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This book is essential to anyone who is interested in the Vietnam war, regardless of how much they know prior to reading it. Each section of the book is introduced with a few paragraphs about a certain aspect of the war or the time period that is covered in the next batch of interviews. Although they are brief, these sections are helpful in understanding the interviews themselves.

I finished the book a few weeks ago and many of these stories are still very vivid in my mind. I marked many of the more noteworthy interviews to go back to in the future. A lot of these interviews are brief enough that they can be read in 5-10 minutes, which I feel is a real strength of the book.

This book contains a remarkable range of people who were involved in the war, either directly or indirectly. Soldiers, officers, poets, refugees, nurses, doctors, USO show performers, protesters, riot police, civil rights activists, politicians, POWs, POW families, pilots, 1st generation Vietnamese immigrants to the US and more are given a chance to share their stories and it is truly fascinating. I have read many fiction and non-fiction books on the Vietnam war, my favorite being Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes, but now that I have finished this book I hold it up as the true standard on the topic.

I only have a few nitpicks with this book, but they are minor and did not diminish my opinion of the book. First, I was disappointed with General Westmoreland's interview towards the end of the book. I understand this is an oral history and it is up to the subjects and not the author/compiler to create the content of the interviews, but General Westmoreland's interview was so brief and basic that it felt like a major missed opportunity.

I would have appreciated interviews with more of the international communities and forces involved in the war, particularly the Australians and New Zealanders. It would have been nice to hear from the French as well, given their role in the area prior to the American war.

My other nitpick is that there was no mention of the "tunnel-rat" aspect of combat. I feel an interview with a soldier or marine who had to go through that harrowing ordeal, which in my limited knowledge appears to be unique in American combat history to this war, would have been fascinating.

It is a remarkable feat to pack such nuance and depth into a book made up of generally brief monologues, and this book succeeds admirably. This is a thoughtful book that packs an emotional punch, while being highly educational and easily accessible. Highly recommended.