Voices from the Korean War: Personal Stories of American, Korean and Chinese Soldiers

In "Voices from the Korean War" Xiaobing Li brings a unique perspective to a long forgotten conflict. Professors Li and Richard Peters, a Korean War veteran, have gathered together the personal stories of American, South and North Korean, and Chinese soldiers in the war. A short history of the conflict is provided at the beginning of the book and another chapter on perspectives at the end. In between, the authors allow the belligerents who fought the war on both sides to speak for themselves. The result is a uniquely compelling and informative work that is easy to read. I found the chapters written by North Korean and Chinese soldiers, as well as by those written by American soldiers held captive by the Communists, particularly interesting. The final chapter, written by a Chinese colonel who took part in the massive Koje-do Camp POW riots, is especially powerful and provides a new perspective on a conflict within a conflict that resulted in the death of hundreds of North Korean and Chinese prisoners of war. This book is recommended for anyone interested in the Korean War and especially in the experiences of the everyday soldiers on both sides that fought it.