cover image The Strength Not to Fight: An Oral History of Conscientious Objectors of the Vietnam War

The Strength Not to Fight: An Oral History of Conscientious Objectors of the Vietnam War

James W. Tollefson. Little Brown and Company, $22.95 (0pp) ISBN 978-0-316-85112-1

Vietnam-era conscientious objectors here tell how they came to the wrenching decision to refuse the draft or, if they were already in the military, why they decided not to bear arms. The men discuss their strained relations with family members (emphasis on father-son anger), their confrontations with draft boards, their traumatic experiences in prison. Those who performed alternative service in the Peace Corps or as hospital aides recount problems they faced. Many of the men in this absorbing book fled to Canada to live a fugitive life throughout the war, several staying on to become Canadian citizens. Finally, the objectors describe their efforts to come to terms with their families, with their country and with their own consciences after the war. Most impressively, not one of the participants in this oral history believes he did the wrong thing. Tollefson is an English professor at the University of Washington. (July)