As an American Baby Boomer, it is near impossible to not have been impacted by the two major crises of the 1960s: the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights movement. Each has left our generation divided and disturbed.
When Ken Burns’ documentary on the Vietnam War was shared on Public Television it made an impact on all who watched it. I found it impressive how Burns was able to reveal such diverse perspectives without being judgmental, his aim being to make it easier for us to dialogue, to express our thoughts, feelings and experiences, an act that takes courage when we’re coming from such antithetical spaces.
This week I discovered that there is an audiobook version of this historical narrative, also produced by Ken Burns. Whereas the documentary begins with the U.S. deployment of advisors (see Graham Greene’s The Quiet American), the audiobook goes into a little more depth explaining the history that preceded U.S. involvement.
