The Broken Country: On Trauma, a Crime, and the Continuing Legacy of Vietnam (Association of Writers and Writing Programs Award for Creative Nonfiction Ser.)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.67 (585 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0820351172 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 160 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-02-19 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
She interweaves a narrative about the crime with information collected in interviews, historical examination of the arrival of Vietnamese immigrants in the 1970s, a critique of portrayals of Vietnam in American popular culture, and discussions of the psychological consequences of trauma. To make sense of the shocking and baffling incidentin which a young homeless man born in Vietnam stabbed a number of white men purportedly in retribution for the warPaisley Rekdal draws on a remarkable range of material and fashions it into a compelling account of the dislocations suffered by the Vietnamese and also by American-born veterans over the past decades. This work allows us to better understand transgenerational and cultural trauma and advances our still complicated struggle to comprehend the war.. The Broken Country uses a violent incident that took place in Salt Lake City
She is the boundlessly sympathetic witness and clear-eyed investigator we need. In beautifully rendered though unsparingly descriptive prose, Rekdal examines the larger scope of this war, most especially, the sheer number of peoplerefugees, immigrants, and natives alikewho were, as a result, permanently wounded and/or psychologically maimed. With subtlety and insight, with precision and passion, Paisley Rekdal explores the consequences of the Vietnam War for Vietnamese, Americans, and herself. She also interrogates and interprets, from many different perspectives and points of view, the war’s damaging, long-lasting legacy. In order to piece together this most compelling narrative/meditation, Rekdal becomes, by turns, a fully realized investigative journalist and interviewer; witness and researcher; commentator and cultural critic. (Michael Steinberg)
She has been honored with a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, a Pushcart Prize, and a Fulbright Fellowship to South Korea. . Paisley Rekdal is the Poet Laureate of Utah and a professor of English at the University of Utah. Her work has been published in numerous anthologies, including Legitimate Dangers and the Pushcart Prize Anthology