Winners & Losers: Battles, Retreats, Gains, Losses, and Ruins from the Vietnam War

I almost threw the book away as I struggled thru the first section/chapter. Glad I did not as the remaining sections/chapters were very enlightening. Since I served as an infantry platoon sergeant in Vietnam in 1969, I had to make myself keep an open mind as I read some material that made me feel rather uncomfortable. The author certainly takes an anti-war position; however, unlike most others taking this position, she actually took the time to visit Vietnam and spent time in prewar 1956 and the war years of 1970/71 talking to people on all sides...civilian, political and military; therefore, however I might not agree with her on 100% of her positions, I certainly respect her for taking the time to thoroughly research the war. I often wonder what would have happened if FDR had lived a few more years. It is my personal belief that he would have maintained his position of wanting to prevent a return to power of France in Vietnam after WWII, and that he would have supported an independent Vietnam. If this had happened, there would have been no Vietnam War, and the lose of lives of 59,000 Americans and several million Vietnamese would never have occurred.

This is a great, great profound masterpiece of a book. Easily in the top 5 of books written on the war. It won the national book award for nonfiction in 1978. Read it when it first came out in 1978, when I was 18. I just started reading it again. The second reading has really moved me. She gets as close to the Kantian “thing-in-itself” about the war as anybody has yet.Emerson has done a great and beautiful job on writing how the Vietnam War affected and damaged all involved: soldiers, mothers, fathers, South and North Vietnamese. She covers all the sides with heart wrenching, absurd, & terrifying stories of the war.Now if you’re the less curious and educated type that just likes to read the rah, rah, raw combat books on Vietnam, you may not like it, or you can expand your small mind and read it. If the shoe fits.....

The book is bought for my colleague. It is new. He likes it.

This is a required book for anyone interested in the VAN war. Fantastic.

Content of it

The book was purchased and it shows its age. It doesn't look new, but there're no tears or marks inside the book.

An excellent book. Highly recommended.

Great History!!