Voices from Vietnam

``This book is not about the politics of history of the Vietnam War. It is about what it was like to be in Vietnam,'' writes Denenberg (The True Story of J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI). Using the words of men and women affected by the events in Vietnam, the author paints a disturbing picture of ``the first war the United States ever lost.'' The quotes come from a variety of sources, including then-president Lyndon Johnson, Jane Fonda and Walter Cronkite, and provide conflicting viewpoints on the war and its purpose. But most memorable are those of the numerous soldiers who fought in Vietnam-they discuss, among other things, the fear of death, the use of drugs to escape the horror of fighting, the pressure to believe in what they were doing, and confusion over anti-war sentiment. Arranged chronologically, the statements (except those made by military officials) become progressively more doubtful and despondent as the war drags on. Throughout, the terrible suffering of all involved remains the central focus. A moving tribute to the lingering effects of a painful period in American history. Ages 12-up. (Jan.)