American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity

by Christian G. Appy

Book Overview

"Few people understand the centrality of the Vietnam War to our situation as much as Christian Appy." --Ken Burns The critically acclaimed author of Patriots offers profound insights into Vietnam's place in America's self-image . How did the Vietnam War change the way we think of ourselves as a people and a nation? Christian G. Appy, author of the widely praised oral history of the Vietnam War Patriots , now examines the relationship between the war's realities and myths and its impact on our national identity, conscience, pride, shame, popular culture, and postwar foreign policy. Drawing on a vast variety of sources from movies, songs, and novels to official documents, media coverage, and contemporary commentary, Appy offers an original interpretation of the war and its far-reaching consequences. Authoritative, insightful, sometimes surprising, and controversial, American Reckoning is a fascinating mix of political and cultural reporting that offers a completely fresh account of the meaning of the Vietnam War.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670025399
• ISBN13: 9780670025398
• Release Date: February 2015
• Publisher: Viking
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.4" x 9.3"