Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War

All wars are fought twice, the first time on the battlefield, the second time in memory. From the author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel The Sympathizer comes a searching exploration of the conflict Americans call the Vietnam War and Vietnamese call the American War―a conflict that lives on in the collective memory of both nations. Drawing on novels, memoirs, films, photographs, video games, and more, Viet Thanh Nguyen asks deep questions about how the war should be remembered not just by Americans and Vietnamese, but by all of those touched by the violence. Visiting sites across the United States, Southeast Asia, and Korea and probing his own family history, he reveals how memories of the war both helped enable future wars and inspired the struggle to prevent them.