Why Are We in Vietnam? A Novel

WhenWhy Are We in Vietnam? was published in 1967, almost twenty years afterThe Naked and the Dead, the critical response was ecstatic. The novel fully confirmed Mailer's stature as one of the most important figures in contemporary American literature. Now, a new edition of this exceptional work serves as further affirmation of its timeless quality. Narrated by Ranald ("D.J.") Jethroe, Texas's most precocious teenager, on the eve of his departure to fight in Vietnam, this story of a hunting trip in Alaska is both brilliantly entertaining and profoundly thoughtful. AmongNorman Mailer's other achievements areThe Naked and the Dead,The Armies of the Night, for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award in 1968, andThe Executioner's Song, which won the 1980 Pulitzer Prize. WhenWhy Are We in Vietnam? was published in 1967, almost twenty years afterThe Naked and the Dead, the critical response was ecstatic. The novel fully confirmed Mailer's stature as one of the most important figures in contemporary American literature. Now, a new edition of this exceptional work serves as further affirmation of its timeless quality. Narrated by Ranald ("D.J.") Jethroe, Texas's most precocious teenager, on the eve of his departure to fight in Vietnam, this story of a hunting trip in Alaska is both brilliantly entertaining and profoundly thoughtful. "It is impossible to walk away from this novel without being sharply reminded of the fact that Norman Mailer is a writer of extraordinary ability."Chicago Tribune "A shattering social commentary . . . The book is a tour de force, a treatise on human nature, society, and war in flip disguise."Dallas News "A book of great integrity. All the odd qualities are here: Mailer's remarkable feeling for the sensory event, the detail, 'the way it was,' and his power and energy."The New York Review of Books "Original, courageous, and provocative."The New York Times

Among Norman Mailer's other achievements are The Naked and the Dead, The Armies of the Night, for which he was awarded a Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award in 1968, and The Executioner's Song, which won the 1980 Pulitzer Prize.

"It is impossible to walk away from this novel without being sharply reminded of the fact that Norman Mailer is a writer of extraordinary ability."—Chicago Tribune

"A shattering social commentary . . . The book is a tour de force, a treatise on human nature, society, and war in flip disguise."—Dallas News

"A book of great integrity. All the odd qualities are here: Mailer's remarkable feeling for the sensory event, the detail, 'the way it was,' his power and energy."—The New York Review of Books

"Original, courageous, and provocative."—The New York Times