AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 7, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- To people around the world, Vietnam is best remembered as a country filled with numerous conflicts highlighted by the Vietnam War. What is not known is Vietnam's 19th century history which tells exactly how the nation was born. In his quest to tell Vietnam's history in deep detail and explain his historically based belief that revolting was easier than governing, author Thomas J. Barnes presents his views in his fascinating book Vietnam When the Tanks Were Elephants.
Intelligently written, Vietnam When the Tanks Were Elephants is a historically accurate record that tells the story of three martial-arts-trained brothers who organized the Tay Son guerilla movement in 1771. This movement eventually expanded and conquered the land with sheer force, forged alliances, and smart military tactics. The ablest of the three brothers, Nguyen Hue, proclaim himself the country's king in 1788 and went on to prove the military supremacy of the Tay Son by wiping out 200,000 invaders from China.
Despite the victory, stability did not last long. In 1792, Nguyen Hue died and his ten-year-old son Nguyen Quang Toan succeeded him as king. This new king was bright and of royal blood, but in his reign a corrupt regent caused division and violence. Nguyen Quang Toan was eventually defeated by Nguyen Ahn, the Nguyen shogunate heir, and the Tay Son finally collapsed. Under Nguyen Ahn's rule, the country was united, stabilized, and renamed as Vietnam.
Vietnam When the Tanks Were Elephants depicts the facts that stability in Vietnam's early history was not achieved and government bodies at that time rarely succeeded revolutions; those with political power found revolting easier and more effective. The book faithfully follows the nation's history with great accuracy deeply immersing readers into the story through first-person narration of eight principal views. With its amazing focus on Vietnam's history, Thomas J. Barnes' book is a beautiful read for Asian scholars, history and political science professors, and also Vietnamese immigrants who would want their American-born children to understand their home country's culture and past.
About the Author
Thomas J. Barnes, born in St.Paul, escaped the rigors of the northern winters permanently by joining the U.S. Army shortly after obtaining a master's degree in English literature from the University of Minnesota. Service in Korea and Japan instilled in him an enduring affection for Asia, but fear of a lifetime of bivouacs in the snow led him to resign from his Regular Army Commission in late 1956. He entered the State Department as a foreign service officer in early 1957 and retired from State in mid-1980.
Since coming to roost in Austin, Texas, in 1996, he has authored f1ve books, all published through Xlibris. They are historical novels: Tay Son: Rebellion in 18th Century Vietnam (2000); a memoir: Anecdotes of a Vagabond: The Foreign Service, the UN, and a Volag (2000); a novella with related short stories: Coping with Lust and the Colonel: Wartime Korea from Sokchang-ni, (2000, updated and enlarged in 2005); an art photo book: Southeast Asian Portraits (2002); and a historical novel: Vietnam When the Tanks Were Elephants (2005).
Vietnam When The Tanks Were Elephants
by Thomas J. Barnes
Trade Paperback; $22.99; 321 pages; 1-4134-8933-8
Cloth Hardback; $32.99; 321 pages; 1-4134-8934-6
To request a complimentary paperback review copy, contact the publisher at (888) 795-4274 x. 486. Tearsheets may be sent by regular or electronic mail to Carmi Domingo. To purchase copies of the book for resale, please fax Xlibris at (610) 915-0294 or call (888) 795-4274 x.876.
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