American Reckoning The Vietnam War And Our National Identity Summary

“American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and our National Identity” is a book that takes us through 20 years of the War in Vietnam from about 1955 to 1975. The Vietnam War is the second longest war in US history encompassing 5 presidents which include Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford. Appy’s book gives a unique American perspective on incredible, horrifying, and inspiring stories in Vietnam as well as American. Through Apps book readers learn about different communism containment methods that America used. Readers also learn about different methods of attack on Vietnam from an American standpoint and how the different failures of the US army and US politicians turned many heads into hard truths about the war.
Christian Appy uses many arguments and key points to push his ideologies about the vietnam war. These points show us not only the devastation of the war and the effect it had on Vietnam, but also the effect it had on America. Appys' book argues that the Vietnam war forced Americans to confront the contradictions and limitations of American power, ultimately leading to a new era of political and cultural

For example, Appy taught readers about the trials at Kent State University, and the violent protests that went down. This behavior from college aged students presents the reality that not only were Americans disappointed in their country and its integrity but they were enraged by it. Students also burnt the American flag and set one of the ROTC buildings on fire which again shows the level of frustration and furiosity they had with their country. Appy does a terrific job with stories like these throughout the book that clearly back up his argument that the Vietnam war was detrimental to Vietnam and its neighboring countries as well as America and the citizens