Village at War

Book excerpt: VILLAGE AT WAR: AN ACCOUNT OF CONFLICT IN VIETNAM WITH A SPECIAL FOREWORD BY H.H. THE 14TH DALAI LAMA OF TIBET First published in 1980, this is a classic account of decades of warfare in Vietnam, seen through the eyes of the people in a large central Vietnamese village. This EXPANDED and UPDATED Third Edition also includes forewords to previous editions by Cornell Professor George McT. Kahin and U.S. Senator Eugene J. McCarthy. This is the real-life drama of a Vietnamese village as related by the villagers themselves to the young American who came to live nearby and stayed almost until the collapse of the Saigon government in 1975. We hear from a wide range of Vietnamese, and we gain an understanding of the trauma, confusion, and cruelty of war. With 32 photographs, many of which appear publicly here for the first time. Comments on the Book: "A different kind of story about Vietnam emerges in Village at War." - The New York Times "The Vietnam War, as seen through the eyes of the Vietnamese, is a haunting and absorbing saga." - The Asia Mail "Village at War is a superb and unique contribution to the literature on the Vietnam conflict. Trullinger is remarkably successful at combining an intensive case study of one Vietnamese village with the larger picture of modern Vietnamese political history from French colonialism through the Communist victory in 1975. It is truly an example of scholarship that makes history and politics come alive." - William A. Joseph, Wellesley College "I'm a big admirer of Village at War." - Fredrik Logevall, Harvard University "Thank you very much...for your important book Village at War." - King Norodom Sihanouk, Cambodia "This is a detailed description of how war and revolution swept up a single village in central Vietnam. Trullinger's purpose is to present the conflict 'primarily as villagers experienced it - not to turn My Thuy Phuong into a testing ground for theories and strategies.'... It is successful in describing how one village survived Vietnam's passage from colonialism to independence and socialism." - Journal of Asian Studies "...a well-rounded account of the political and military struggle that engulfed Vietnamese society for 30 years." - Choice "I have used this book in teaching the Vietnam War (as an incident in the history and culture of Vietnam, rather than as U.S. policy) since it was first published (1980). It gives a wonderful level of detail, insights into local community and into actual human beings which gives the study of the war a new dimension. Vietnamese often say something like, 'Vietnam was not a war, it is a country.' This book, coupled with Jeffrey Race's 'War Comes to Long An, Revolutionary Conflict in a Vietnamese Province, ' which is written from a very different political perspective, offers insights into the war that can be gotten no place else. While it is basically an anthropological study and most useful for serious study of the war, it is also very readable." - Jeffrey Barlow, Pacific University (Google Books review) About the Author, Jim Trullinger, Ph.D.: With USAID in Vietnam from 1969-1972. Returned to Vietnam in 1974 to conduct research for this book, sponsored by the East-West Center and the University of Hawaii. In recent decades, Trullinger worked at several large corporations in the U.S. and ran his own market research firm. Now enjoying life in Naples, Florida, at peace with the cosmos. Very pleased to have collaborated on this book with his hero the Dalai Lama. His Holiness' contribution elevates the book in this time of divisions, suffering, and violence. May the book's account of senseless fighting and destruction in one Vietnamese village inspire readers to a path of compassion a