Winner of both the pulitzer prize and national book award, fitzgerald, a staff writer at the new yorker and a reporter in vietnam, presents a vivid image of a revolution and a clearsighted case for why the u. Understanding vietnam 1993 neil jamieson despite being dominated by a dry, academic tone, only occasionally leavened by the authors personal experiences and a wry turn of phrase, this is the best book ive read about either the country called vietnam or the centuries of conflict that had shaped it long before we arrived. How the vietnamese see the world california scholarship. Understanding vietnam rent 9780520201576 0520201574. His focus is not on understanding the war as such, but understanding the country. Neil l jamieson jamieson paints a portrait of twentiethcentury vietnam. Jamieson, understanding vietnam to a degree that would be astonishing in the united states, vietnamese in all walks of life could recite long passages from poems, recount folktales and legends, and discuss novels thirty years old as if the characters lived next door. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Pages are intact and are not marred by notes or highlighting, but may contain a neat previous owner name. Throughout his analysis, he allows the vietnamese to speak for themselves through poetry.
It tells why our trust in some government and corporate broadcasters fail us and future generations. Understanding vietnam by neil jamieson the new york times. As mark says there is a great deal that did not make it in the book. Click to read more about understanding vietnam by neil l. Vietnam s fiftyfour different ethnic groups are increasingly engaged in the outside world, and concepts of multiculturalism within the country have tremendous importance. Against the background of traditional vietnamese culture, he takes us through the saga of modern.
Publication date 1995 topics vietnam history publisher berkeley. Jamieson kindle edition pdf, epub, fb2, djvu, talking book, mp3, rtf 446 pages isbn. A book that many foreigners find useful in learning to understand the country is understanding vietnam, by neil jamieson 1993. Jamieson wrote understanding vietnam, which can be purchased at a lower price at. His study reaches back into the nineteenth century and uses the opposites of yin and yang to explain the cultural shifts within vietnamese society. Books go search best sellers gift ideas new releases deals. Against the background of traditional vietnamese culture, he takes us through the saga of modern vietnamese history and western involvement in. The kinh, the largest ethnic group in vietnam, consists. The following are some of the writers and works discussed in the book.
It is not a comprehensive history as much as a comprehensive look into what being vietnamese meant during that nations crucial transformation from a stifling confucian monarchy under french domination to an autocratic and totalitarian state in the north, at war with an. Part anthropology, part history, it is a great introduction to any serious study of vietnam and its culture. Its about greed, in the end, individually promoted and institutionally structured. Annotated bibliography of books about vietnam heres a list of great books about vietnam, many focused on the country and the culture and a few about the war. For both men understanding viet nam meant looking out of certain pairs of eyes at the common world. Kindle books kindle unlimited prime reading bestsellers kindle daily deal kindle monthly deals free kindle reading apps buy a kindle content and devices kindle support. This chapter examines how the vietnamese people see the world. Crime scene cleanup book tells about our misleading ideas. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers all about understanding vietnam by neil l. Jamieson, who was an officer of the agency for international development in wartime vietnam and is now a.
For many of us, poetry has connotations of elitism, obscurity, impracticality. Achetez neuf ou doccasion understanding vietnam jamieson, neil l. But if any vietnam book merits five stars, neil jamieson s does. The chapter explains that the traditional vietnamese worldview constituted an allencompassing cosmological scheme based on yin and yang, conceived as two primordial forces from which. The american experience in vietnam divided us as a nation and eroded our confidence in both the. To better understand ourselves, we must understand the vietna. Jamieson, after many years of living and working in vietnam, has written the book that provides this understanding. Both these books are important additions to our understanding of the. Understanding vietnam by neil jamieson gunfighter nation. The myth of the frontier in twentieth century america by richard slotkin course description. Against the background of traditional vietnamese culture, he takes us through the saga of modern vietnamese history and western involvement in the country, from the. A copy that has been read, but remains in excellent condition. Pdf understanding vietnam download full pdf book download.
Against the background of traditional vietnamese culture, he takes us through the saga of modern vietnamese history and western involvement in the country, from the coming of the french in 1858 through the vietnam war and its aftermath. Jamieson s book understanding vietnam describes vietnamese culture by exploring vietnamese literature, mostly during the twentieth century up to the 1980s. This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and if not signed in for advertising. Open library is an open, editable library catalog, building towards a web page for every book ever published. Throughout the twentieth century, the vietnamese have been in upheaval, wracked by conflicting images of the past, the present, and the future. Understanding vietnam by neil l jamieson powells books. This is a great book for understanding vietnam the country, as opposed to vietnam the war. Jamieson, author of understanding vietnam, on librarything. It is very difficult for westerners, especially americans, to apprehend how significant poetry can be as an expressive mechanism in society. Jamieson paints a portrait of twentiethcentury vietnam. An exploration of the cultural differences between the united states and vietnam in the context of the vietnam war. To understand the war, we must understand the vietnamese, their culture, and their ways of looking at the world. Jamieson, who was an officer of the agency for international development in wartime vietnam and is.