James Reston Jr.

Anyone who has visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on the National Mall in Washington D.C. knows first-hand the power of the experience. This book reconstructs the controversy surrounding how it was selected, built, and adjusted in response to criticism. Suffice it to say the backlash against the selection was extremely ugly, including racism, condescension, and politics. In addition, art appreciation naturally varies widely in personal taste and it is often difficult to envision the final show more product during the design stage. Throw in the many intense opinions about the war, and how and why it was fought, and the stage was set for a flashpoint of discontent.

The author is a Vietnam Veteran, and in the epilogue, he relates the story of his close friend from military training, who died in the Tet offensive. As he looks at the mirrored black granite surface of the wall, he sees his reflection over his friend’s name. It seems like a separate story, but it is a nice way to honor his friend.

The book is well-researched and reported. I very much enjoyed the inclusion of photos of other submissions, poems, literary references, detailed footnotes, and bibliography. If you are interested in public art or curious about how the Vietnam Veterans Memorial came into existence, this book provides a thorough explanation of the process and pitfalls. It highlights the role of art in the healing process. show less

James Reston Jr. recaps the controversy over the national Vietnam War Memorial like the veteran journalist he is, wrangling a large cast of characters (artists, art critics, newspaper columnists, veterans, and politicians of all denominations) and crisply outlining who said what to whom when. If, like me, you followed the story in the papers as it unfolded 40-odd years ago, this is a serviceable recap that will refresh it in your mind, and bring to light a great deal that you (probably) show more missed. If you're too young to remember how divisive Maya Lin's now-iconic black granite wall was, it's hard to imagine a better introduction.

Reston's recounting is comprehensive and well-crafted without being especially deep or straying very far from the subject at hand. If you're looking for a book that places the Wall (having visited it, I cannot think of it in the lower case) in the context of other war memorials, or situates the controversy amid other national debates about history and memory, you won't find it in A Rift in the Earth.

I finished the book with a sense that Reston had opinions about The Wall, the process, the artists, and the nature of public art but chose to keep them to himself. (The final chapter, titled "Author's Reflection," is a reflection not on what has gone before, but on Reston's own Vietnam experience, and that of a buddy whose name is on the Wall).

It's every author's right to keep themselves out of their work (or not), and I don't begrudge Reston his choice, but I'd still like somebody to write a history of the Wall from a broader, contextualized view, so I can read it.. show less

A fascinating look at the lives of two very different men, and how those lives collided in the Rose gambling saga.

This book gave a lot of details leading up to, during, and the events of November 18, 1978; maybe too many details.