10,000 DAYS OF THUNDER

The Vietnam War lasted 10,000 days and was the longest, most unpopular war in American history, the only war lost by the U.S. Caputo, author of the best-selling Vietnam War memoir A Rumor of War (1977), offers the most complete overview of the war to date for young readers. He clearly presents the origins of the war in Communism, colonialism and the Cold War. The Gulf of Tonkin, Khe Sanh, Hamburger Hill, the Tet Offensive, My Lai, Watergate, the Pentagon Papers, anti-war protests, Nixon, Johnson and Ho Chi Minh are just some of the topics covered in one- to three-page essays. The attractively packaged volume continues the successful formula of this series on important periods in American history. Vivid, full-page black-and-white and color photographs, maps, a time line and “Quick Facts” sidebars effectively support the text. Though no source notes are provided for the many quotations used, the bibliography indicates several oral histories. A list of Web sites on the war will be especially useful to young researchers. An important addition to the field. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 9+)