Haunting Legacy

Reviews of Haunting Legacy

"The Kalbs are at their best when they draw from their own fascinating, high-level interviews." -- Manuel Roig-Franzia, The Washington Post

Haunting Legacy "is a clear-eyed look at the Vietnam War's fateful consequences -- especially subsequent wars -- up until the present in Afghanistan. It could not be a more timely and thoughtful contribution to the literature..." -- Jamie Stiehm, The Huffington Post

"Using an effective mixture of research and personal interviews, and writing in readable, journalistic prose, the authors also examine the impact of the Vietnam War's legacy on presidential election campaigns..." -- Marc Leepson, historynet.com

What people are saying

"What a terrific book! Scrupulously researched and beautifully told, Haunting Legacy proves that try as they might, our past seven presidents have—one after the next—failed to exorcize the ghost of Vietnam. From Ford to Obama...each one has seen the Vietnam War intrude on his campaigns (think draft dodging and swift boating) and his decisionmaking (think military action). It’s a fresh look at late 20th/early 21st century American history."

— Lesley Stahl, correspondent for 60 Minutes

"The ghost of the Vietnam War has influenced and haunted two generations of American policymakers. Now, a brilliant two-generation team looks at that legacy in an insightful and fascinating way. This is great narrative history and biography combined to create informative case studies."

— Walter Isaacson, president and CEO of the Aspen Institute

"By God, we’ve kicked the Vietnam syndrome,’ crowed President George H. W. Bush when he repelled Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1991. He was wrong. The Vietnam debacle continues to haunt America’s political leaders, military men, and population. Marvin Kalb and Deborah Kalb’s account of this phenomenon is studiously researched, vividly narrated, and, above all, highly readable. It will stand as a major contribution to the subject."

— Stanley Karnow, author of Vietnam: A History and winner of the Pulitzer Prize

"More than three decades after its end, the Vietnam War continues to influence American attitudes toward sending troops abroad. In readable prose, the Kalbs's book skillfully and perceptively analyzes this haunting legacy from the administration of Gerald Ford to that of Barack Obama."

— George C. Herring, author of America's Longest War: The United States and Vietnam, 1950-1975

"Vietnam continues to be an albatross, circling the White House. In a compelling and totally accessible book, the Kalbs (father and daughter) show how profoundly America’s defeat in Vietnam has affected one U.S. administration after another, over the course of the past thirty-six years. If you wonder whether Vietnam still matters, it does. Read this book and discover why and how."

— Ted Koppel, anchor of ABC’s Nightline for twenty-five years

"Haunting Legacy is a gripping, fascinating account of how the Vietnam War has lived on in the psyches of our national leaders and put its stamp on our foreign policy ever since. This powerful and insightful book shows us how that long and painful war has never really ended in Washington."

— Elizabeth Drew, political journalist