he selected 150, spanning 130 years of warfare from the Civil War to Bosnia. While there are letters from such notables as General William Tecumseh Sherman and even Julia Childs, most were written by uncelebrated but dearly loved soldiers from barracks, trenches, and flooded foxholes and by combat journalists, nurses, and family members on the home front.
While the letters are not unrelentingly grim, there is ample description of the rending agonies of war and the pain of separation. For instance, a recounting of horrors found in a Nazi concentration camp, or a tender letter to a just-born daughter who may never be seen. Private First Class Richard King describes the death of a Catholic chaplain blessing the foxholes: "An artillery shell cut him in half at the waist." Staff Sergeant Joe Sammarco tells how he crawled, wounded, across streams and into hills in order to escape the Chinese, propelled by the thought of his wife and his babies. Many of these are "last letters," often received after the news of the writer's death. Lieutenant Tommie Kennedy, a POW on a Japanese "hell ship," wrote his farewells on the only thing he had--the back of two family photographs, which were smuggled back to his parents.
These are, as Carroll writes, "the first, unfiltered drafts of history." His rich sample testifies to the universal and poignant themes of love and honor, courage and rage, duty and fear and mortality. The playful and heartfelt voices grant us the personal perspective all too often lost in news reports and government statements. Taken together, they remind us that, despite the playful good cheer, the human cost of war is far too high. A remarkable contribution to the understanding of war and its impact, and a powerful tribute to those undone by it. --Lesley Reed
Book Description
In 1998, Andrew Carroll founded the Legacy Project with the goal of remembering Americans who have served this nation and preserving their letters for posterity. Since then, more than 50,000 war letters discovered in basements, attics, scrapbooks, and old trunks have poured in from around the country. The best of these letters are assembled in this extraordinary collection, offering unprecedented insight into the Civil War, World Wars I and II, Vietnam, Korea, the Cold War, the Persian Gulf, and even the fighting in Somalia and the Balkans.
Featured here are dramatic accounts of combat written immediately after the most ferocious battles American troops have ever faced; poignant expressions of love by homesick husbands and sweethearts; humorous anecdotes and gripes about insufferable conditions; thoughtful reflections on the nature of warfare; and perhaps most devastating, a startling number of last letters, heartfelt messages penned just hours before the sender was killed.
War Letters is a testament to the heroic contributions and astonishing literary voices of common soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors, as well as war nurses, journalists, spies, and chaplains. There are also previously unpublished letters by such legendary figures as William T. Sherman, Clara Barton, Theodore Roosevelt, Ernie Pyle, Helen Keller, Douglas MacArthur, Julia Child, Dwight Eisenhower, Norman Schwarzkopf, and America's first black general, Benjamin O. Davis Sr.
"Individually, the war letters collected here are distinct, finely cut works of art, some more polished, some rougher around the edges, but each one exquisite in its own right. Together, they create a larger narrative: the story of Americans at war against themselves and other nations," observes Carroll in his introduction. These historic letters capture the full fury and intensity of warfare, and they reveal in vivid detail what the servicemen and -women of this nation have experienced and sacrificed on the front lines. War Letters is a lasting tribute to those who have fought for this country, and a celebration of the enduring power and lyricism of personal letters.
Customer Reviews:
An incredibly profound book!.......2006-05-22
This book is a great read. It is refeshing to be able to read words, thoughts and dreams from people as they perform such honorable duty overseas. This book is powerful and should be required reading for all, especially Americans.
Some anti-war activist may think it is "pro-war" but it isn't just that. This book reveals personal thoughts and challenges faced by American military personnel in wars from the Civil War until the later conflicts in the 20th century. It is pro-war, anti-war and everything in between.
This book reminds me of the sacrifice that so many make for their country. It is a great tribute for those who have served.
A useful read.......2006-03-28
i only gave it three stars because many of the stories were more about patriotism than about the war themselves. Of course every book has its bias so its still a useful and moving read when taken with this grain of salt.
A wonderful, different type of war book, but . . . .......2006-03-19
I received this book as a gift because my family knows I love reading personal histories from those who lived it and "War Letters" seemed perfect for that. I enjoy learning what life was like for the average citizen in an era, whether its someone riding the Erie Canal in 1840, a foot soldier in the American revolution, or a journal from the Civil War.
This is a remarkable book and taken individually there are many, many heart-rending emotional stories that probably need to be read by many people. It does in fact put a personal face on war. Because it is a collection of letters, the book is easily read in short spurts; you don't want (and shouldn't) read this book quickly.
I only gave the book 4 stars because I actually found it hard to read. While the personal letters (the spelling, mannerisms of the authors) help tell their stories, it also keeps the book from developing any flow. Some letters are agonzingly slow to read and understand. I'm certainly not faulting the authors or their stories; but if you're looking for a great, well-written, smooth-flowing story that you can't put down, this isn't it.
Great book for history buffs and teachers too.......2006-02-20
I actually read a review about this book and gave it as a gift to my sister-in-law who teaches high school history. She LOVES it and told me it was an amazing collection of actual letters. She said all of the teachers that she works with have been borrowing it!!
TearJerker.......2005-07-20
This book is awesome, I have read it numerous times. My heart goes out to the letters writers and receivers... I urge you to spread the word of this book... It will really open your eyes to see that Military Personel and their signifigant others are real people, with real feelings... I really look forward to another book like this coming out. I will definately buy it.
Average customer rating:
- More engrossing than I expected
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Letters from Vietnam
Bill Adler
Manufacturer: Presidio Press
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Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam
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Dear America - Letters Home from Vietnam
ASIN: 0345463900
Release Date: 2004-10-26 |
Book Description
“No heroes, everyone did their part, and everyone was scared to death.”
They are the words of soldier Mark W. Harms in 1968, summing up his combat experience during the Vietnam War. His stunning letter home is just one of hundreds featured in this unforgettable collection, Letters from Vietnam. In these affecting pages are the unadorned voices of men and women who fought–and, in some cases, fell–in America’s most controversial war. They bring new insights and imagery to a conflict that still haunts our hearts, consciences, and the conduct of our foreign policy.
Here are the early days of the fight, when adopting a kitten, finding gold in a stream, or helping a local woman give birth were moments of beauty amid the brutality . . . shattering first-person accounts of firefights, ambushes, and bombings (“I know I will never be the same Joe.”–Marine Joe Pais) . . . and thoughtful, pained reflections on the purpose and progress of the entire Southeastern Asian cause (“All these lies about how we’re winning and what a great job we’re doing . . . It’s just not the same as WWII or the Korean War.” –Lt. John S. Taylor.)
Here, too, are letters as vivid as scenes from a film–Brenda Rodgers’s description of her wedding to a soldier on the steps of Saigon City Hall . . . Airman First Class Frank Pilson’s recollection of President Johnson’s ceremonial dinner with the troops (“He looks tired and worn out–his is not an easy job”) . . . and, perhaps most poignant, Emil Spadafora’s beseeching of his mother to help him adopt an orphan who is a village’s only survivor (“This boy has nothing, and his future holds nothing for him over here.”)
From fervent patriotism to awakening opposition, Letters from Vietnam captures the unmistakable echoes of this earlier era, as well as timeless expressions of hope, horror, fear, and faith.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
More engrossing than I expected.......2004-07-20
I started reading this because because I wanted a book that I could put down - as opposed to something that would keep me reading half the night to find out how things would end. But I became thoroughly engrossed in this book, and couldn't put it down after all.
My only complaint about the book is its organization. It is organized according to whether the letter writer is writing home about combat, daily life, etc. Many of the letters span more than one of these categories. Also, I found myself wondering whether the different viewpoints expressed were indicative of different phases or the war, or just the feelings of different people. I think I would have preferred a chronological ordering of the letters for this reason. Especially since it was this breadth of viewpoints that I found most intriguing in the book - particularly the different ways the Vietnamese people and army were portrayed in different letters.
Book Description
Since its creation in 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial has become the most visited National Park Services site. Each year, 4.5 million people come to the Wall. Many of them leave letters or other special objects. Every night, park rangers collect and inventory these mementos—now numbering well over 90,000—and put them into government storage.
Michael Sofarelli, the son of a Vietnam War veteran, has combed through the archives searching for the most gripping letters and objects: a mother awaiting word of her missing son, a former comrade recounting a battle story, a pair of well-worn ballet slippers, and a collection of cigars. These items are not only a tribute to the fallen soldiers; they pay tribute as well to the families and friends who waited at home and the comrades who have never forgotten their brothers. They tell the story of a war that is still being fought by many who served and a conflict that changed the lives of many Americans forever.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book!.......2007-02-28
This is an exceptional book - very emotional and touching. In fact, I found it hard to get through more than a few pages with a dry eye. As one who is too young to remember the Vietnam era, this book helped me to better understand this part of our country's history. Highly recommended!
Some Came Home.......2006-11-23
Wow! What a tribute! It's about time, we've heard too much about the guys who came back broken in body and spirit, addicted to drugs and despair.
BX*&#!!!
Mike Sofarelli, a Marine, came home missing part of his leg but he came back whole.
The proof of this is the wonderful book his son, Michael, has written as a tribute to him. The book is hopeful, heartbreaking and, at some points, wryly amusing.
It tells the story of how the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, The "Wall" went from being reviled when the design was unveiled to the most visited site in the National Parks system.
The true authors are the thousands of loved ones who left rememberances near the monument.
Buy the book, visit "The Wall" and thank a vet!
Average customer rating:
- Je me souviens.....
- Super Read---A Real Echo from Vietnam
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To Bear Any Burden: A Hoosier Green Beret's Letters From Vietnam
Daniel H. Fitzgibbon
Manufacturer: Indiana Historical Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0871951797
Release Date: 2005-03-30 |
Customer Reviews:
Je me souviens............2007-09-14
Anyone who had a friend or family member serve in Special Forces during the war in Viet Nam will find this excellent insight to life on an A-team. The best I've read to date, clear communication without any macho or self agrandizing nonsense. The author was not a romantic war dreamer but someone who felt he had an obligation to do what he could do for his country when asked. I'd be curious to know how he felt when he heard Kennedy speak those words on the day of his Innaguration: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ...." This man answered the call, his family and country can be proud of him. Had we more of these corn fed bright earnest soldiers taking the war out of the big bases and into the jungle we would have done much better and most likely have had a different outcome. Thank you for your service Mr Fitzgibbon. Live long, be happy, be well....
Super Read---A Real Echo from Vietnam.......2005-10-31
This book is the real deal---letters from a decorated combat leader in the Vietnam War. If someone tried to duplicate the smash hit PBS documentary "Ken Burn's Civil War" with the late Shelby Foote discussing and reading letters home from soldiers serving in Vietnam, the letters from this great book would surely be part of telling the story of that war.
Author Dan FitzGibbon has captured the essence of Vietnam in this realistic book which publishes the letters he sent home from Vietnam in 1968-69 (the high point of the Vietnam War).
If you were there at that time (as I was), the events in the letters will bring back the smell and sounds of your war.
If you didn't make it to Vietnam, FitzGibbon's book is the next best thing.
Articulate, accurate, informative, and engaging--"To Bear Any Burden" is a rock-hard five-star read!
Average customer rating:
- I loved this book
- A new classic
- Boys, dogs and war
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Letters From Wolfie
Patti Sherlock
Manufacturer: Puffin
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Becoming Naomi Leon
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Three Pebbles and a Song
ASIN: 014240358X
Release Date: 2007-02-15 |
Book Description
MarkÂ's dog Wolfie is part malamute, part German shepherd, and all heart. Mark can hardly imagine life without his big, loving canine companion. But in 1969, the Vietnam War is still raging, and when Mark learns that the army needs scout dogs, he decides to send Wolfie. As his dad says, a smart dog like Wolfie could save a lot of soldiers—soldiers like MarkÂ's brother, Danny. Besides, it seems like the patriotic thing to do. Inspired by real events, this is a heartbreaking story about sacrifice, loyalty, and the complex meanings of patriotism.
Customer Reviews:
I loved this book.......2007-03-19
I had previously passed this by because I didn't want to read an unhappy ending, which I suspected would be the case. But I kept coming back to it (I loved the name) and finally purchased it. I absolutely loved this book; it is a marvelous animal (dog) story that will linger long after the reader has finished; it is informative about the Viet Nam era, as well as our government's policy of considering these noble animals as disposable equipment; it is about growing up, and delves into a family's interraction too. I am in my 60's, but would recommend this book to readers of any age.
A new classic.......2005-09-09
I sat down and read "Letters to Wolfie" in one day. It's a smooth read - the dialogue flows - the writing is clean, but that isn't why I read it at one sitting. The characters in this book, including one wonderful dog, just grabbed and held on; I couldn't put it down. I laughed and I cried. I believe Ms. Sherlock's book will join the ranks of dog books that we don't ever forget, and that Wolfie can take his place next to Old Yeller and Big Dan and Little Ann.
Boys, dogs and war.......2005-04-30
Sherlock superbly captures and interweaves the emotions of three distinct themes. First, adolescence is confusing and crazy for a young boy, especially when he discovers girls. Second, there is no stronger adolescent bond than a boy and his dog. Third, war is tragic, hurting innocent victims far away from the battle front. Sherlock helps the reader feel the highs and lows of a young man experiencing his first dog, his first love, and his first war.
Book Description
”The letters collected contain an array of opinions about the war, of both the hawk and dove variety. The scores of letters in this collection both praise and vilify Dr. Spock for his antiwar activism.”
—The VVA Veteran
"From thousands of letters written to Dr. Benjamin Spock during the Vietnam War, Foley has carefully culled 218 missives from America's silent majority. . . . Many may find the frustration, fear and grief expressed here newly relevant."
—Publishers Weekly
"These letters—with Michael S. Foley's astute and informed commentary—make clear why and how so many Americans trusted Benjamin Spock. The body politic sorely needs a Doctor Spock today."
—James Carroll, author of Crusade: Chronicles of an Unjust War
"Foley has discovered a unique source on the American home front during the Vietnam War, a perspective that moves us past the usual images of angry polarization. These powerful letters help us to consider how war-times induce people to look with new eyes at their nation and their government."
—David Farber, author of The Age of Great Dreams: America in the 1960s
"Few documentary collections offer such an immediate connection to the years in which the Vietnam War was fought. Reading these letters now, when the U.S. is once again at war, is a profoundly moving experience."
—Marilyn B. Young, author of The Vietnam Wars, 1945-1990
At the height of the Vietnam War, thousands of Americans wrote moving letters to Dr. Benjamin Spock, America's pediatrician and a high-profile opponent of the war. Personal and heartfelt, thoughtful and volatile, these missives from Middle America provide an intriguing glimpse into the conflicts that took place over the dinner table as people wrestled with this divisive war and with their consciences.
Providing one of the first clear views of the home front during the war,
Dear Dr. Spock collects the best of these letters and offers a window into the minds of ordinary Americans. They wrote to Spock because he was familiar, trustworthy, and controversial. His book Baby and Child Care was on the shelves of most homes, second only to the Bible in the number of copies sold. Starting in the 1960s, his activism in the antinuclear and antiwar movements drew mixed reactions from Americans-some puzzled, some supportive, some angry, and some desperate.
Most of the letters come from what Richard Nixon called the "silent majority"—white, middle class, law-abiding citizens who the president thought supported the war to contain Communism. In fact, the letters reveal a complexity of reasoning and feeling that moves far beyond the opinion polls at the time. One mother of young children struggles to imagine how Vietnamese women could endure after their village was napalmed, while another chastises Spock for the "dark shadow" he had cast on the country and pledges to instill love of country in her sons.
What emerges is a portrait of articulate Americans struggling mightily to understand government policies in Vietnam and how those policies did or did not reflect their own sense of themselves and their country.
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A Piece of My Heart: The Stories of 26 American Women Who Served in Vietnam
Letters on the Wall: Offerings and Remembrances from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Everything We Had: An Oral History of the Vietnam War
Don't Mean Nothing: Short Stories of Vietnam
