Books by james wright

At the heart of the story of America's wars are our citizen soldiers - those hometown heroes who fought and sacrificed from Bunker Hill at Charlestown to Pointe du Hoc in Normandy, and beyond, without expectation of recognition or recompense. Americans like to think that the serv...ice of its citizen volunteers is, and always has been, of momentous importance in our politics and society. But though this has made for good storytelling, the reality of America's relationship to its veterans is far more complex. In Those Who Have Borne the Battle, historian and marine veteran James Wright tells the story of the long, often troubled relationship between America and those who have defended her- from the Revolutionary War to today- shedding new light both on our history and on the issues our country and its armed forces face today. From the beginning, American gratitude to its warriors was not a given. Prior to World War II, the prevailing view was that, as citizen soldiers, the service of its young men was the price of citizenship in a free society. Even Revolutionary War veterans were affectionately, but only temporarily, embraced, as the new nation and its citizens had much else to do. In time, the celebration of the nation's heroes became an important part of our culture, building to the response to World War II, where warriors were celebrated and new government programs provided support for veterans. The greater transformation came in the wars after World War II, as the way we mobilize for war, fight our wars, and honor those who serve has changed in drastic and troubling ways. Unclear and changing military objectives have made our actions harder for civilians to stand behind, a situation compounded by the fact that the armed forces have become less representative of American society as a whole. Few citizens join in the sacrifice that war demands. The support systems seem less and less capable of handling the increasing number of wounded warriors returning from our numer
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The Hangman's Apprentice spans the birth and evolution of the Equality Party of Canada--from the concept of Absolute Democracy, a form of democracy where Government is abolished and citizens vote on laws and legislation over the internet--to the violent uprising that tears a nati...on apart. The Hangman's Apprentice is a revolution of thoughts and ideals. It is the story of a country divided by those fighting for the power to run their own own lives, versus those fighting to cling onto the power they fear to lose.
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A history of the American War in Vietnam that provides a rich overview of that war and an evocative reminder of the human faces of the generation who served.

The Branch Will Not Break is a reflective anthology of poems which evokes its author's upbringing in poverty-stricken Ohio during the 1930s and 1940s. Representing a radical and innovative departure from the more conventional and nature-orientated works of his earlier career, thi...s collection sees James Wright embark on sudden narrative shifts while conjuring evocative imagery full of implication. Often, the poems begin with a description of a person or object - after these initial verses, we find a blossoming of imagery. This collection was the result of years of collaboration Wright enjoyed with fellow poet Robert Bly. Economical with words, Wright's poems are generally short but unfailing in evocation and implication. Some of the shortest, most rhythmic works in this collection carry shades of Eastern poetry such as Haiku. Others declare a raw scene, image and meaning in an appealing and deceptively simple manner.
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Pope Gregory XVII claims to have received a private revelation of the end of the world - an apocalypse coming not in some distant future but at any moment. Gregory insists that he must tell the world to get ready for the Lord's Second Coming. But his cardinals feel that he is a m...adman and convince him to resign his office. Gregory's problem is an age-old one: How can he convey his message to a world that does not want to hear? Is he a mad man - as his cardinals suspect - a mystic, or a fanatic grasping for an unholy power?
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