To Spurn the Gods: A Viet Nam Memoir

“’To Spurn the Gods: A Vietnam Memoir’ is one of the most interesting and distinctive first-hand accounts of the early years of America’s involvement that I have ever read. Allison parts with the conventional wisdom on a host of subjects, including the role of Catholics in South Vietnam, American journalists and Diem, and the larger geopolitics of the war. Throughout the memoir, the vivid and engaging writing style confers an authenticity to this account that is often lacking in the literature. This book greatly enhances our understanding of the early stages of the Vietnam tragedy.” Thomas Schwartz Professor of History and Political Science Vanderbilt University