Kent State: An American Tragedy [Paperback]

Longlisted for the 2024 National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction An admirably patient and thorough book.& A portrait of a country in the throes of madness. Vivid, comprehensive.& VanDeMark gives voice to both students and Guardsmen. A serious and substantial reckoning.& [VanDeMark] takes a more complex and compassionate view of both the frontline guardsmen and the student protesters who faced each other. VanDeMark recounts a country that had split into two warring camps that would not and could not understand each other.& [He] succeeds at helping readers understand that atmosphere, creating a chilling narrative of the spark and ensuing tragedy at Kent State. Masterful.& [A] careful, appropriately dramatic final word. A compelling chronology and a detailed analysis.& [P]rovides invaluable long-term perspective. Brian VanDeMarks beautifully written book forcefully reminds us of the Vietnam Wars impact on American domestic life, and the strife that tore us apart and destroyed innocent lives?as at Kent State. Brian VanDeMark provides an insightful look back at one of the most tragic moments of the 1970s when four students at Kent State University were killed by the Ohio National Guard. VanDeMark unpacks how the story unfolded, shattering some conventional narratives that we have about what took place in this shocking moment in American history. Masterful and compelling&. He uses previous sources, untapped archival troves and a series of original interviews&VanDeMarks take could be the definitive look at the incident.& Masterful.& The definitive book about the atrocity that took place at Kent State in early May 1970.& VanDeMark's thorough, balanced, and nuanced reporting, extensive quotes from scores of principals, and vivid, absorbing prose will stay with readers for a long time.& [This] top-notch book embodies the term