The first literary biography of Tim O'Brien, the preeminent American writer of the war in Vietnam, drawing on never-before-seen materials and original interviews.
Exhaustive ... A seasoned critic and scholar who has published studies of Hemingway and war literature, Vernon also sleuthed through a veritable mountain of reference material ... Vernon sometimes makes the mistake of letting the research drive his narrative ... Vernon avoids the classic biographer’s curse of falling in love with his subject.
...in the hands of Hendrix College English professor Alex Vernon, O’Brien’s life story is riveting, personal and complex. O’Brien carries all the contradictions of his best characters: humble and prideful, introspective and disputatious, loyal and … well, sometimes something short of loyal. As a result, Peace is a Shy Thing is a must-read for lovers of American history, American literature and biographical writing ... Vernon manages a volume of detail that is frankly astounding.
This braiding of personal history and the creative journey poignantly finds O’Brien grappling with the perils of fame, masculinity, and war, while expanding the boundaries of storytelling.
