a product of formidable international research. certainly the most comprehensive review of this period to date.” - The Wall Street Journal a widely researched and eloquently written account of how the U.S. “This extraordinary work of modern history combines powerful narrative thrust, deep scholarly authority, and quiet interpretive confidence.” -Francis Parkman Prize citation “A balanced, deeply researched history of how, as French colonial rule faltered, a succession of American leaders moved step by step down a road toward full-blown war.” -Pulitzer Prize citation

Eye-opening and compulsively readable, Embers of War is a gripping, heralded work that illuminates the hidden history of the French and American experiences in Vietnam. An epic story of wasted opportunities and deadly miscalculations, Embers of War delves deep into the historical record to provide hard answers to the unanswered questions surrounding the demise of one Western power in Vietnam and the arrival of another. He brings to life the bloodiest battles of France’s final years in Indochina-and shows how, from an early point, a succession of American leaders made disastrous policy choices that put America on its own collision course with history. Tapping newly accessible diplomatic archives in several nations, Fredrik Logevall traces the path that led two Western nations to tragically lose their way in the jungles of Southeast Asia. Fredrik Logevall is an award-winning, renowned historian, accomplished educator, and prolific writer on the Vietnam War and its legacy. Written with the style of a great novelist and the intrigue of a Cold War thriller, Embers of War is a landmark work that will forever change your understanding of how and why America went to war in Vietnam. NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY

Finalist for the Cundill Prize in Historical Literature.

Winner of the Council on Foreign Relations Arthur Ross Book Award.

Winner of the American Library in Paris Book Award.

Winner of the Francis Parkman Prize from the Society of American Historians ONE OF THE MOST ACCLAIMED WORKS OF HISTORY IN RECENT YEARS

Embers of war by fredrik logevall