"Well-argued and documented"
--"Berkshire Eagle"
"The image is ingrained: A Vietnam veteran, arriving home from
the war, gets off a plane only to be greeted by an angry mob of
antiwar protesters yelling, 'Murderer!' and 'Baby killer!' Then out
of the crowd comes someone who spits in the veteran's face. The
only problem, according to Jerry Lembcke, is that no such incident
ever has been documented. It is instead, says Lembcke, a kind of
urban myth that reflects our lingering national confusion over the
war."
--"Los Angeles Times"
"The myth of the spat-upon veteran is not only bad history, but
it has been instrumental in selling the American public on bad
policy."
--Maurice Isserman, "Chicago Tribune"
"The best history I have seen on the impact of the war on
Americans, both then and now."
--David Dellinger
"Lembcke builds a compelling case against collective memory by
demonstrating that remembrances of Vietnam were almost at direct
odds with circumstantial evidence."
--"San Francisco Chronicle"
One of the most resilient images of the Vietnam era is that of
the anti-war protester -- often a woman -- spitting on the
uniformed veteran just off the plane. The lingering potency of this
icon was evident during the Gulf War, when war supporters invoked
it to discredit their opposition.
In this startling book, Jerry Lembcke demonstrates that not a
single incident of this sort has been convincingly documented.
Rather, the anti-war Left saw in veterans a natural ally, and the
relationship between anti-war forces and most veterans was defined
by mutual support. Indeed one soldier wrote angrily to Vice
President Spiro Agnew that the only Americans who seemedconcerned
about the soldier's welfare were the anti-war activists.
While the veterans were sometimes made to feel uncomfortable
about their service, this sense of unease was, Lembcke argues, more
often rooted in the political practices of the Right. Tracing a
range of conflicts in the twentieth century, the book illustrates
how regimes engaged in unpopular conflicts often vilify their
domestic opponents for "stabbing the boys in the back."
Concluding with an account of the powerful role played by
Hollywood in cementing the myth of the betrayed veteran through
such films as "Coming Home," "Taxi Driver," and "Rambo," Jerry
Lembcke's book stands as one of the most important, original, and
controversial works of cultural history in recent years.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
