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A review by rencordings
Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War by Viet Thanh Nguyen
3.0
Overall, I think this work is well-researched with nuanced elucidation that considers the transnationality of the concepts and frameworks discussed in the argument. I like how Viet Thanh Nguyen unpacks prominent similarities of the memory industry in both the US and Vietnam and, to a lesser extent, other relevant Southeast Asian countries, alongside a rich usage of various thinkers. It's a dense book, but the dynamic perspectives and lucid examples he utilizes play a constructive role in helping the central ideas come across.
However, I do feel like he's trying to do too much in one book. Each chapter can be its own book, which means each chapter feels both packed and glossed over at the same time, despite his masterful and meticulous craftsmanship to accessibly deliver highly complicated thoughts. I think he makes up for it by weaving in his personal experiences here and there, but I kind of wish he would do less of it. I'm not saying he shouldn't have a say in a book about his war, but when it comes to a book discussing the ethics of war memories and memory production, the author's occasional snark remarks feel a bit off-putting to me, as if he's the one who has the moral high ground in the discussion-which is quite an ironic self-contradiction.
However, I do feel like he's trying to do too much in one book. Each chapter can be its own book, which means each chapter feels both packed and glossed over at the same time, despite his masterful and meticulous craftsmanship to accessibly deliver highly complicated thoughts. I think he makes up for it by weaving in his personal experiences here and there, but I kind of wish he would do less of it. I'm not saying he shouldn't have a say in a book about his war, but when it comes to a book discussing the ethics of war memories and memory production, the author's occasional snark remarks feel a bit off-putting to me, as if he's the one who has the moral high ground in the discussion-which is quite an ironic self-contradiction.