10/06/2014
This survey of writers' impressions of New York City on foot treads some fairly well-worn paths, though it's also suffused with an earnest appreciation for New York's pedestrian and literary heritage. Miller traces the footsteps of Charles Dickens through the slums of Five Points in the 1840s and the romantic exhortations of Walt Whitman, without neglecting more recent writers. Colson Whitehead, for instance, describes, in his essay collection The Colossus of New York, rambling in the city's "inscrutable hustle," while Teju Cole's novel Open City depicts a psychiatry resident who finds that daily peregrinations not only "help him think, but also keep his brooding under control." At times, Miller seems torn between providing context—such as how Stephen Crane's sidewalk encounter with a prostitute irreparably damaged the writer's reputation –and exploring his subjects' writing in depth. That being said, Miller has taken on an ambitious project and succeeded, up to a point. But since this is New York, after all, a minor success registers as a mild disappointment, for not every page can convey, as Elizabeth Hardwick did, the "wild electric beauty of New York, … the marvelous excited rush of people in taxicabs at twilight, … the great Avenues and Streets, the restaurants, theatres, bars, hotels, delicatessens, shops." (Nov.)
The vivid, fast-paced account of the siege of Khe Sanh told through the eyes of the men who lived it.
For seventy-seven days in 1968, amid fears that America faced its own disastrous Dien Bien Phu, six thousand US Marines held off thirty thousand North Vietnamese Army regulars at the remote mountain stronghold called Khe Sanh. It was the biggest battle of the Vietnam War, with sharp ground engagements, devastating artillery duels, and massive US air strikes. After several weeks of heroic defense, the besieged Americans struck back in a series of bold assaults, and the North Vietnamese withdrew with heavy losses.
Last Stand at Khe Sanh is the vivid, fast-paced account of the dramatic confrontation as experienced by the men who were there: Marine riflemen and grenadiers, artillery and air observers, platoon leaders and company commanders, Navy corpsmen and helicopter pilots, and a plucky band of US Army Special Forces. Based on extensive archival research and more than one hundred interviews with participants, Last Stand at Khe Sanh captures the courage and camaraderie of the defenders and delivers the fullest account yet of this epic battle.
The vivid, fast-paced account of the siege of Khe Sanh told through the eyes of the men who lived it.
For seventy-seven days in 1968, amid fears that America faced its own disastrous Dien Bien Phu, six thousand US Marines held off thirty thousand North Vietnamese Army regulars at the remote mountain stronghold called Khe Sanh. It was the biggest battle of the Vietnam War, with sharp ground engagements, devastating artillery duels, and massive US air strikes. After several weeks of heroic defense, the besieged Americans struck back in a series of bold assaults, and the North Vietnamese withdrew with heavy losses.
Last Stand at Khe Sanh is the vivid, fast-paced account of the dramatic confrontation as experienced by the men who were there: Marine riflemen and grenadiers, artillery and air observers, platoon leaders and company commanders, Navy corpsmen and helicopter pilots, and a plucky band of US Army Special Forces. Based on extensive archival research and more than one hundred interviews with participants, Last Stand at Khe Sanh captures the courage and camaraderie of the defenders and delivers the fullest account yet of this epic battle.
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940169519549 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Blackstone Audio, Inc. |
| Publication date: | 04/01/2014 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
Related Subjects
- History
- United States History
- Asian History
- Military History
- 20th Century United States History - Wars & Conflict
- 20th Century United States History - 1945 to 2000
- Southeast Asian History
- Vietnam War/French Indo-Chinese War
- 20th Century American History - Vietnam War
- U.S. Politics & Government - 1963-1969
- Vietnam - History
- Vietnam War - General & Miscellaneous
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