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“Hue 1968” by Mark Bowden. The author of “Black Hawk Down” has turned his attention to the Vietnam War for his most recent book and, as usual with Bowden, it’s a gripping, well-researched read.

Few writers working today bring the level of skill and storytelling ability to history that Bowden does. “Hue 1968” looks at the turning point of the Vietnam War, the Battle of Hue — a bloody and horrifying conflict that changed the conversation about the war. It took place almost 50 years ago, in January 1968.

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Bowden — an author, journalist screenwriter and teacher — worked from war archives and interviewed people who were there, so firsthand accounts are woven throughout his book. He includes different viewpoints — and provides what is perhaps one of the best books ever written about the Vietnam War.

The American forces and their South Vietnamese allies “were locked in combat with North Vietnamese forces inside the walls of Vietnam’s ancient capital,” Bowden explained. And there, in that killing field, “the moist air was thick with smoke and diesel fumes, and — because many of those killed on both sides remained unburied all over the city —the smell of rotting flesh. You did not get used to it.”

If you’re looking for something this summer that is thoughtful, thorough and educational, Bowden’s latest work is worth the commitment. [lz_pagination]