Ho Chi Minh. - 2000

Crows Nest.: Allen & Unwin.. First Edition.. 2000.. Maps, black and white photographic illustrations, xix + 695pp, extensive notes, index. Edges browned but a good paperback copy. "Ho Chi Minh is now recognised as the undisputed father of modern Vietnam. An understanding of his extraordinary life is essential to an understanding of the complicated causes and consequences of the Vietnam War, but the inaccessibility of vital sources on his life and career have meant that until now there has been no full length biography of this charismatic world leader. William J. Duiker has now presented an immensely captivating portrayal of one of the most towering and least understood figures in modern history. His compelling narrative tells an epic story of a renaissance man - his early years of poverty and rebellion, his "wild" days as an expatriate in the United States, in France, and in the Soviet Union, his interaction with world leaders ranging from Harry Truman, Lyndon Johnson to Stalin and Mao Zedong, and his ultimate commitment to the success of the Vietnamese revolution and the reunification of his country under Communist rule. With unprecedented access to information in five languages, some of it only recently declassified, Duiker provides startling insights into Ho's true motivation, as well as into the Soviet and Chinese roles in the Vietnam War. Riveting and impeccably researched, 'Ho Chi Minh' is a stunning and revelatory portrait of an extraordinary man whose life holds the key to understanding a conflict that continues to divide and confound Americans." (Publisher's description). .