Presents thirteen full or excerpted speeches and written works from the Vietnam War era that reflect the painfully diverse points of view on the war. Included are excerpts from civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 1967 antiwar speech at Riverside Church in New York City; President Richard M. Nixon's 1969 "Silent Majority" speech ; Le Ly Hayslip's memoir about growing up in war-torn Vietnamese village and becoming involved with the Viet Cong; and Admiral James Stockdale's memoir about his years in a Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp, In love and war. Informative sidebars containing brief biographies and interesting facts highlight each entry. Also included are a timeline, glossary, nearly sixty photos, research and activity ideas, further readings, and an index.

Prelude to war: Excerpt from a letter to the editor of the American magazine Minority of one, 1964 /|r Ho Chi Minh --|t War at home: Excerpt from his antiwar speech "Beyond Vietnam," 1967 /|r Martin Luther King, Jr. --|t Excerpt from a speech on the Vietnam war, 1968 /|r Robert F. Kennedy --|t Excerpt from his story collection The things they carried /|r Tim O'Brien --|t Excerpt from the "Silent Majority" speech, 1969 /|r Richard M. Nixon --|t Excerpt from "Tragedy at Kent" in Middle of the country /|r Bill Rubenstein --|t War in Vietnam: Excerpt from an editorial following the Tet offensive, 1968 /|r Walter Cronkite --|t Excerpt from her memoir When heaven and earth changed places /|r Le Ly Hayslip --|t Excerpt from his memoir A rumor of war /|r Philip Caputo --|t Excerpt from In the combat zone: an oral history of American women in Vietnam /|r Julie Forsythe --|t Excerpt from his memoir In love and war /|r James Stockdale --|t Legacies of war: Excerpt from Hearts of sorrow: Vietnamese-American lives /|r Phuong Hoang --|t Excerpt from Shrapnel in the heart: letters and remembrances from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial /|r Linda Phillips Palo.