Herring writes a broad and sweeping history of the Vietnam War,
             fitting it within its historical context. He recounts how two sisters,
             riding elephants, led a rebellion against China's dominance in the first
             century A.D. just as they resisted French imperialism in the 20th century.
             He demonstrates how the roots of the American/Vietnam War were seeded
             in 1945 when Vietnam first declared its independence from France, and how
             the United States helped France re-establish itself there while claiming
             friendship with Vietnam. By the late 40's, the United States was worried
             about the spread of Communism in Europe. During that time, Herring reports
             that Vietnam made overtures to the United States that were badly managed
             and affected by cultural and racial prejudice, setting up a pattern that
             would result in American concerns about the spread of communism in
             Southeast Asia as well as Eastern Europe. Communist China saw the advantage
             and began giving the aid to Vietnam that the U. S. had declined to give,
             and the U. S. shifted its support more to France, and the outbreak of the
             Korean Conflict served to confirm U. S. fears about communism. By the time
             Eisenhower took office, government leaders fully embraced the "domino
             theory," that if Vietnam became Communist, the rest of the region's
             countries would fall to communism, one by one. Given actions of Vietnam
             leaders, such as invading Laos, this view made some sense.
             Herring wrote a book that told a complex story as compactly as
             possible while including the political, military and diplomatic influences
             that led to the events as they took place. He also includes enough
             information about the Vietnamese view to make their actions and reactions
             understandable.
             Herring's theme seems to be that we can only look at events as they
             unfold from the perspective we have at the time. Coming to Vietnam after
             triumphantly spearheading a monumental military effor...