Our Vietnam: The War 1954-1975

Classic Historian-Novelist-Biographer Creates Classic

In 1968 'The New York Times' wrote, and recently reminded us when Norman Mailer published his, that A. J. Langguth has still produced the best novel about Christ as a man: 'Jesus Christs.' Along with two other fine novels, his Saki biography and extraordinarily readable but precise histories of the Revolutionay War in 'Patriots' and the Roman Wars in 'A Noise of War,' Langguth served his productive half-century preparation with a steady series of always well-reviewed, diverse, but not well-enough known books. Luckily, all that led to the last decade when he reconstructed his Vietnam years as reporter and 'Times' Saigon bureau chief, adding to exhaustive research and his experiences multiple trips back to Southeast Asia to find and interview many of the participants - including former adversaries from the North, who for the first time bring their slant to this kicked-about conflict. Langguth's diamond-decorous-aromatic prose makes the war read like a compelling novel of that tragic time. It tips the scale on the previous Viet War greats: Frances FitzGerald, David Halberstam, Neil Sheehan, Stanley Karnow - all of whom he credits. Why do our writers understand and show so much more than the politicians who make the messes?

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