A compelling memoir mixed with original historical research leading to fresh interpretations of the permanent war culture.
The latest entry in the publisher’s War Culture series, this one from a veteran cultural historian who writes that “since early childhood America’s wars [have] been defining historical periods in my life.”
Following his years as an Air Force navigator and intelligence officer and consequent support of American wars, Franklin (Emeritus, English and American Studies/Univ. of Rutgers-Newark; The Most Important Fish in the Sea: Menhaden and America, 2007, etc.), now in his mid-80s, has established a reputation as an anti-war scholar. After his military service, the author got a doctorate in English and taught literature at Stanford University (where he was fired for inciting anti-war protests) and Rutgers. Gradually, he and his wife became immersed in pacifist politics as they learned searing truths about U.S. military involvement in Vietnam despite government lies meant to obscure the duration of the war, the body counts, and the actual objectives of American foreign policy. Franklin sagely notes how U.S. involvement in Vietnam actually began during the 1940s rather than the 1960s. As a result, he writes, the country he used to love uncritically has been at war abroad without interruption since World War II—truly a “Forever War.” President Harry Truman’s decision to drop atomic bombs on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki vastly increased the stakes of the forever war reality. Franklin’s own military service allowed him access to pertinent information about mistakes with nuclear weaponry that could have resulted in massive death tolls and radiation sickness, and he ably conveys this to readers. In addition to revelations about the Vietnam War, the author offers a persuasive alternative account of U.S. military and civilian wrongdoing in the Korean War. Although he could have adopted a shrill tone given his upsetting evidence, the author writes in a low-key, graceful style, teaching clearly along the way.
A compelling memoir mixed with original historical research leading to fresh interpretations of the permanent war culture.Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-978800-91-5
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Rutgers Univ.
Review Posted Online: June 17, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
A vibrant, encouraging depiction of a sinister disorder.
A British novelist turns to autobiography to report the manifold symptoms and management of his debilitating disease, depression.
Clever author Haig (The Humans, 2013, etc.) writes brief, episodic vignettes, not of a tranquil life but of an existence of unbearable, unsustainable melancholy. Throughout his story, presented in bits frequently less than a page long (e.g., “Things you think during your 1,000th panic attack”), the author considers phases he describes in turn as Falling, Landing, Rising, Living, and, finally, simply Being with spells of depression. Haig lists markers of his unseen disease, including adolescent angst, pain, continual dread, inability to speak, hypochondria, and insomnia. He describes his frequent panic attacks and near-constant anhedonia, the inability to experience pleasure. Haig also assesses the efficacy of neuroscience, yoga, St. John’s wort, exercise, pharmaceuticals, silence, talking, walking, running, staying put, and working up the courage to do even the most seemingly mundane of tasks, like visiting the village store. Best for the author were reading, writing, and the frequent dispensing of kindnesses and love. He acknowledges particularly his debt to his then-girlfriend, now-wife. After nearly 15 years, Haig is doing better. He appreciates being alive and savors the miracle of existence. His writing is infectious though sometimes facile—and grammarians may be upset with the writer’s occasional confusion of the nominative and objective cases of personal pronouns. Less tidy and more eclectic than William Styron’s equally brief, iconic Darkness Visible, Haig’s book provides unobjectionable advice that will offer some help and succor to those who experience depression and other related illnesses. For families and friends of the afflicted, Haig’s book, like Styron’s, will provide understanding and support.
A vibrant, encouraging depiction of a sinister disorder.Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-14-312872-4
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Penguin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 3, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2015
SEEN & HEARD
Readers Donate Depression Book After Star Suicide
Honest, of course, but also surprisingly approachable and engaging.
W. has his say.
In a page-turner structured around important decisions in his life and presidency, Bush surprises with a lucid, heartfelt look back. Despite expected defenses of past decisions, Bush is candid and unafraid to say when he thinks he was wrong. Critics on both the left and right are challenged to walk in his shoes, and may come away with a new view of the former president—or at least an appreciation of the hard and often ambiguous choices he was forced to make. Aside from the opening chapter about his decision to quit drinking, the book is not chronologically ordered. Bush mixes topics as needed to tell a larger story than a simple history of his administration. Certain themes dominate the narrative: the all-encompassing importance of 9/11 to the bulk of his presidency, and how it shaped and shadowed almost everything he did; the importance of his faith, which is echoed in every chapter and which comes through in an unassuming manner; the often unseen advisor whom the president conferred with and confided in on almost every subject—his wife, Laura Bush; and the wide array of people who helped him rise to the White House and then often hindered him once he was there. The book is worthwhile for many reasons. Even if many readers may not agree with his views on the subjects, Bush’s memories of 9/11, Hurricane Katrina and other major events are riveting and of historical value on their own. Additionally, Bush provides insight into the daily life of the president. The author accepts blame for a number of mistakes and misjudgments, while also standing up for decisions he felt were right.
Honest, of course, but also surprisingly approachable and engaging.Pub Date: Nov. 9, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-307-59061-9
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
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