African Americans In The Vietnam War (The American Experience In Vietnam)

Gr. 5-8. Browsers will gravitate to this entry in the new American Experience in Vietnam series, given the personal stories as well as the quality (even in galley form) and subject matter of the full-color photos, which include several of soldiers caring for wounded comrades. The text begins strongly, providing background that touches on black Americans' long record of service (and segregation) in the U.S. military and citing what they have faced in the field, in training, and in combat situations. However, there's a lot of repetition (and no documentation) as the authors move ahead to survey such topics as the establishment's attempts to desegregate the military, racist treatment, and anti-war activism in the U.S. Readers will pick up some sense of the history here; a list of further readings will help them fill in the blanks. A glossary and time line are appended. Stephanie Zvirin
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