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The War Within a War: The Black Struggle in Vietnam and at Home
Not yet published
Expected 10 Feb 26The Vietnam war era, in many ways, mirrored and was the beginning of the racial and political turbulence and divisiveness we are experiencing today. By tracing the lives of a group of Black men and women—soldiers, doctors, nurses, journalists—who experienced the battles in Vietnam as well as the socio-political war raging at home in America, Wil Haygood brilliantly contextualizes the racial strife that dominated so much of life in those years and still dominates it today. The most important book to deal with this subject since the bestselling Bloods.
DR. ELBERT A Black doctor who came to Vietnam after watching TV footage of the Watts racial riot in Los Angeles, but soon found himself in the midst of Black Soldier protests; FRED Air Force pilot who became the first Black military officer captured by the North Vietnamese, becoming a hero to twenty million Black Americans; JOE The first Black cinematic star of the war after his exploits in Vietnam inspired the academy award winning film The Anderson Platoon; DOROTHY A nurse stationed at Cu Chi, thirty miles from Saigon, where one particular death would haunt her forever...; WALLACE An Ivy League grad who became the most visible Black reporter in Vietnam, determined, more than anyone, to investigate the racial dynamics of the decade-long conflict; GEORGE The gauntlet he ran through enemy territory during the 1965 Battle of Ia Drang to get back to his men became the stuff of legend; HENRY A marine officer feared by the North Vietnamese, and who came to stand up against the racism in the Marine Corps; PHILIPPA A biracial concert pianist who went to Vietnam to rescue mixed-race orphans, many fathered by Black soldiers, and who died fleeing Vietnam with some of those orphans.
These are the central characters Haygood uses to examine the role of Blacks in Vietnam and at home during and immediately after the war. Through the prism of their lives as well as many other crucial figures of that era—Marvin Gaye and Berry Gordy, Dwight Johnson (a war hero, who is shattered and ultimately destroyed by his experiences), Maude deVictor (who took up the cause of Agent Orange on behalf of veterans), Lyndon Johnson, William J. Fulbright, Martin Luther King, and still many others, Haygood reveals the tragedies and triumphs, the honor and hypocrisies, the courage and the cowardice that shaped an era and whose repercussions resonate today.
DR. ELBERT A Black doctor who came to Vietnam after watching TV footage of the Watts racial riot in Los Angeles, but soon found himself in the midst of Black Soldier protests; FRED Air Force pilot who became the first Black military officer captured by the North Vietnamese, becoming a hero to twenty million Black Americans; JOE The first Black cinematic star of the war after his exploits in Vietnam inspired the academy award winning film The Anderson Platoon; DOROTHY A nurse stationed at Cu Chi, thirty miles from Saigon, where one particular death would haunt her forever...; WALLACE An Ivy League grad who became the most visible Black reporter in Vietnam, determined, more than anyone, to investigate the racial dynamics of the decade-long conflict; GEORGE The gauntlet he ran through enemy territory during the 1965 Battle of Ia Drang to get back to his men became the stuff of legend; HENRY A marine officer feared by the North Vietnamese, and who came to stand up against the racism in the Marine Corps; PHILIPPA A biracial concert pianist who went to Vietnam to rescue mixed-race orphans, many fathered by Black soldiers, and who died fleeing Vietnam with some of those orphans.
These are the central characters Haygood uses to examine the role of Blacks in Vietnam and at home during and immediately after the war. Through the prism of their lives as well as many other crucial figures of that era—Marvin Gaye and Berry Gordy, Dwight Johnson (a war hero, who is shattered and ultimately destroyed by his experiences), Maude deVictor (who took up the cause of Agent Orange on behalf of veterans), Lyndon Johnson, William J. Fulbright, Martin Luther King, and still many others, Haygood reveals the tragedies and triumphs, the honor and hypocrisies, the courage and the cowardice that shaped an era and whose repercussions resonate today.
384 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication February 10, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Harwood did an amazing job of writing The War Within a War. The story is powerful and I really appreciated the insights and perspectives of the different people whose stories he focused on to help illustrate the struggle Black Americans experienced during the battles of the Vietnam War while also battling inequality in the United States. I liked how he used other pivotal events to provide a timeline and deeper context of what was happening. I would definitely recommend that others read this.
Thank you, Netgalley, and the publisher for letting me read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you, Netgalley, and the publisher for letting me read an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 29, 2025
I always love to read books about perspectives during the Vietnam War. Immediately the premise of this book intrigued me. Wil Haygood does a great job of presenting us with African American narratives in Vietnam while weaving it with the narratives happening in the US. Overall well written!
I received a free advanced copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received a free advanced copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!
What an intriguing topic, and Haygood covers it in such an interesting way. Haygood is a fantastic writer, and I learned so much from his coverage of Black people's experience with the Vietnam War. I do wish there had been a timeline of events somewhere (maybe there will be in the final version), because while I know a little about the Vietnam War, I don't know enough, and a list of the major battles (even just the ones discussed in the book) would have been great!
I've often put off learning more about the Vietnam war because my dad was in it and refused to talk about it. But I'm glad I picked up this book, and it made be want to read more, both about the War and from Haygood.
What an intriguing topic, and Haygood covers it in such an interesting way. Haygood is a fantastic writer, and I learned so much from his coverage of Black people's experience with the Vietnam War. I do wish there had been a timeline of events somewhere (maybe there will be in the final version), because while I know a little about the Vietnam War, I don't know enough, and a list of the major battles (even just the ones discussed in the book) would have been great!
I've often put off learning more about the Vietnam war because my dad was in it and refused to talk about it. But I'm glad I picked up this book, and it made be want to read more, both about the War and from Haygood.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews