A RIFT IN THE EARTH
Nonfiction Solace in stone A RIFT IN THE EARTH: Art, Memory, and the Fight for a Vietnam War Memorial By James Reston, Jr. 284 pp. Arcade Publishing Reviewed by Diane Diekman This book could be considered a biography of this national memorial. Having many times visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., and having followed the controversy as it was built, I looked forward to reading this story. I especially wanted to learn if those who opposed it so violently have come to realize The Wall’s importance in healing rifts from the Vietnam War. Author James Reston, Jr., has done an excellent job of researching volumes of information and pulling all the disparate pieces together into a readable story. Reston is a Vietnam-era veteran but not a combat veteran. Although he became an anti-war advocate, his personal views are kept out of the objective telling of this important memorial’s story. With the nation so divided, it could be expected that building a memorial to the s...