In partnership with the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth and SMU’s Center for Presidential History
“‘Embers,’ as you know, suggests a dying fire, but one that can be revived,” says Fredrik Logevall. The political quagmire that ignited from the embers of the French-Vietnam conflict serves as the subject of Logevall’s book The Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America’s Vietnam, which won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in History and several other prestigious awards. Written in the style of a great novel with the intrigue of a Cold War thriller, it is a landmark work that will change your understanding of how and why America went to war in Vietnam. Logevall will explore the importance of World War II in laying the groundwork for the French Indochina War that followed, and the major role played from an early point by the United States.
Logevall delved into newly accessible diplomatic archives in several nations and offers insights into a myriad of international characters, including JFK, Ho Chi Min, and Charles de Gaulle. The Christian Science Monitor said, “Even though readers know how the story ends—as with The Iliad—they will be as riveted by the tale as if they were hearing it for the first time.”
Logevall currently teaches at Cornell University, where he also serves as the Director of the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies and the Vice Provost for International Affairs. He has written or edited nine books. His commentary has been featured on CBS, BBC, and NPR.