U.S. Politics & Government - 1968-1977, Vietnam War - Resolution & Aftermath, Political Protest & Dissent, Vietnam War - United States - Social Aspects, War - Literary Anthologies, U.S. Politics & Government - 1963-1969, Peace Studies, Literature Antholog
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Overview
This book is grounded in the political, cultural, & aesthetic issues of the mid-1980s; it is not about the war, nor is it about the early stages of the aftermath. It is a bringing together of many voices — veterans, refugees, peace activists — people who work as teachers, as healers, as writers, as artists, as community organizers. The work of some of the most distinguished writers in the country appears next to the work of people who rarely write. Some people offer personal reminiscences, others critical analysis, others poetry. What connects these people together is the need to speak out against war.Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
This anthology gathers the writings of a diverse group25 scholars, artists, journalists, poets, veterans and refugeeswho attempt to recapture, examine and reconcile the impact of the Vietnam era on America. In ``Big Bertha Stories,'' Bobbie Ann Mason limns an absorbing, haunting tale of a red-bearded Kentucky veteran, the disintegration of his family and the strip-mining machine Big Bertha that triggers memories of Vietnam: ``Strip mining is just like what we were doing over there.'' Jane Creighton confronts the Vietnam Veterans Memorial: ``What would it sound like if all the names started talking at once, if a collective roar rose up out of the wall?'' At a breathless pace, John Ketwig summarizes extreme contrasts in his life before, during and after service in Vietnam. Published in conjunction with a multimedia Washington, D.C., exhibition, this book is not another retelling of Vietnam but an effective effort to foster a spirit of healinga ``national healing,'' as Williams calls it and understanding in the wake of the war. (October)Library Journal
Unlike similar anthologies which reexamine and rehash the war itself, this collection of poems, essays, and short stories focuses on personal responses in the war's aftermath. A college professor relates her experiences teaching Vietnam in the classroom, four veterans provide an open letter describing their ``water-only fast'' protesting U.S. Central American policies, and several displaced Laotians tell of their lives in the United States. Also included is an artwork assemblage called ``Youth-in-Asia.'' This challenging collection gives a provocative, artistic perspective on the war by prominent authors such as Robert Bly and Naom Chomsky, as well as less well-known ones. Published in conjunction with the Washington Project for the Arts exhibition appearing this fall. Recommended. Richard W. Grefrath, Univ. of Nevada Lib., RenoBook Details
Published
October 1, 1987
Publisher
Seattle : Real Comet Press, 1987.
Pages
456
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780941104210