James Webb (1) (1946–)

I have a number of caveats about this book. It's more of a paean to the author's own culture than a true history, and as such, it presents some pretty sweeping generalizations. Some would challenge his readings of Scots-Irish and American history or even be offended by them. It might be, as I've seen in other reviews, that Webb's narrative is "self-indulgent" or a "mythologizing" of Scots-Irish and Southern cultures.

But for all that, I truly enjoyed reading it. Even though my forebears show more settled farther North than most of Webb's subjects, I saw traces of my own family throughout. And I definitely appreciated his passionate effort to help readers see the heart of a culture that too few try to understand or respect. For that reason alone, I found it a highly worthwhile read. I learned a lot. show less

2.7 stars. I think if I’d read this when I first started studying Vietnam decades ago, I’d have a better impression of it. I want to give the author credit for doing first what books like Matterhorn or Sympathy with the Devil have done far better, and far less self consciously. As it is, I think it’s a completist’s read, not an essential one on this war.

Brandon Condley är en före detta marinsoldat med oläkta minnen från striderna i Vietnams djungel. Han bär på sorgen över den kvinna han älskade som dödats av kommunisterna för sitt samröre med honom. Nu arbetar han med att leta upp försvunna amerikanska soldater, levande eller döda. Condley får i uppdrag att spåra en gammal Vietnamsoldat och desertör som gått över till fienden. Det visar sig att Condley har personliga skäl att finna mannen, som fortfarande är i livet och show more spåren leder honom till Australien, Moskva och slutligen Bangkok. show less

A wonderfully detailed history of the Scots-Irish people. I especially appreciated how Webb brought out aspects of the Scots-Irish history that tend to be overlooked, such as that as poor Southern whites, the Scots-Irish were just as badly off as Southern blacks. The only thing they had going for them was that they weren't black in an era of segregation. Then civil rights activists came in and alienated poor Southern whites by blaming them, along with more affluent whites, for the plight of show more the blacks. This naturally enraged the Scots-Irish and turned them from potential allies into bitter enemies of civil rights, because they were being tarred and feathered for oppression they had little to no part in. Even today people rarely discriminate between economic classes and simply blame all Southern whites for slavery and segregation. I really appreciated Webb's careful scholarship in bringing this and other historical discrepancies to light. show less