Showcase: An Honorable Exit by by ÉRIC VUILLARD Translated by MARK POLIZZOTTI

Today I'm showcasing An Honorable Exit Eric Vuillard's examination of what precipitated the first Indochina War
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 978-1-63542-352-5
Publisher: Other Press
Release Date: 04-25-2025
Length: 160pp
Buy It: Publisher/ Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview

From the award-winning author of The Order of the Day, a piercing account of the lesser-known conflict preceding the Vietnam War that dealt a fatal blow to French colonialism.

How can a modern army lose to an army of peasants?

Delving into the last gasps of the First Indochina War (1946–1954), which saw the communist Việt Minh take control of North Vietnam, Éric Vuillard vividly illustrates the attitudes that both enabled French colonialist abuses and ultimately led to their defeat and withdrawal. From the Michelin rubber plantation, where horrific working conditions sparked an epidemic of suicides, to the battlefield, a sense of superiority over the “yellow men” pervaded European and American forces. And, as with so many conflicts throughout history, there were key actors with a motivation deeper than nationalism or political ideology—greed.
An Honorable Exit not only brings to life scenes from the war, but also looks beyond the visceral reality on the ground to the colder calculations of those who seek to benefit from conflict, whether shrewd bankers, who can turn a military win or loss into financial gain, or intelligence operatives like the CIA, who aim to influence governments across the globe.

Review War of The Poor by ÉRIC VUILLARD Translated by MARK POLIZZOTTI

 Today I'm showcasing Eric Vuillard's powerful account of the German Peasants’ War (1524–25) that shows striking parallels to class conflicts of our time. 
Enjoy!

ISBN-13:  978-1-63542-008-1
Publisher: Other Press
Release Date: 11-3-2020
Length: 112pp
Source: Publisher for Review
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

Overview:

From the award-winning author of The Order of the Day, a powerful account of the German Peasants’ War (1524–25) that shows striking parallels to class conflicts of our time.

In the sixteenth century, the Protestant Reformation launched an attack on privilege and the Catholic Church, but it rapidly became an established, bourgeois authority itself. Rural laborers and the urban poor, who were still being promised equality in heaven, began to question why they shouldn’t have equality here and now on earth.

There ensued a furious struggle between the powerful—the comfortable Protestants—and the others, the wretched. They were led by a number of theologians, one of whom has left his mark on history through his determination and sheer energy. His name was Thomas Müntzer, and he set Germany on fire. The War of the Poor recounts his story—that of an insurrection through the Word.

In his characteristically bold, cinematic style, Éric Vuillard draws insights from this revolt from nearly five hundred years ago, which remains shockingly relevant to the dire inequalities we face today.