Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's Vietnam

Fredrik Logevall

Random House, 2012 - History - 839 pages

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE

Written with the style of a great novelist and the intrigue of a Cold War thriller, Embers of War is a landmark work that will forever change your understanding of how and why America went to war in Vietnam. Tapping newly accessible diplomatic archives in several nations, Fredrik Logevall traces the path that led two Western nations to tragically lose their way in the jungles of Southeast Asia. He brings to life the bloodiest battles of France's final years in Indochina--and shows how, from an early point, a succession of American leaders made disastrous policy choices that put America on its own collision course with history. An epic story of wasted opportunities and deadly miscalculations, Embers of War delves deep into the historical record to provide hard answers to the unanswered questions surrounding the demise of one Western power in Vietnam and the arrival of another. Eye-opening and compulsively readable, Embers of War is a gripping, heralded work that illuminates the hidden history of the French and American experiences in Vietnam.

ONE OF THE MOST ACCLAIMED WORKS OF HISTORY IN RECENT YEARS
Winner of the Francis Parkman Prize from the Society of American Historians - Winner of the American Library in Paris Book Award - Winner of the Council on Foreign Relations Arthur Ross Book Award - Finalist for the Cundill Prize in Historical Literature

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
The Washington Post - The Christian Science Monitor - The Globe and Mail

"A balanced, deeply researched history of how, as French colonial rule faltered, a succession of American leaders moved step by step down a road toward full-blown war."--Pulitzer Prize citation

"This extraordinary work of modern history combines powerful narrative thrust, deep scholarly authority, and quiet interpretive confidence."--Francis Parkman Prize citation

"A monumental history . . . a widely researched and eloquently written account of how the U.S. came to be involved in Vietnam . . . certainly the most comprehensive review of this period to date."--The Wall Street Journal

"Superb . . . a product of formidable international research."--The Washington Post

"Lucid and vivid . . . [a] definitive history."--San Francisco Chronicle

"An essential work for those seeking to understand the worst foreign-policy adventure in American history . . . Even though readers know how the story ends--as with The Iliad--they will be as riveted by the tale as if they were hearing it for the first time."--The Christian Science Monitor

Contents

• A VIETNAMESE IN PARIS: 3
• The Empire Is with Us: 23
• 2: 33
• The AntiImperialist: 44
• 3: 67
• 4: 92
• The Warrior Monk: 123
• The Spark: 147
• War Without Fronts: 167
• Navarres American Plan: 353
• Arena of the Gods: 381
• We Have the Impression They: 403
• Vietnam Is a Part of the World: 426
• America Wants In: 454
• Dulles Versus Eden: 481
• Valley of Tears: 510
• With Friends Like These: 549
• We Must Go Fast: 577
• We Have No Other Choice but to Win Here: 617
• Miracle Man: 649
• Things Fall Apart: 674
• DIFFERENT DREAMS SAME FOOTSTEPS: 702
• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: 715
• FURTHER READING: 797
• PHOTO CREDITS: 803

About the author

Fredrik Logevall (born 1963) is a Swedish-American historian and educator at Cornell University, where he is the John S. Knight Professor of International Studies. He is a specialist in U.S. foreign policy and the Vietnam Wars. He is also the director of Cornell¿s Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies and Cornell's Vice Provost for International Relations. He won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for History for his book Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America¿s Vietnam.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's Vietnam
• Author: Fredrik Logevall
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Random House, 2012
• ISBN: 0375504427, 9780375504426
• Length: 839 pages
• Subjects: History / Asia / Southeast Asia; History / Europe / France; History / United States / 20th Century; History / Wars & Conflicts / General; History / Wars & Conflicts / Vietnam War; Political Science / International Relations / General; Political Science / World / Asian