On Distant Ground Summary
Robert Olen Butler

On Distant Ground Summary

Three themes are tightly entwined throughout the novel: the need to define the self when conventional sociocultural frames of reference are lost; the need to retain a sense of humanity amid the savageries of war; and the need to carry on life in the face of death.

Through flashbacks, Fleming allows the reader glimpses of his experiences as a young military intelligence officer working in and near Saigon. When one of his enlisted...

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