As winter break approaches, I was wondering if anyone knew of any good historical books concerning Vietnam or North Korea. I mainly intersted in the modern histories of both countries, like 1900 - present. Both countries interest me although I do not know too much about them. Preferably a book that is educational, but not boring (for example, I would not want to read a textbook) would be great. Thanks
Try:
Vietnam: A History - Stanley Karnow
The Smaller Dragon - Joseph Buttinger
North Korea: Another Country - Bruce Cumings
The Two Koreas: A Contemporary History - Don Oberdorfer
A second for Karnow (which is the companion to this miniseries [which is oddly missing two episodes in its current incarnation])
A Rumor of War by Philip Caputo- probably the most famous memoir of the war
Fire in the Lake by Frances Fitzgerald- delves more into the culture of Vietnam than most books.
The DVD of Fog of War (an extended 21st century interview with Robert McNamara) is a must view.
I haven’t read this book, but Conflict: the History of the Korean War 1950-53 is by Robert Leckie, an extremely readable popular historian whose other books I’ve enjoyed as general overviews. (Leckie is a Korean veteran himself.)