Wednesday, September 6, 2017

Ken Burns and The Vietnam War


THE VIETNAM WAR by Geoffrey C. Ward and Ken Burns is the book accompanying the new documentary film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick which premieres on September 17; here is the official trailer:


There is more information on the pbs site about schedules, making of the film and an opportunity to share more stories. The book is told in chronological order, ranging from 1858 and the French presence to April, 1975 and the US departure.  Frankly, it is hard to believe that it has been more than 40 years since the Vietnam War ended and 58,000 Americans died, but writing in their introduction Burns and Novick acknowledge that Vietnam was a war of many perspectives and they vow to “faithfully reflect those seemingly irreconcilable outlooks.”  The text which is filled with many photographs, offers perspectives from soldiers, the homefront, Washington, Saigon and Hanoi. THE VIETNAM WAR received starred reviews from Booklist and Kirkus and we will have a copy in the library soon. You can already read a short excerpt on the publisher's web site.

Ken Burns is appearing in Chicago this week and some of those discussions will be aired on pbs’ Chicago Tonight. Expanding beyond a solely American story, both the book and film are likely to receive awards while stirring memories and emotions from a divided time in our nation’s history.

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