The War Within a War: The Black Struggle in Vietnam and at Home

A New York Times Best Book of the Year So Far. Award-winning author and journalist Wil Haygood explores how the Vietnam War became a mirror for the struggle of Black Americans—fighting for freedom abroad while demanding equality at home—and a powerful lens through which to understand the racial and political divides that continue to shape American life. Drawing on the lives of soldiers and officers, doctors and nurses, journalists and activists, artists and politicians, Haygood illuminates a generation caught between two battles: one on the front lines in Vietnam and another for justice and dignity in America. Among those at the heart of the story are Air Force pilot Fred Cherry, the first Black officer captured by the North Vietnamese; Dr. Elbert Nelson; Wallace Terry; and Philippa Schuyler. The book also covers figures like Martin Luther King Jr., Marvin Gaye, Berry Gordy, and Lyndon Johnson.