Classroom Resources for Students
Kovic, Ron. Born on 4th July. New York: Pocket, 1986. Kovic's memoir may be used as a supplementary or alternate text in this unit. Kovic served in Vietnam from 1965-1968. The book discusses his life before, during, and after the war. The book is also the basis of Oliver Stone's second film in his Vietnam trilogy; Tom Cruise plays Kovic in the film.
O'Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. New York City: Broadway, 1998. This collection of stories is central to this unit. It can be used as a complete text or some teachers may choose to select chapters or stories to illustrate specific literary techniques or emphasize historical details.
Santoli, Al. Everything We Had: An Oral History of the Vietnam War by Thirty-Three American Soldiers Who Fought Itt. New York, New York: Random House, 1981. This collection of oral histories written by soldiers may be useful in class. Each entry lists the name of the soldier, their rank and position, the branch of the armed services and division they served with, the ship or location of service, and their years of service. The accounts span 13 years, from 1962 to 1975. They are striking texts - full of raw experience and emotion (and profanity) and would surely be a powerful teaching tool as a collection, individually, or in excerpts.
WGBH Educational Foundation. "PBS's American Experience: Vietnam Online." Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the WGBH Educational Foundation. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/vietnam/index.html (accessed on July 13, 2009). This website is a companion resource for the American Experience program Vietnam: A Television History. The website includes timelines, photographs, primary sources and other resources for teachers and students.
Youth Radio. "Reflections on Return." Youth Radio. http://www.youthradio.org/topic/reflections-on-return (accessed on July 13, 2009). Youth Radio features interviews and editorial radio pieces collected and produced by teenagers. The e "Reflections on Return" series focuses on experiences of soldiers returning from Iraq and may be very useful for students to connect their understanding of Vietnam to the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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