| Working-Class War: American Combat Soldiers and Vietnam Contributor(s): Appy, Christian G. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0807843911 ISBN-13: 9780807843918 Publisher: University of North Carolina Press OUR PRICE: $40.38 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: February 1993 Annotation: Working Class War explores the experiences and attitudes of the 2.5 million American enlisted men who served in Vietnam, painting a compelling portrait of the war as it was lived by the troops who fought it. While race and region were prominent factors, class was the most important element in determining who fought and died in Vietnam, as 80 percent of the enlisted men came from the poor or working class. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | Military - Vietnam War - History | Military - United States - History | Asia - Southeast Asia |
| Dewey: 959.704 |
| LCCN: 92-18318 |
| Lexile Measure: 1280 |
| Physical Information: 1.07" H x 6.26" W x 9.31" (1.33 lbs) 378 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Southeast Asian |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: No one can understand the complete tragedy of the American experience in Vietnam without reading this book. Nothing so underscores the ambivalence and confusion of the American commitment as does the composition of our fighting forces. The rich and the powerful may have supported the war initially, but they contributed little of themselves. That responsibility fell to the poor and the working class of America.--Senator George McGovern Reminds us of the disturbing truth that some 80 percent of the 2.5 million enlisted men who served in Vietnam--out of 27 million men who reached draft age during the war--came from working-class and impoverished backgrounds. . . . Deals especially well with the apparent paradox that the working-class soldiers' families back home mainly opposed the antiwar movement, and for that matter so with few exceptions did the soldiers themselves.--New York Times Book Review Appy's] treatment of the subject makes it clear to his readers--almost as clear as it became for the soldiers in Vietnam--that class remains the tragic dividing wall between Americans.--Boston Globe |
Contributor Bio(s): Appy, Christian G.: - Christian G. Appy is professor of history at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He is author of Patriots: The Vietnam War Remembered from All Sides. |