Edison 64: A Tragedy in Vietnam and at Home
Edison 64: A Tragedy in Vietnam and at Home
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EDISON 64: A Tragedy in Vietnam and at Home - Edison High School in Philadelphia sent more young men to their deaths in the Vietnam War than any other school in the nation. Award-winning author Richard Sand has compiled the stories of their lives, their sacrifice, and their service. Following them from their inner-city neighborhood, where violence and poverty were a way of life, to the jungles of Vietnam, Richard Sand weaves together their lives and the lives of Edison surviving Veterans, forming a memorable tale of tragedy, part poetry and part pathos. With moving forewords by former Secretary of Homeland Security and decorated Vietnam combat veteran, Tom Ridge, as well as former Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, Ron Castile, also a decorated and wounded, Vietnam Combat Veteran, this is truly one of the most heart-rending tomes on this chaotic and tragic period in American history.

Book Details

Genre: 

  • Historical Nonfiction
  • Nonfiction

Age Level: 

  • 12 and up

The Vietnam War, one of the first where news reporters were on the ground with the troops, sparked considerable controversy at home. Hundreds of thousands of our soldiers returned home to cries of "Baby killer," and their service wasn't honored the way it should've been. Edison High School sent the most teenage boys to the war of any high school in America. Sixty-four boys never returned home. Richard Sand interviewed several veterans and the families of those who gave their lives in service to our country, and he tells the stories of their lives and service.

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