Ho

by David Halberstam

Book Overview

In exploring the life and career of Ho Chi Minh, Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Halberstam provides a window into traditions and culture that influenced the American war in Vietnam, while... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0075542234
• ISBN13: 9780075542230
• Release Date: October 1986
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Langua
• Length: 125 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.2" x 5.5" x 0.4"

Customer Reviews

Jill

As a person who went to college in the 60's and lived through the time of the Vietnam War, this book was a real eye opener. I read it before a recent trip to Vietnam, but I would recommend it to anyone who lived through those times.

Great Suppliers, problems with Amazon Web Page shipping

I wouldn't order the item if I did not want it or think it of merit. I wanted a copy of the book formyself, and one for my nephew in Oregon. Seemingly your Web page would not allow me to enter two different shipping addresses. Is there a trick, when I entered my home address, my nephews would default to that address. When I entered my nephew's address, then my address would be overwritten by his. Is there a remedy for future orders?

Know thy enemy

Nations at war like to demonize the leader of their enemy as part of propaganda. This is fine as long as the nation's leaders themselves do not believe in their own propaganda, but instead do their homework and get to truly understand their enemy. This crucial step was missing from America's policy makers during the Vietnam War. Every president involved; JFK, LBJ, to Nixon, did not bother to fully understand Ho Chin Minh, the leader of the Vietnamese Communists. This is why books like this one are so important; written by private individuals, they offer unbiased, insightful glimpses at the other's leader. This book by David Halberstam is one of his less read books, but being so short in length, it is probably the most focused of his books. This book describes the life of Ho, both private and public, his role in the Vietnam War, and his relations with other world leaders and governments, both before, during, and after the Vietnam War. The treatment of his private life is shorted at the expense of covering more of his public life. The book does a good job of describing his personal traits that made him a leader: patience, self-sacrifice, humility, and foresight. The book also does a good job of contrasting his personality with others he encountered in battle; Western generals, Western soldiers, and Western politicians. The book is also worth reading because it offers a viewpoint of the Vietnam War as seen by Vietnamese, specifically Ho and his leadership. I highly recommend reading this book; it is short and easy to read. It is also impartial and straight-to-the-point history, as expected from an author like David Halberstam.

An insightful biography

Ho Chi Minh was, in many ways, a mysterious figure. This book reveals some of those mysteries. But also, his stalinist tendencies which caused the death of many of his fellow countrymen and women. Although a revolutionary, he was a stalinist in many ways. Halberstam is such a brilliant writer though, its worth a read.

ENLIGHTENING!

Fast paced reading and enlightening history of "Ho" the person. Builds up to his relationship with the U.S. and our envolvement in his destiny. Excellant reading for opened mined vets.