The Things He Lost There

A Story of the Vietnam War

Allie Stuart Povall

$61.95 $52.32

Hardback

Not in-store but you can order this
How long will it take?

Availability Information

We source books from suppliers in Australia and overseas. For books we don't currently have in stock, the time it takes to get them from our suppliers can vary widely - from a few days to a few months - so we check each book with each supplier to determine the expected time it will take to be supplied to us.

We then advise you accordingly. If the time taken to get any book is too long for you, you can let us know and we will cancel or adjust your order, and refund as required.

To find out the anticipated arrival time for specific items prior to ordering, please contact us by phone or email:

Phone +61 2 9264 3111, or 1800 4 BOOKS (1800 4 26657) if outside Sydney:
option 1 Abbey's Bookshop (Crime, History, Science, Kids & more) • info@abbeys.com.au
option 2 Language Book Centre (ESL & Foreign Languages) • language@abbeys.com.au
option 3 Galaxy Bookshop (Sci-fi, Fantasy, Romance, Graphic Novels) • sf@galaxybooks.com.au

QTY:

English

Austin Macauley Publishers LLC
08 November 2024

Vietnam War fiction

Vietnam. The word still resonates with powerful emotions: death, lost souls, devastation - both human and material - shattered men, and a country equally broken and horribly divided.

Into this turbulent backdrop steps Jack Houston, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina. Thrust into the heart of the conflict, Jack's journey encapsulates the grim realities of the Vietnam War and the crucial role of the surface Navy. After fierce combat in places like Phu Quoc, Rach Gia, and Hue during the Tet Offensive, Jack's ship, the highly-decorated Black River, faces a new challenge. A new commanding officer, Cork, takes over, driving - what the crew calls 'corkscrewing' - the ship into both operational and morale disasters.

This narrative explores the impact of Captain Cork's leadership on Jack and the crew, filled with moments of profound sadness and unexpected hilarity. The climax comes with the Black River, now under Jack's command, confronting six Chinese gunboats in the Taiwan Straits: a hopelessly mismatched battle, given the ship's unsuitability for naval combat. The survival of Jack and his ship hangs in the balance as they navigate this deadly encounter.

Parallel to the war story is Jack's poignant love affair with Melanie Lawton, a spirited graduate student back in Carolina. Through her perspective, we witness the defining events of 1968 and 1969: antiwar demonstrations, the chaotic 1968 Democratic Party Convention in Chicago, Woodstock, drug culture, and political assassinations. One devastating decision made in the midst of war shatters Jack and Melanie's relationship, leaving Jack to question if he can ever reclaim what he lost in Vietnam - his love, his peace, his future.

By: Allie Stuart Povall
Imprint: Austin Macauley Publishers LLC
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9798891558045
Pages: 172
Publication Date: 08 November 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Allie Stuart Povall is a native Mississippian and a Vietnam veteran. He holds degrees from the University of Mississippi and Yale Law School. Povall served two combat tours during the Vietnam War, one as the executive officer of the USS St. Francis River, a rocket ship providing close-in fire support to troops ashore and in support of swift boat operations. This is his sixth book.