The Best Vietnam War Books - Five Books Expert Recommendations

9 Fascinating Vietnam War Books

From All Perspectives: The Best Books About The Vietnam War

Best vietnam war books

The Top 30 Vietnam War Books to Read This Winter

The tale starts with the main character, given the name Tim O’Brien, who recalls a significant event during his time in Vietnam. He lists the various items, both physical and emotional, that his comrades in Alpha Company carried during their assignments. Physical items ranged from matches, morphine, rifles to M&M’s candy, while emotional burdens included feelings of guilt and fear. 

The narrative consistently features the same characters. Ted Lavender, a low-ranking soldier in Alpha Company, is the first to die. Lavender, who managed his war anxiety with tranquilizers and marijuana, was shot dead while returning from the restroom. Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, his superior, blames himself as he was preoccupied with thoughts of Martha, a college crush, at the time of Lavender's death. Cross’ feelings for Martha, whom he had briefly dated before being deployed, were unreciprocated, a fact that even after twenty years, along with his guilt over Lavender’s death, still haunts him. 

The narrator, O’Brien, shares the events that led to his deployment in Vietnam. Having received his draft notice in 1968, he was confused and considered fleeing to Canada to avoid the war he didn't believe in. However, his guilt of evading the war and fear of disappointing his family outweighed his political beliefs. He returned to his hometown in Minnesota, before eventually heading to Vietnam. During their time overseas, a few other Alpha Company members also lost their lives, including Curt Lemon and Lee Strunk. O’Brien vividly remembers how Lemon fainted during a routine dental checkup with an army dentist and insisted on having a perfectly good tooth pulled to save face. Strunk was fatally injured by a landmine, despite a pact with fellow soldier Dave Jensen to quickly end the other’s life if either were gravely injured. When Strunk is wounded, he pleads with Jensen to spare him, which Jensen does, only to be relieved when Strunk dies quickly on his way to treatment. 

The death of Kiowa, a treasured member of Alpha Company and a close friend of O’Brien's, is given the most attention. Its retelling is through the memory of Norman Bowker, years after the war, who blames himself for not saving Kiowa. Bowker, struggling to find meaning in life after the war, prompts O’Brien to tell his story along with Kiowa's. O’Brien grapples with his guilt over Kiowa’s death, finding it different than Bowker's. O'Brien also confronts his guilt over killing a man outside the village of My Khe. He imagines the life of his victim, from his childhood to what his life could have been, had he not thrown a grenade at him. He also imagines how he would confess this to his daughter, Kathleen. O’Brien uses these stories to reckon with his guilt and confusion, believing in the power of stories to bring salvation.

The Things They Carried

Las Cosas que Llevaban

The Classic Vietnam Memoir

La Clásica Memoria de Vietnam

A Rumor of War

Un Rumor de Guerra

A Novel

Una Novela

Fields of Fire

Campos de Fuego

A Novel of North Vietnam

Una Novela del Norte de Vietnam

The Sorrow of War

El Dolor de la Guerra

Dispatches

Despachos

John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam

John Paul Vann y América en Vietnam

A Bright Shining Lie

Una Brillante Mentira Resplandeciente

The Best and the Brightest

Los Mejores y los más Brillantes

A Novel of the Vietnam War

Una Novela de la Guerra de Vietnam

Matterhorn

Ia Drang—The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam

Ia Drang: La batalla que cambió la guerra en Vietnam

We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young

Una vez fuimos soldados... y jóvenes

The Story of Kim Phuc, the Photograph, and the Vietnam War

La historia de Kim Phuc, la fotografía, y la Guerra de Vietnam

The Girl in the Picture

La chica en la foto

Box Me Up and Ship Me Home

Embálame y Envíame a Casa

If I Die in a Combat Zone

Si Muero en una Zona de Combate

Black Veterans of the Vietnam War

Veteranos Negros de la Guerra de Vietnam

Bloods

Sangres

Memories of the Lost War

Recuerdos de la Guerra Perdida

In Pharaoh's Army

En el Ejército del Faraón

Dog Soldiers

Soldados de Perro

The Vietnamese and the Americans in Vietnam

Los Vietnamitas y los Americanos en Vietnam

Fire in the Lake

Fuego en el Lago

The Story of an Army Nurse in Vietnam

La Historia de una Enfermera del Ejército en Vietnam

Home Before Morning

Hogar Antes del Amanecer

When Heaven and Earth Changed Places

Cuando el Cielo y la Tierra Cambiaron de Lugares

Close Quarters

Cuarto Cerrado

The Short-Timers

Los de Tiempo Corto

Dirty Work

Trabajo Sucio

The Definitive Collection of Fiction and Nonfiction on the War

La Colección Definitiva de Ficción y No Ficción sobre la Guerra

The Vietnam Reader

El Lector de Vietnam

A Story of War and Redemption

Una Historia de Guerra y Redención

Patches of Fire

Parches de Fuego

Indochina at War, 1946-54

Indochina en Guerra, 1946-54

Street Without Joy

Calle Sin Alegría

23 Best Vietnam War Books of All Time

The Things They Carried

A Rumor of War

The Classic Vietnam Memoir

Fields of Fire

A Novel

The Sorrow of War

A Novel of North Vietnam

Dispatches

A Bright Shining Lie

John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam

The Best and the Brightest

Matterhorn

A Novel of the Vietnam War

We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young

Ia Drang—The Battle That Changed the War in Vietnam

The Girl in the Picture

The Story of Kim Phuc, the Photograph, and the Vietnam War

If I Die in a Combat Zone

Box Me Up and Ship Me Home

Bloods

Black Veterans of the Vietnam War

In Pharaoh's Army

Memories of the Lost War

Dog Soldiers

Fire in the Lake

The Vietnamese and the Americans in Vietnam

Home Before Morning

The Story of an Army Nurse in Vietnam

When Heaven and Earth Changed Places

Close Quarters

A Novel

The Short-Timers

Dirty Work

The Vietnam Reader

The Definitive Collection of Fiction and Nonfiction on the War

Patches of Fire

A Story of War and Redemption

Street Without Joy

Indochina at War, 1946-54

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