War and American Life

Reflections on Those Who Serve and Sacrifice

James Wright

War and American Life is a book of essays and reflections of a veteran and a historian who has been active as an advocate and a teacher/scholar. The book considers veterans in America and the ways in which our society needs better to understand who they are and what they have done on the nation’s behalf—and the responsibilities that follow this recognition.

Cloth: $35 | E-book: $32.5

ISBN-13: 9781684580996

Pages: 264 | Size: 6 in. x 9 in.

Date Published: June 10, 2022

Imprint:

Brandeis University Press

History

Jim Wright presents a fascinating blend of history and personal reflection that reminds us of the human costs of war and of our responsibilities as citizens to support those who serve for us. A timely and very readable book.

George W. Casey Jr.
General, U.S. Army

Reviews

A necessary and eloquent book that raises critical issues about military service, decisions around war-making, veterans and the 99 percent who do not serve.

Kathy Roth-Douquet
Founder and CEO, Blue Star Families
A much-needed call for civic participation, and for remembering.

Nathaniel Fick
Author of the NYT Bestseller One Bullet Away
Jim Wright presents a fascinating blend of history and personal reflection that reminds us of the human costs of war and of our responsibilities as citizens to support those who serve for us. A timely and very readable book.

George W. Casey Jr.
General, U.S. Army
Wright, distinguished scholar and remarkable public intellectual, succeeds in reminding Americans of the sacrifices made (and continuing) by multiple generations of veterans. This extraordinary set of essays is a must read for a country that struggles to understand the magnitude of these sacrifices.

Dr. Kyle Longley
Chapman University, Director of the War, Diplomacy, and Society Program
As both a Marine and a historian, James Wright brings a unique perspective and insight into his examination of America's treatment of those who served in uniform.

Jeremy Butler
CEO, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America
War and American Life deserves the widest possible readership. Clear-eyed yet never cynical, it is a brief for veterans—and a nation—in need of healing. [It is] an important book brimming with essential insights about what it means to be a nation at war (and) Wright writes with passion, perspective, and purpose.

Brian Matthew Jordan
New York Journal of Books

About the Author

James Edward Wright

James Wright (1939-2022) was formerly President of Dartmouth College. A historian and a Marine veteran, he was an advocate for veterans and has served on the boards of several veteran service organizations. His most recent books are Those Who Have Borne the Battle: A History of America’s Wars and Those Who Fought Them (2012), and Enduring Vietnam: An American Generation and Its War (2017).

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Founded in 1971, Brandeis University Press is a nonprofit publisher dedicated to publishing innovative, high-quality books for a general audience, as well as scholarship that advances knowledge and promotes dialogue in the humanities, arts, and social sciences around the world.

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