Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace [Paperback]

Maxine Kingston (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0977333833 | ISBN-13: 978-0977333837 | Publication Date: October 28, 2006 | Edition: 1

This poignant collection, compiled from Kingston's healing workshops, contains the distilled wisdom of survivors of five wars, including combatants, war widows, spouses, children, conscientious objectors, and veterans of domestic abuse. Vetrans of War, Vetrans of Peace includes accounts from people that grew up in military families, served as medics in the thick of war, or came home to homelessness. All struggle with trauma - PTSD, substance abuse, and other consequences of war and violence. Through their extraordinary writings, readers witness worlds coming apart and being put back together again through liberating insight, community, and the deep transformation that is possible only by coming to grips with the past.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Maxine Hong Kingston (Chinese: born October 27, 1940) is a Chinese American author and Professor Emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, where she graduated with a BA in English in 1962. Kingston has written three novels and several works of non-fiction about the experiences of Chinese immigrants living in the United States. She has contributed to the feminist movement with such works as her memoir The Woman Warrior, which discusses gender and ethnicity and how these concepts affect the lives of women. Kingston has received several awards for her contributions to Chinese American Literature including the National Book Award in 1981 for her novel China Men.

Product Details

• Paperback: 614 pages
• Publisher: Koa Books; 1 edition (October 28, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977333833
• ISBN-13: 978-0977333837
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #501,631 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace., November 22, 2006

By 

Douglas Yelmen "River Rat '68" (Aloha, OR United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace (Paperback)

I attended some of Maxine Hong Kingston's Veterans' Writing Group in Northern California some years ago and I have fond memories of our walking meditation, and the groups' writing. Which brings me to this collection of some of the most healing words I have experienced. "Veteran of War, Veteran of Peace." This is one of the most beautiful and healing books I have ever seen, and as a Vietnam veteran, and ex-clinical social worker for the Department of Veteran Affairs, I have read my share. This book has soul, and is very real, and relevant.

Peace,
doug yelmen

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read!, December 1, 2006

By 

J. Underhill (Portland, OR, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace (Paperback)

I've often wished for what "Veterans of War Veterans of Peace" offers, honest and eloquent testimonies of war's myriad sorrows and transformations, to guide my own healing as a daughter of the war in Viet Nam. I am stunned by these eighty brave and beautifully-written offerings from combat soldiers, medics, conscientous objectors, and family members of war. Their collective wisdom is a triumph to the power of witness. Their biographical introductions are humanizing, and almost as compelling as their stories and poems.

This collection would make a gracious & affirming gift to someone whose life is touched by armed conflict ~ including veterans (past, present, and future,) family members, and advocates for peace. We are among many, yet our struggle to heal war's ongoing wounds & repercussions can sometimes be isolating and disheartening. "Veterans of War Veterans of Peace" is deeply heartening instead, full of hope and life.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Important book - essential, gripping reading, December 23, 2006

By 

Ravi C. (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Veterans of War, Veterans of Peace (Paperback)

This is an outstanding collection of writing on a very timely topic. Most are first-person recollections of war, with a few short stories as well as poetry. This should be required reading for everyone connected to the military, from the President down. You will feel the truth of war, the horror of violence, and everpresent, the hope of redemption and renewal. This book is not to be forgotten.