The Names of the Dead
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In Ithaca, New York, in 1982, Larry Markham awakes to discover his wife, Vicki, has taken their young son, Scott, and left him—not for the first time, possibly for the last. It is a deep blow to a life already in fragments: adead-end job delivering Wonder Bread; a strained relationship with his agingfather, a veteran of World War Two; and weekly visits to the VA hospital whereLarry, a former Army medic, leads a support group for disabled Vietnam vets.As he struggles to win Vicki back, Larry finds he is in danger of a far moreimminent sort: A disturbed member of the support group—a trained CIAassassin—has disappeared, and is stalking Larry and his family. His methodssend an unmistakable message: The game will end in death.At the same time, "The Names of the Dead" is a harrowing and heartfeltportrait of the Vietnam War and the men who fought it. The year is 1968, theplace A Shau valley, and Larry Markham—nineteen and green—must find a way tokeep his platoon alive. Here we see the stories Larry cannot bring himself totell—of friends who made the ultimate sacrifice in a war their countryscorned.
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"The Names of the Dead" is the story of a man trying to find his way backto himself—a story about storytelling and memories that refuse to fade. It isthe story of a man rediscovering the courage to love one woman, and, throughher, the world, his country, his family, and finally himself.
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