How our memory of war can shape the future
5/7/202649 min
All wars are fought twice: first on the battlefield, the second time in memory," writes Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen. This week on Throughline, we revisit our 2022 conversation with Nguyen about how the way we remember and selectively forget the ravages of war has the power to reshape our future.
To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.
See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsSpeaker 00:00
This message comes from Schwab. At Schwab, you can get everything from self-directed investing to full service wealth management all in one place. No matter your investing goal, life stage, amount to invest, or know-how, you can invest your way with Schwab.
Rund Abdelfatah· Host0:16
[gentle music] "I used to think it was my rememory. You know, some things you forget, other things you never do. But it's not. Places, places are still there. If a house burns down, it's gone, but the place, the picture of it stays. And not just in my rememory, but out there in the world. What I remember is a picture floating around out there outside my head. I mean, even if I don't think it, even if I die, the picture of what I did or knew or saw is still out there." Toni Morrison, Beloved.
Viet Thanh Nguyen· Guest0:59
[gentle music] My own memories began very concretely in a refugee camp a few weeks after the fall of Saigon. We were actually boat lifted out of Saigon and then airlifted from Guam to, to Pennsylvania, and ended up, you know, in a military base, Fort Indiantown Gap in Harrisburg,