Wednesday, October 6 2010
Chasing the Ghost of Graham Greene in Contemporary Vietnam
My suite had a balcony overlooking the square and the Municipal Theatre. The hotel has a central open courtyard for breakfast dining. Wrought iron chairs. Glass-topped tables with bamboo place mats. A small fountain. Lacy white spheres hanging from spindly branches. It was easy to imagine Greene at work here, too, under the trees.
Monday, June 23 2008
Where the Wind Blew by Bob Sommer
This book seems to imply that a wartime zeitgeist can absolve us of our own mistakes, or at least render them understandable.
Thursday, January 10 2008
Various Artists: Ethnic Minority Music of North Vietnam
The music of people who know that they will never be asked to face huge audiences and rarely required to sing to anyone other than themselves and their friends.
Friday, April 27 2007
The Changing Face of War by Martin Van Creveld
Van Creveld shows that all the U.S. military's technological prowess hasn't helped much in the current war, and in fact often helps distance its soldiers from the conflict they should be waging.
