There are so many wonderful things said in this Reader Views review of my investigative memoir, I plan to highlight my favorite ones, starting with this:
“Vietnam radically changed the way American writers approach the war narrative. This is not to say that James B. Wells’ current tome, Because: A CIA Coverup & a Son’s Odyssey to Find the Father He Never Knew, is a war narrative, really, but it uses one of the country’s most unpopular conflicts to examine issues that reach beyond any standard retelling of a military scandal or incompetence by superior officers. The book instead focuses on our country and the ancillary organizations and NGOs it uses to accomplish its goals, what these institutions ask of us, the effect that lies and corruption have on future generations, and especially the price we pay, both for remaining silent and for choosing to take a stand. Like Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried or Nick Turse’s Kill Anything That Moves, Because is another important Vietnam story from a decidedly unglamorous point of view, with tough investigating and solid research to back it up.”
James B. Wells 