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Done in a Day: Telex from the Fall of Saigon
A searing reflection on the last day of the Vietnam War and the beginning of the end of foreign reporting in the nation’s daily newspapers.
Done in a Day turns on a single the April 30, 1975, departure of the last helicopter evacuating civilians from the rooftop of the US embassy in Saigon. Elisa Tamarkin’s interest in that helicopter begins with the fact that her stepfather, Bob Tamarkin, the Saigon bureau chief for the Chicago Daily News, was on it—the last American correspondent to leave Saigon as it fell. His report was filed from a naval ship on the South China Sea at a time when no other telexes were going through.
Now, more than fifty years later, Tamarkin offers a social and cultural autopsy of that moment, based in personal history but vividly unfolding amid the vast documentation of America’s obvious defeat, which never seemed to register even as it got out, in the writings of journalists and essayists, in the backchannel cables between US ambassador Graham Martin and Henry Kissinger, in congressional hearings, and in photographs of the war’s end. The story is also set against the imminent disappearance of war coverage in city newspapers—and of the newspapers themselves—once proud, in the words of the Chicago Daily News, of bringing readers the “literature of the day” that was “done in a day.”
Done in a Day braids history, criticism, and memoir to tell the paired stories of Saigon’s liberation and the demise of the news. The result is a haunting essay about all that ended in a day—and about what it means to recognize and to write about endings even as we live through them.
Done in a Day turns on a single the April 30, 1975, departure of the last helicopter evacuating civilians from the rooftop of the US embassy in Saigon. Elisa Tamarkin’s interest in that helicopter begins with the fact that her stepfather, Bob Tamarkin, the Saigon bureau chief for the Chicago Daily News, was on it—the last American correspondent to leave Saigon as it fell. His report was filed from a naval ship on the South China Sea at a time when no other telexes were going through.
Now, more than fifty years later, Tamarkin offers a social and cultural autopsy of that moment, based in personal history but vividly unfolding amid the vast documentation of America’s obvious defeat, which never seemed to register even as it got out, in the writings of journalists and essayists, in the backchannel cables between US ambassador Graham Martin and Henry Kissinger, in congressional hearings, and in photographs of the war’s end. The story is also set against the imminent disappearance of war coverage in city newspapers—and of the newspapers themselves—once proud, in the words of the Chicago Daily News, of bringing readers the “literature of the day” that was “done in a day.”
Done in a Day braids history, criticism, and memoir to tell the paired stories of Saigon’s liberation and the demise of the news. The result is a haunting essay about all that ended in a day—and about what it means to recognize and to write about endings even as we live through them.
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
320 pages, Hardcover
Published April 28, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 23, 2026
4.5 stars
Done in a Day: Telex from the Fall of Saigon is a thoughtful and intimate look at a pivotal historical moment through a deeply personal lens. Elisa Tamarkin beautifully weaves together her family’s story with the role of newspapers during the final days of the Vietnam War, and I found that perspective especially compelling. The behind the scenes look at how news was gathered, transmitted, and experienced in real time.
I will say I went in hoping for a bit more traditional historical context, especially surrounding the events leading up to the fall of Saigon, like Operation Babylift and other key moments. Still, what the book does, it does very well. It captures the intersection of personal memories and history in a powerful way, making it a rewarding read despite my personal wish for more historical depth.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC
Done in a Day: Telex from the Fall of Saigon is a thoughtful and intimate look at a pivotal historical moment through a deeply personal lens. Elisa Tamarkin beautifully weaves together her family’s story with the role of newspapers during the final days of the Vietnam War, and I found that perspective especially compelling. The behind the scenes look at how news was gathered, transmitted, and experienced in real time.
I will say I went in hoping for a bit more traditional historical context, especially surrounding the events leading up to the fall of Saigon, like Operation Babylift and other key moments. Still, what the book does, it does very well. It captures the intersection of personal memories and history in a powerful way, making it a rewarding read despite my personal wish for more historical depth.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC
July 8, 2026
This is a meandering mediation on ..... well, the hook is on the fall of Saigon. And it is about that. Sometimes. On occassion.
It's also something of a family memoir, as Tamarkin's dad was one of the last 16 US correspondents be stationed in Saigon when it fell in 1975. In fact, he was on the last civilian helicopter out of Saigon (a detail she tells us at least three times in one chapter alone). So there are plenty of family perspective here; to an extent this can read more like a privately published memoir meant for relatives rather than a hardcover book produced by the University of Chicago Press. (looks back at the last sentence). OK, that was a mite too harsh. That said, a lot of this book has ponderings on the decline of print journalism, as even back then foreign correspondents were on the decline and Lord knows is hadn't bumped up bigger since then. You get so much of the book on the fall of the Chicago Daily News and on art instillations about the fall of the print media, and .... yeah, it intersects with the Fall of Saigon, but it still feels like chapters and segments from two different books wandering into each randomly.
I also didn't think it was very well written. (See my above note on how she repeated herself on her father's departure). I didn't see much struture to this at all. It just ponders all over the place.
I skimmed this a lot more than I read it. Then again, the parts I read didn't make me want to do much more than skimming.
Things learned: the famous photo of the last helicopter off the roof of the US embassy wasn't the last chopper - and that chopper didn't even take off from the roof of the US embassy. (The last overall helicopter took about 8-10 soliders off the roof of the US embasssy the next morning). The US ambassador comes off like a fairly clueless dope in over his head.
It's also something of a family memoir, as Tamarkin's dad was one of the last 16 US correspondents be stationed in Saigon when it fell in 1975. In fact, he was on the last civilian helicopter out of Saigon (a detail she tells us at least three times in one chapter alone). So there are plenty of family perspective here; to an extent this can read more like a privately published memoir meant for relatives rather than a hardcover book produced by the University of Chicago Press. (looks back at the last sentence). OK, that was a mite too harsh. That said, a lot of this book has ponderings on the decline of print journalism, as even back then foreign correspondents were on the decline and Lord knows is hadn't bumped up bigger since then. You get so much of the book on the fall of the Chicago Daily News and on art instillations about the fall of the print media, and .... yeah, it intersects with the Fall of Saigon, but it still feels like chapters and segments from two different books wandering into each randomly.
I also didn't think it was very well written. (See my above note on how she repeated herself on her father's departure). I didn't see much struture to this at all. It just ponders all over the place.
I skimmed this a lot more than I read it. Then again, the parts I read didn't make me want to do much more than skimming.
Things learned: the famous photo of the last helicopter off the roof of the US embassy wasn't the last chopper - and that chopper didn't even take off from the roof of the US embassy. (The last overall helicopter took about 8-10 soliders off the roof of the US embasssy the next morning). The US ambassador comes off like a fairly clueless dope in over his head.
May 13, 2026
3.5 ⭐️
another smash hit from the new yorker’s recommendation list. as someone who wants to be a foreign correspondent and who’s always been intrigued by the vietnam war even though she doesn’t have any sort of historical expertise on the matter, this book was fascinating.
it is not only a historical account of the fall of saigon but also a post mortem autopsy on foreign reporting and a philosophical reflection on the effects of the vietnam war in our understanding of world news.
my only criticism would be that, at least for the few chapters, the writing was too dense and hard to follow, but my understanding did progress throughout the book.
would recommend.
another smash hit from the new yorker’s recommendation list. as someone who wants to be a foreign correspondent and who’s always been intrigued by the vietnam war even though she doesn’t have any sort of historical expertise on the matter, this book was fascinating.
it is not only a historical account of the fall of saigon but also a post mortem autopsy on foreign reporting and a philosophical reflection on the effects of the vietnam war in our understanding of world news.
my only criticism would be that, at least for the few chapters, the writing was too dense and hard to follow, but my understanding did progress throughout the book.
would recommend.
July 4, 2026
This book felt very disjointed to me. I loved learning about the back story of foreign correspondents during and after the Vietnam conflict. But there was so much extra included that felt superfluous to the main idea. While the information about the art installations of the telex demonstrating the furious pace of news was interesting, it felt like it went on too long. This was the case with several anecdotes. They mostly seemed to steal focus rather than build up the main story.
Liked parts of it, but the overall whole was not a win for me.
Liked parts of it, but the overall whole was not a win for me.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews