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Coming Home: The Veteran's Return in American Pop Culture
Coming Home The Veteran's Return in American Pop Culture Author:Robert Oliver How does society handle the return of a soldier from the strange realm of the battlefield back into the regular stream of American existence? What themes does that return embody? What reactions does it provoke? As with many such questions, these have been explored throughout the history of popular culture: film, literature, magazines, television... more », and even holidays have considered each and every war in its own time, and according to a constantly shifting set of terms. "Coming Home" traces the image of the veteran's homecoming in popular culture, linking the depiction of this ritual to the different forces - political, cultural, social, and intellectual - in place at the time. As a result of this focus, it provides a unique glimpse into phenomena that every culture, in its way, must face: the soldier's return home, his or her need to reengage in society, and society's reaction to that attempt.« less