An Unofficial 'The Rest Is History' Reading List

325: Fall of Saigon: Apocalypse Now (Part 2)

April 27, 2023

Description

“It is 105 degrees in Saigon, and rising.” This announcement, made through U.S. Armed Forces radio on a spring morning in 1975, is the cue for all Americans remaining in Saigon to head to the US...
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Books Referenced

Heart of Darkness

Author: Joseph Conrad

Context:

Mentioned as the literary source that Apocalypse Now is based on - described as 'Conrad's story of Belgian imperialism in the Congo' and used to discuss the themes of imperial adventures and moral corruption

A Rumor of War

Author: Philip Caputo

Context:

Referenced alongside Tim O'Brien as an author of books about Vietnam that American listeners may have read, in the context of discussing how Vietnam War literature focuses on the American experience