Summary

Nguyen begins by noting that he was “born in Vietnam but made in America,” thus his perspective on these countries’ histories, most notably the Vietnam War, is often uncertain (1). While Americans generally view the Vietnam War as a singular moral failing, Nguyen states that it is part of a continuous chain of wars that came before it and after it. As a result, this particular war cannot be separated from a long history of war, inconsistent with an idealized America. Vietnam has also failed to fulfill the promise of its revolution. Both countries, he argues manufacture memories to absolve themselves of moral failings. His goal in this book is to examine the processes of memory and forgetting to help revitalize both countries.

The first major section of this book is titled “Just Memory.” Nguyen argues that all wars are fought twice, first on...