by Neil Sheehan
First published 1989
Neil Sheehan builds his epic Vietnam War account around Lt Col John Paul Vann, a field adviser who witnessed America's catastrophic mistakes in Southeast Asia from the beginning. Vann arrived when US involvement was minimal but quickly discovered the South Vietnamese regime's corruption, military incompetence against Communist forces, and brutal treatment of civilians. His superiors ignored these realities, blinded by political deception and wishful thinking. Frustrated by the war being squandered, Vann secretly briefed journalists including Sheehan himself about conditions on the ground. Through Vann's story, Sheehan reveals how American failures and self-deception led to disillusionment in Vietnam. The book traces events from early battles like Ap Bac through Vann's continued involvement as the conflict escalated, offering readers an insider's view of how political lies obscured military reality and doomed the American mission.
Genres: history, 20th-century, non-fiction, biography-memoir, military-history, american-history
Vibes: emotional, fast-paced, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: insider-perspective, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Southeast Asia, Vietnam
Period: Vietnam War
861 pages · Hardcover · Jonathan Cape