This book provides a critical survey of the literature on the Vietnam War and is intended both for academic and general readers. Earlier works of this kind constantly recycled criticism of a half-dozen of the same works. In this study, the aim was to discuss a much greater number of works, including a few that have never been discussed. To appeal to non-academic readers, Lit-Crit jargon was kept to a minimum, and parallels with earlier works of war literature, especially those of the two world wars, were established.
"The book 'There it is': Narratives of the Vietnam War is a fine result of years of research and dedication. Co-editor of works such as Literatura e guerra [Literature and War] (2010; Ed. UFMG); Revisiting 20th Century Wars: New Readings of Modern Armed Conflicts in Literature and Image Media (2012; ibidem); and War and Literature: Looking Back on 20th Century Armed Conflicts (2014; ibidem), Tom Burns, one of our main researchers in the field of studies of the relation of literature and war, gives the reader a competent critical study on the Vietnam War (1955-1975) through an analysis of a large number of both fictional and non-fictional narratives, including autobiographical works. This book is both a broad and detailed study of works in English and offers the reader the literary wealth of one of the principal armed conflicts of the 20th century." -Professor Elcio Cornelsen, Federal University of Minas Gerais