Although in many ways a useful and interesting work, this life of the Vietnamese communist commander leaves something to be desired as a military biography. Thus, while we are told that Giap was a close student of Napoleon (an odd hero for a communist), we never do learn if he ever had any practical military training. Nevertheless, there are some very useful insights into Giap’s understanding of the nature of war, and, on a more practical level, his direction of the wars against the French and the US. A useful work, and certainly better than anything else currently available on this most interesting commander.