Facing My Lai

Moving Beyond the Massacre

Edited by David L. Anderson

Series: Modern War Studies

Sales Date: February 1, 1998

258 Pages, 6.13 x 9.25 in

Paperback
9780700610570
Published: February 1998

$24.95

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Hardcover
9780700608645
Published: February 1998

$49.95

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Description
Authors
Praise
Table of Contents

The My Lai massacre of March 16, 1968 and the court martial of Lt. William Calley a year and a half later are among the bleakest episodes in American history and continue to provide a volatile focus for debates about the Vietnam War. Other books have exposed the facts surrounding the incident; Facing My Lai now examines its haunting legacy through a unique exchange of contemporary viewpoints.

This powerful book emerges from a stellar gathering of historians, military professionals, writers, mental health experts, and Vietnamese and American war veterans convened to memorialize the tragedy. The cast of prominent speakers included journalists Seymour Hersh and David Halberstam, novelist Tim O’Brien, psychiatrist Robert Jay Lifton, military prosecutor William Eckhardt, and veterans Hugh Thompson and Ron Ridenhour—the two true heroes in the My Lai story. David Anderson’s reflective recasting of their presentations creates an impassioned chorus of voices that demonstrates why this tragedy remains one of the key emblems of the American experience in Vietnam.

These authors address many of the troubling questions that still persist about My Lai. Why had it been identified as a Viet Cong stronghold? What orders were the troops actually given? Why didn’t someone stop the slaughter? But these questions are asked again in the hope that they might lead to a better understanding of what My Lai means for us now.

As these authors show, our nation is still trying to come to grips with the bitter legacies of the Vietnam War. A grim window into the darker side of American history (like the massacre at Wounded Knee), My Lai reminds us of humanity’s baffling capacity for atrocity within the crucible of war. Facing My Lai does not allow us to forget or hide from such horrors, but it also seeks to heal the deep wounds inflicted by the war. Its unflinching look at the past ultimately leads us away from darkness and towards a more enlightened understanding of a war that in many ways is not over yet.

"An all-encompassing, multidimensional examination of the massacre by a distinguished group of historians, military journalists, poets, and novelists."—Kirkus Reviews
"What is impressive about this excellent book is that all sides of the arguments are presented. Readers will find it hard to put down."—Vietnam
"An important and timely book. However ghastly, however tragic, My Lai certainly bears remembering as a cautionary story from Vietnam, both in what caused this atrocity to happen and what the U.S. Army has done to prevent future My Lais from happening."—Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"A crucial book filled with much passion and insight."—Indianapolis Star
"This book makes it less possible for Americans to forget and thus to repeat the mistakes that led to the tragedy in Vietnam."—Journal of Military History
"The contributors have sincerely wrestled with the enormity of My Lai and respect the views of those who have reached conclusions different from their own. The result is a book that encourages a similar thoughtfulness on the part of the reader. If I were to suggest only one book to give officers and noncommissioned officers interested in studying the lessons of the My Lai massacre, this would be it."—Marine Corps Gazette
"However ghastly, however tragic, My Lai certainly bears remembering as a cautionary story from Vietnam, both in what caused this atrocity to happen and what the U.S. Army has done to prevent future My Lais from happening."—Seattle Post-Intelligencer
"A profound memorial to a dark, forgotten history. A book of utmost importance."—Oliver Stone
"A coherent volume of passionate reflections on the painful subject of the My Lai massacre."—Marilyn B. Young, author of The Vietnam Wars, 1945–1990
"I read this book with great interest and deep emotion. I expect it will have a deeply cathartic effect on its readers. The recollections of those who had a hand in uncovering My Lai’s horrible truth are gripping, and the discussion of post-traumatic stress disorder adds a whole new dimension to the story."—Robert D. Schulzinger, author of A Time for War