Photo from vietnamwarmemorial.com

The sequel to The Ups and Downs of Miss Margaret Landings is Margaret’s War, the story of a Vietnam War widow who becomes involved with the anti-war movement only to discover that there are numerous sides to any conflict. Margaret continues her search for personal happiness and finds that love, war, and past mistakes force her to face the truth about herself and others.

In preparing to write Margaret’s War, I have been reading books and watching movies related to the Vietnam War. My research has not provoked in me either a hawkish attitude or a dovish posture.  I have to admit that reading about the Vietnam conflict has made me more thoughtful about wars and the people who fight in them. The words and images of others have given me insight into realities and misunderstandings of a war fought by brave soldiers who slogged through rice paddies with leeches on their backs (and other places) in a foreign land where they could barely discern who was friend or who was foe. The more I learn, and listen, the more I encounter the reality of the human condition…the human need to survive, to have a purpose, and to measure up.  I have undue respect for the people who served our country even when they were doubting their purpose. I share this growing list to invite your comments and recommendations on the most useful resources to understand the reasons for, and the experiences of, the Vietnam War. I give my own star rankings and have included links to books available on Amazon. Of course, feel free to go to your local independent bookstore too!

Books

Achilles in Vietnam by Jonathan Shay – Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character *****

Antiwarriors by Melvin Small – The Vietnam War and the Battle for America’s Hearts and Minds *****

A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo – A Classic Vietnam Memoir*****

Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam by Bernard Edelman (Ed.)*****

Distant Shore: A Memoir by Alvin Simpson

Grief Denied by Pauline Laurent – A Vietnam Widow’s Story ****

Lonely Girls with Burning Eyes by Marian Faye Novak – A Wife Recalls Her Husband’s Journey Home from Vietnam ****

Matterhorn by Karl Malantes – A Novel of the Vietnam War *****

Movies

Apocalypse Now

Born on the 4th of July

Full Metal Jacket

Good Morning, Vietnam

Platoon

We Were Soldiers