That book endures. It helped shape the way Americans have come to feel about the Vietnam war. O’Brien distills the moral uncertainty and the lingering damage. But beyond shaping (or reflecting) how we’ve come to relate to the war, it is also a work of art. People will read it for generations to come, and even without its specific connection to the Vietnam era, people will learn about the horrors of war.
That book endures. It helped shape the way Americans have come to feel about the Vietnam war. O’Brien distills the moral uncertainty and the lingering damage. But beyond shaping (or reflecting) how we’ve come to relate to the war, it is also a work of art. People will read it for generations to come, and even without its specific connection to the Vietnam era, people will learn about the horrors of war.