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Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam Paperback – May 17, 2002

by Bernard Edelman (Editor)
See all formats and editions
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"An overwhelmingly eloquent book of the purest and most simple writing on Vietnam."―David Halberstam

Nearly forty years after the official end of the Vietnam War, Dear America allows us to witness the war firsthand through the eyes of the men and women who served in Vietnam. In this collection of more than 200 letters, they share their first impressions of the rigors of life in the bush, their longing for home and family, their emotions over the conduct of the war, and their ache at the loss of a friend in battle. Poignant in their rare honesty, the letters from Vietnam are "riveting,... extraordinary by [their] very ordinariness... for the most part, neither deep nor philosophical, only very, very human" (Los Angeles Times). Revealing the complex emotions and daily realities of fighting in the war, these close accounts offer a powerful, uniquely personal portrait of the many faces of Vietnam's veterans.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    W. W. Norton & Company
  4. Publication date
    May 17, 2002
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.8 x 8.3 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0393323048
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0393323047
  8. Lexile measure
    980L
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Not a history book, not a war novel.... Dear America is a book of truth."
― Boston Globe

"Dear America is painful, but it must be difficult to be realistic and entertaining about war.... Reading it, I felt I was listening to the voices of the men and women who lived and fought in Vietnam."
― Baltimore Sun

"Dear America tells of an ache as ancient as time―adolescents off to war with high expectations, who soon change greatly. Ambiguities abound―from pain, disillusionment and sorrow for dead comrades to a hard-earned measure of individual strength and survival."
― Washington Post Book World

"Here is the sad and beautiful countermelody of truth, audible at last, now that we have trashed the drums and cymbals of yet another senseless war."
― Kurt Vonnegut

"No full understanding of the most disastrous foreign war in American history can be complete without reading these letters from the GIs to their loved ones back home."
― Peter Arnett, Pulitzer Prize-winning Vietnam correspondent

About the Author

Bernard Edelman served as a broadcast specialist/correspondent in Vietnam. He is the author of Centenarians: The Story of the 20th Century by the Americans Who Lived It

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; Reprint edition (May 17, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0393323048
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393323047
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 980L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.1 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.3 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
203 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Mcgivern Owen L
5.0 out of 5 stars Remember Writing :"Free" in the Right Corner?
Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2015
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"Dear America" is a collection of letters back home from men-and women- in Vietnam. DA is split up into 8 sections, giving the reader a decent exposure into what guys went through over there. For the record, this reviewer was in country from July '70-July '71. (Most vets dropped the "19" when it came to their years over there). Describing Vietnam in writing to someone who never came within 15,000 miles of the place is virtually impossible but the letters herein do a good job in this regard.

The most poignant section in the final one. These are letters from guys, including one female, who did not make it home. This reviewer was pained to read of the Army nurse from Canton, Ohio who was killed when her hospital was mortared. For the record, 8 military women were killed during the War. Their names are on the Wall. Reading about soldiers who were just weeks away from homecoming before dying is excruciating. Being a "short timer" over there was the most sensitive of subjects.

This reviewer will stop at this point but not without adding one personal note: He should his lucky stars every day that he was not in the infantry and escaped the worst over there. He is also lucky that he did not extend his tour to get an early discharge. The Army dangled that little sweetener and some guys who grabbed it-including at least two in these pages -were killed during their extension. Apologies: A good review should exclude personal tales, but this is Vietnam! Some reminiscing is hard to avoid.

There are so many superior Vietnam writings out there. "Dear America" is yet another. It is fully recommended for its insight into that conflict that affected so many of us.
12 people found this helpful
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Jennifer Schroeder
5.0 out of 5 stars I have not read a compilation of letters or journal entries from any time period that matches or comes close to the wonderful jo
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2015
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I cannot say enough things about this book. I discovered it years ago and wore out that paperback copy. I ordered this again as a permament edition to my library. I have not read a compilation of letters or journal entries from any time period that matches or comes close to the wonderful job Mr. Edleman did in putting this book together,

What the reader gets from this book would depend on many factors -- are they military or former military, are they anti-war proponents, or particularly interested in the Viet Nam era. Personally, I watched my father serve three tours (one in 1963 as an advisor to the French as it was his second language, once in 1965 when he was wounded and spent a year at the hospital in Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and again in 1971. As a military child, I was keenly aware of the effects of the war on my mother, myself, and the mother and children who lived on the base during this time of great death and sorrow. Mr. Edelman starts out with the "newbies" and ends with the aftermath the war had on families.

I would recommend this book to anyone. It is filled with very personal and intimate details of so many young men and women who served.
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doc peterson
4.0 out of 5 stars Intense and personal, a powerful collection of letters giving voice to the war in Vietnam
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2016
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The basis for the HBO production of the same name, _Dear America_ provides a glimpse into the Vietnam war through letters home by the young men and women who served. The book is broken into seven sections, each portraying a different view of the war, from first impressions ("Cherries"), to life in the field ("Humping the Boonies") to "quiet" life in the rear with the gear ("Base Camp"). The editors include a variety of voices both enlisted and officer from all branches of service (and some from other civilian volunteers). Taken as a whole, the book does a solid job of showing the sweep and scope of experiences.

Similar to  Since You Went Away: World War II Letters from American Women on the Home Front  - a collection of letters from the "home front" in World War II, _Letters Home from Vietnam_ is intensely personal, powerful and moving, all the more so because the editors tell what happened to the writers after the war - many moved on to successful careers in the civilian world in all manner of occupations. Some died in the conflict. Knowing what the future held for the letter writers makes the letters all the more powerful in the reading.

An excellent resource in teaching history and as a collection of primary documents, it is also a haunting reminder of the personal sacrifice Vietnam demanded of those who served.
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Carol T Palmer
5.0 out of 5 stars The real picture of the Vietnam War as written by those Americans who were there
Reviewed in the United States on June 7, 2021
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This is an outstanding collection of letters written home by American forces in the Vietnam War. There is absolutely no work of fiction that can rival the pure outpourings of angst and the descriptions of war represented in these letters. As a teacher of senior English, I used this book to help students understand the real emotions of those fighting there for the United States, and to show students that definitive words and descriptive passages can be written by ordinary people, not just by celebrated authors. There is also a companion DVD that I would recommend be purchased along with the book.
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Big D
5.0 out of 5 stars This book gives pause to reflect on our soldiers committment to the USA.
Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2011
Verified Purchase
This book is honoring the U.S. soldiers that served in Vietnam. Being a Vietnam vet, I was still in awe at the sacrifice of our guys. A lot of guys gave, and some gave all...most to provide support to the men in their squad, company, and fire team. I kept thinking and hoping that as I read these letters home, that many of the men would make it home. Sadly, many did not.

Reading these stories gives a real look into the thoughts and actions of some true military heros, nominated or not. Many guys did things that on reflection, seem absolutely crazy. But, during crazy times, you react, and try to protect yourself and your friends. That is just the way it is.

Read it. You will be glad you did. You will be inspired by their stories...and heartbroken..
2 people found this helpful
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Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Leggere fra le righe
Reviewed in Italy on March 24, 2019
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Opera di grande valore documentale; la guerra sporca vista dal basso e da punti di vista diversi da quelli dello storico. Molto commoventi le parole di chi non è tornato, illuminanti quelle che ci fanno capire ( non solo a chi ha vissuto il periodo come me, ma anche ai giovani) le motivazioni condivisibili o meno di chi si è trovato per caso o per scelta a viverla o a morirne.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Its an excellent book. I am a generation away from these ...
Reviewed in Canada on February 14, 2017
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Its an excellent book. I am a generation away from these soldiers and to be able to read what was in their hearts and minds its a privilege .While I am a Canadian, these are still the "boys next door." They were so young, and far too young to die. It was good to read the letters of those who made it home as well.
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Emma Gaulton
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in Australia on October 18, 2018
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It was so moving. Some of the letters were graphic but so personal. And to learn what happened to them really makes it heart wrenching
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Dianne Trueman
5.0 out of 5 stars Thought provoking
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 28, 2011
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A factual but so personal insight into the thoughts and feelings of young men and women fighting in a war not always understood by many. All the more poignant when you know the reception they received on returning home.
2 people found this helpful
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C.D.
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read
Reviewed in Canada on November 3, 2019
Verified Purchase
A poignant reminder of the personal cost of war. It also validates the lost art of letter writing.
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