This meticulously researched biography explores the life and journey that turned O'Brien into a literary icon and a household name. It includes an unpublished short story about O'Brien from a college girlfriend, documentation of his comical involvement with the Washington Post's coverage of Watergate, and a 1989 attic exchange between American and Vietnamese writers on the eve of the publication of O'Brien's most beloved book, The Things They Carried, years before the two countries normalized relations.
Peace is a Shy Thing is as much a history of the era as it is a story of O'Brien's life, from his small-town midwestern mid-century childhood, to winning the National Book Award and his status as literary elder statesman. A story which Vernon, a combat veteran of the Persian Gulf War, and a literary scholar trained by officers and professors of the Vietnam era, is uniquely suited to tell.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
May 27, 2025 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9798331947378
- File size: 613568 KB
- Duration: 21:18:14
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Languages
- English
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Reviews

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Formats
- OverDrive Listen audiobook
Languages
- English
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