Praise for Ron Kovic and His Legacy of Activism
In his new book, Kovic offers a deeply moving account of the struggle of Vietnam veterans to hold politicians accountable to the maimed warriors they sent into harm’s way and then abandoned.
American soldiers run from enemy gunfire during the Vietnam War. (Flickr / CC 2.0)
In his farewell letter to the American people, President George Washington warned about “the impostures of pretended patriotism.” That is the precise warning that another great and true patriot, Ron Kovic, has been echoing ever since he penned his first classic war memoir some four decades ago.
In Hurricane Street, an equally brilliant chronicle of resistance, Kovic offers a deeply moving account of the struggle of Vietnam veterans to hold politicians accountable to the maimed warriors they sent into harm’s way and then abandoned.
Want to hear more? Watch Truthdig’s live discussion on this topic with Ron Kovic and Truthdig Editor in Chief Robert Scheer. Kovic, the author of “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Hurricane Street,” also will be speaking and signing books at the Manhattan Beach Public Library in Manhattan Beach, Calif., on Wednesday, July 6, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. PST. On Sunday, Aug. 7, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PST, Kovic will have a conversation with Scheer at the Robert Berman Gallery at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, Calif., to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of “Born on the Fourth of July” and “Hurricane Street.” The program will be followed by a Q&A and book signing. You can RSVP here.
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