Advocating for veterans has always been a priority for President Emeritus James Wright ’64a. Now, his new book, Enduring Vietnam: An American Generation and Its War, is opening up a dialogue about the Vietnam War and its impact on a generation of servicemen and women. A former Marine Corps lance-corporal, Wright has focused on research and supporting veterans in education since stepping down as president in 2009.
Enduring Vietnam puts a human face on the young Americans who fought in Vietnam and on the families who grieved those who did not return. The book describes the baby boomers’ 1950s childhoods, reasons for going into the military, and what it was like to serve and eventually come home. Wright took on substantial interviews with those who served and as a result, Enduring Vietnam depicts the cruelty of the war and its quiet acts of courage in rich detail.
During his Dartmouth presidency from 1998 to 2009, Wright built upon the academic strength of the College by expanding the faculty, strengthening the College’s finances, and renovating a number of facilities on campus. During this time, he also began a series of visits to U.S. military medical facilities, established an educational counseling program for wounded U.S. veterans, and worked with Senators Jim Webb, John Warner, and Chuck Hagel on language for a GI Bill that was passed by Congress and signed by President George W. Bush.
Enduring Vietnam will be released on April 4, and President Emeritus Wright will begin a book tour across the country, including a stop in Hanover. Read an excerpt of the book in the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine and then visit a book tour stop or signing in a city near you.
Enduring Vietnam Tour Dates
Burbank, CA—Thursday, April 6, 7 p.m.
Buena Vista Branch Library
300 N. Buena Vista Street
http://www.burbank.lib.ca.us/events
San Francisco, CA—Tuesday, April 11, 6 p.m.
Marines Memorial Association Club, Registration required
609 Sutter Street
https://mmanetcom.marineclub.com/GeneralEvents
Palo Alto, CA—Wednesday, April 12, 7 p.m.
Books Inc.
855 El Camino Real #74
http://www.booksinc.net/event
Boulder, CO—Tuesday, April 18, 6:30 p.m.
University of Colorado at Boulder
Center of the American West, Main Chapel
https://centerwest.org/events
Denver, CO—Wednesday, April 19, 7 p.m.
Tattered Cover (Historic LoDo)
1628 16th Street
http://www.tatteredcover.com/new-event-calendar
Norwich, VT—Wednesday, April 26, 7 p.m.
Norwich Bookstore
291 Main Street
http://www.norwichbookstore.com/event
Concord, NH—Thursday, May 4, 5:30 p.m.
Gibson’s Bookstore
45 South Main Street
http://www.gibsonsbookstore.com/event/enduring-vietnam
Washington, DC—Monday, May 8, 7:00 p.m.
Politics & Prose
5015 Connecticut Avenue NW
http://www.politics-prose.com/events
Washington, DC—Tuesday, May 9, 12:00 p.m.
USN Memorial Foundation, Authors on Deck series
701 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
http://www.navymemorial.org/events
New London, NH—Thursday, May 18, 4 p.m.
Morgan Hill Bookstore
253 Main Street
http://www.morganhillbookstore.com
Philadelphia, PA—Tuesday, May 30, 5 p.m.
World Affairs Council
One South Broad St.
https://www.wacphila.org/speaker_events/
Cambridge, MA—Wednesday, May 31, 7 p.m.
Porter Square Books
25 White Street
http://www.portersquarebooks.com/event
New York, NY—Monday, June 5, 7 p.m.
Half King Pub
505 West 23rd Street
http://www.thehalfking.com/june-2017
Hanover, NH—Friday, June 9, 4 p.m.
Dartmouth Bookstore, Book signing only
33 South Main Street
http://dartmouthbooks.bncollege.com