A narrative, character-driven account of the Korean War that sheds light on the atrocities and hardships suffered by all sides in the 'forgotten' conflict.
A narrative, character-driven account of the Korean War that sheds light on the atrocities and hardships suffered by all sides in the 'forgotten' conflict.
Although it was then perceived as a far-off and inconclusive engagement, the Korean War was a highly consequential and deeply destructive conflict. American forces dropped 635,000 tons of bombs over Korea --- more than the entire Pacific campaign of World War II --- and millions of Koreans perished. Today, mass graves still litter the countryside and two nuclear-armed forces stand at odds.
In Ghost Flames, Charles Hanley adds new color and urgency by telling the history of the war through the eyes of twenty individuals --- soldiers and civilians, male and female, young and old, witnesses both to atrocity and to heroism. The narrative unfolds in interwoven episodes, month by month, from the hilltop trench lines, the refugee camps and the prisoner-of-war camps.In time for the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the war, Hanley offers a people's history of the devastating events on the Korean Peninsula.“"Through the prism of twenty different lives - from a child, a solider, a journalist - Hanley gives us an immensely moving portrait of a war that has still not yet ended. With its unblinking and evocative storytelling of the experiences of those who often go nameless in American accounts of the war, Ghost Flames is unlike any other book on the Korean War. It is, in essence, a close and intimate story of the first US war of intervention in the Cold War era, one that forces us to examine the violent wake of wars the United States has generated since. Building from his previous award-winning journalism on civilian massacres committed by the US military, Hanley raises the urgent question of why the Korean War is forgotten in the United States and reveals the enormous costs that have come with this constant forgetting."-- Monica Kim, Assistant Professor, Department of History New York University”
PRAISE FOR THE BRIDGE AT NO GUN RI: "[A] truly heart-wrenching tale of survival and heroism...This is an inspiring book -- storytelling at its very, very best. Read it."
--Doug Stanton, author of In Harm's Way
"[I]n a class to stand with such work as Hersey's Hiroshima and Keneally's Schindler's List...Powerful history."--Sydney Schanberg, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of The Death and Life of Dith Pran, basis of the film The Killing Fields
"A wrenching story."--Kirkus Reviews (starred)
"This account, expanded from their Pulitzer Prize-winning reportage, raises questions about military preparedness and civilian involvement that are as relevant today as they were a half a century ago."--The New Yorker
"A sober and absorbing account of a very dark chapter in American military history...Meticulously researched, scrupulously fair, and exceptionally well-written...Fine reading and fine history."--Rick Atkinson, author of The Long Gray Line
Charles J. Hanley has reported from some 100 countries in his four-decade career at the Associated Press. His reporting on the No Gun Ri massacre of South Korean refugees in the hands of the U.S. military won him a Pulitzer Prize and Polk Award among other honors, and yielded his 2001 book, The Bridge at No Gun Ri. An expert on the Korean War, he regularly lectures and contributes scholarship on the conflict in academic journals. He lives in New York City.
Although it was then perceived as a far-off and inconclusive engagement, the Korean War was a highly consequential and deeply destructive conflict. American forces dropped 635,000 tons of bombs over Korea --- more than the entire Pacific campaign of World War II --- and millions of Koreans perished. Today, mass graves still litter the countryside and two nuclear-armed forces stand at odds.In Ghost Flames , Charles Hanley adds new color and urgency by telling the history of the war through the eyes of twenty individuals --- soldiers and civilians, male and female, young and old, witnesses both to atrocity and to heroism. The narrative unfolds in interwoven episodes, month by month, from the hilltop trench lines, the refugee camps and the prisoner-of-war camps.In time for the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the war, Hanley offers a people's history of the devastating events on the Korean Peninsula.
This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.