Where the Rivers Ran Backward

Merritt, William E.

ISBN 10: 0820311073 / ISBN 13: 9780820311074

Published by The University of Georgia Press, Athens, GA, 1989

About this Item

The cover has dark gray cloth. The author's inscription and signature, Bill Merritt, are on the front endpaper. The setting is the Vietnam War. The text block ends have foxing. The frontal matter pages and the reverse side of the dust jacket have a small amount of foxing. The dust jacket's front flap has a vertical, light crease line. Scans e-mailed upon request.

Seller Inventory # 020244

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Where the Rivers Ran Backward
• Publisher: The University of Georgia Press, Athens, GA
• Publication Date: 1989
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0820311073
• ISBN 13: 9780820311074
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Good
• Signed: Inscribed and Signed by the Au
• Seller catalogs:
  • Asian Countries/Histories
  • Signed
  • War

About this title

Synopsis

The author relates his own observations of and experiences during the Vietnam War, recalling the sights and sounds, the mood from one day to the next and the terror and absurdities of the war

Reviews

Merritt, an architect and Vietnam veteran, has written a compelling account of his experience in the war. It follows the "standard" pattern of such memoirs: induction, basic training, the war itself, and the return home. However, this work is unique in two respects. Merritt writes in a minimalist, fragmentary style, with some chapters less than a page long--reflecting the chaotic nature of the Vietnam War. And he effectively integrates lyrics from popular songs into his narrative. His book is not an attack on the war. If anything, the author seems proud to have served. And yet, as he ends with the chorus to "Down by the Riverside," one must view this as a meditation on the horror--as well as the glory--of the war in Vietnam. This worthy addition to the growing literature on the subject is highly recommended for most libraries.
- Anthony O. Edmonds, Ball State Univ., Muncie, Ind.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.