Veteran Jack Bissell only deepened the abyss between him and his son Tom when he talked about the Vietnam war. But, when a magazine editor sends the two back to Vietnam for a story, Tom reopens the conversation and confronts his father’s past and the man that had seemed impossibly remote. Part history, memoir, and travelogue, Tom Bissell’s is a haunting, riveting exploration of the war’s personal, political, and cultural impact from the perspective of the generation that grew up in the wake of the conflict and a wise reckoning of the bond forged between fathers and sons.
A Vintage Shorts Vietnam Selection. An ebook short.
Praise from The Father of All Things
“Powerful. . .eloquent and in-depth. . . . The Father of All Things is a one-of-a-kind accomplishment.” —The Washington Post Book World
“A fresh and comprehensive look at the Vietnam era. . . . Bissell’s powerful writing forces one to open one’s eyes and take in the enormity of the moral abyss.” —The San Francisco Chronicle
“Beautifully written. . . .Tom Bissell is superb. His description of today’s Vietnam are breathtaking and deep.” —Los Angeles Times
“Haunting . . . emotionally powerful. . . . Bissell brings a luminous prose style and, perhaps more important, a clear, fresh eye to events that many of us have allowed to slip into the infuriatingly painful past."—The New York Times Book Review
TOM BISSELL was born in Escanaba, Michigan, in 1974. His short fiction has won two Pushcart Prizes and has been published in multiple editions of The Best American Series. He has also written eight works of nonfiction, including Apostle and (with Greg Sestero) The Disaster Artist, as well as many screenplays for video games and television. Bissell lives in Los Angeles with his family.
View titles by Tom Bissell
Veteran Jack Bissell only deepened the abyss between him and his son Tom when he talked about the Vietnam war. But, when a magazine editor sends the two back to Vietnam for a story, Tom reopens the conversation and confronts his father’s past and the man that had seemed impossibly remote. Part history, memoir, and travelogue, Tom Bissell’s is a haunting, riveting exploration of the war’s personal, political, and cultural impact from the perspective of the generation that grew up in the wake of the conflict and a wise reckoning of the bond forged between fathers and sons.
A Vintage Shorts Vietnam Selection. An ebook short.
Reviews
Praise from The Father of All Things
“Powerful. . .eloquent and in-depth. . . . The Father of All Things is a one-of-a-kind accomplishment.” —The Washington Post Book World
“A fresh and comprehensive look at the Vietnam era. . . . Bissell’s powerful writing forces one to open one’s eyes and take in the enormity of the moral abyss.” —The San Francisco Chronicle
“Beautifully written. . . .Tom Bissell is superb. His description of today’s Vietnam are breathtaking and deep.” —Los Angeles Times
“Haunting . . . emotionally powerful. . . . Bissell brings a luminous prose style and, perhaps more important, a clear, fresh eye to events that many of us have allowed to slip into the infuriatingly painful past."—The New York Times Book Review
TOM BISSELL was born in Escanaba, Michigan, in 1974. His short fiction has won two Pushcart Prizes and has been published in multiple editions of The Best American Series. He has also written eight works of nonfiction, including Apostle and (with Greg Sestero) The Disaster Artist, as well as many screenplays for video games and television. Bissell lives in Los Angeles with his family.
View titles by Tom Bissell
