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Jane Fonda's War: A Political Biography Of An Antiwar Icon
As the recent presidential campaign revealed, the Vietnam War remains a political lightning rod. In the 1980s, even as a Gallup poll listed Fonda as one of the most admired women in the country, "Hanoi Jane" had become a reviled figure among conservatives for her highly publicized trip to North Vietnam in 1972. Today, according to a recent poll, millions of Americans continue to link Fonda's name to Vietnam―yet the true history of her antiwar work has been largely obscured. One of the most popular movie actresses of the 1960s and 1970s, Fonda was also among the most committed and visible antiwar activists of the era. Coming on the heels of Jane Fonda's own memoir, this is the first book to document one of the most interesting (and least known) chapters in Fonda's life―including the first comprehensive account of her controversial trips to Hanoi, as well as her extensive efforts on behalf of American GIs. Based on unprecedented access to Fonda's twenty-foot-thick FBI files, interviews with the former POWs Fonda met with in Hanoi in 1972, and a broad range of contemporary press reports, Jane Fonda's War is a fascinating and little-understood chapter in the extraordinary life of an American icon.
- GenresPoliticsNonfiction
228 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 3, 2013
This is an important book for anyone interested in the fields of mass communications, media, politics and government. It would make a good text for a media class. It is an analysis of how and why an anti-war activist became a symbol of betrayal as well as a scapegoat for a country that did not want to admit defeat and its own errors. Hershberger does an excellent job of documenting her work and makes copious use of documents released under the Freedom of Information Act, as well as a vast amount of documents released by the FBI regarding their illegal activities. A mountain of documents if you get the picture.
Fonda is a highly intelligent and thoughtful woman who did not take her decisions and actions lightly, but only after much investigation and thought. One of the most important things she did was organizing the Winter Soldier platform, providing a place for returning Vietnamese vets to tell about what was happening in Vietnam during a time when their government did not want to hear it. Illegal bombing, undeclared war, Cambodia, you know the story. The important thing that Fonda wanted to happen with this process was for responsibility to be placed NOT ONLY on individual soldiers in instances such as the My Lai Massacre, but also on the people giving the orders, the officers and the government. This involved a big freedom of speech battle.
It is intriguing to read the story and follow the thread of lies that led to the many myths surrounding Fonda, which Hershberger clearly draws. Here is the lesson in rumors, media games, purposeful political games and it is fascinating. The way the stories about POWs being tortured were told is worth a media course in itself. It is amazing to hear POWs claim they were tortured in a time and place that did not happen, and important to look at the effects of trauma on eye witnesses once again. I certainly wouldn't expect the details to be kept straight in traumatic situations. And so we see another lesson in the need for multiple sources and other methods of corroboration. One of the thing that made this timing important was that because he did not want to withdraw, Nixon specifically targeted Fonda and blamed her for torture.
The fact that Hershberger is here focused on a very specific issue, the activism of Jane Fonda, makes this a quick and clean read. 5 stars.
Fonda is a highly intelligent and thoughtful woman who did not take her decisions and actions lightly, but only after much investigation and thought. One of the most important things she did was organizing the Winter Soldier platform, providing a place for returning Vietnamese vets to tell about what was happening in Vietnam during a time when their government did not want to hear it. Illegal bombing, undeclared war, Cambodia, you know the story. The important thing that Fonda wanted to happen with this process was for responsibility to be placed NOT ONLY on individual soldiers in instances such as the My Lai Massacre, but also on the people giving the orders, the officers and the government. This involved a big freedom of speech battle.
It is intriguing to read the story and follow the thread of lies that led to the many myths surrounding Fonda, which Hershberger clearly draws. Here is the lesson in rumors, media games, purposeful political games and it is fascinating. The way the stories about POWs being tortured were told is worth a media course in itself. It is amazing to hear POWs claim they were tortured in a time and place that did not happen, and important to look at the effects of trauma on eye witnesses once again. I certainly wouldn't expect the details to be kept straight in traumatic situations. And so we see another lesson in the need for multiple sources and other methods of corroboration. One of the thing that made this timing important was that because he did not want to withdraw, Nixon specifically targeted Fonda and blamed her for torture.
The fact that Hershberger is here focused on a very specific issue, the activism of Jane Fonda, makes this a quick and clean read. 5 stars.
November 5, 2021
Jane Fonda's treatment by the "liberal media" has been so unfair over the years. As this book chronicles she is the very definition of patriot: loves America so much she is willing to love fiercely and challenge government and policy makers to treat vets with respect and care and live up to our so called Christian nation's ideals. Unfortunately, Christ's ideals and teachings read like socialism to the modern day Pharisees like Kristian Koalition and most others in Republican circles....
As one can see this book's relevancy endures...
As one can see this book's relevancy endures...
September 6, 2008
Ms. Hersherger has written a brilliant political biography of one of the great women of our time, or any time. Probably only Jesus, on his good days, could come close to the compassion, wisdom, and caring that characterized Jane Fonda's life according to this well known political biographer from somewhere in Ohio. From whoring in Paris with her husband to whining with the soldiers in coffee houses, Ms. Fonda exhibited adherence to her focus untroubled by reality or in some cases, common sense. Pat Nixon, intellectual and extremely popular First Lady of the anti-Christ, probably said it best for the dullards: "Why doesn't Jane Fonda ask the North Vietnamese to stop their aggression in South Vietnam? Then there wouldn't be any conflict." (I'm paraphrasing). What a stupid woman. Many times in the Hershberger book I felt like kicking myself for not joining the Communist bandwagon when I had the chance. The opportunity to slaughter millions of your own countrymen with little chance of reprisal (after all they WERE the government) must have been overwhelmingly satisfying. And to think, our aviators had the gall to target the Communist hospitals (maybe full of the government's victims?)and carpet bomb urban areas to beat the band as Ms. Hamshburger points out. That's why there was no Hanoi left at the end of the war. I mean the "end" interpreted by the North Vietnamese two years after they signed a treaty to stop the war and then wandered down to take over South Vietnam. [If I may insert a personal note, as a Marine pilot I was fortunate enough to spend time in Wing HQ in Danang. I opened the wrong door one afternoon--I didn't know that the acronym TarAnalSel meant Target Analysis and Selection--and found two majors and a General throwing darts at a chart marked "Hospitals" "Schools" and "Urban Areas." They were laughing like hell but chased me out before I saw what the next days missions were going to be.] At least I won't have to read all of the Pentagon Papers now.
November 24, 2024
Love my girl Jane and there’s a lot of historically important information here, but the writing was a bit dry and repetitive. And it made me happy all over again that Kissinger is burning in hell!!! 🖕🏼
February 21, 2015
An excellent book. I wish the rabid Fonda haters would read this.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews