Precerpt from Nothing So Broken (Richards)

Coming Soon! Available now on pre-order! Nothing So Broken - war, memoir, more. Today we provide a precerpt (an excerpt from a book not yet published) -

Prologue

A week before the 1972 election, President Richard Nixon gave a wide-ranging speech to the nation, laying out his vision for the next four years should he be re-elected. Early in his talk he reviewed the record of his Vietnam policy and reported that “we have reached substantial agreement on most of the terms of a settlement” (Richard Nixon Foundation, 2017) with North Vietnam.

Nixon would go on to retain the Presidency in an historic landslide over South Dakota Senator George McGovern, carrying 49 of the 50 states and 96% of the electoral votes. Quite a contrast to four years earlier, when he squeaked by with only 56% of the electoral votes against Hubert Humphrey!

Shortly after Nixon was sworn into his second term, the governments of the United States, Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam), Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) and the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam (South Vietnamese Communists) signed the Paris Peace Accords, or officially, the Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Viet Nam. The agreement presented a multitude of terms, including the withdrawal of all U.S. and allied forces; the return of prisoners of war; a ban on introducing further military personnel into South Vietnam; a cease-fire in South Vietnam along with delineations of communist and government zones of control; and the reunification of Vietnam through peaceful means without coercion or annexation by either party, and without foreign interference. The agreement was negotiated by U.S. National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger and North Vietnamese Politburo member Lê Đức Thọ. Both men were awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts although Thọ refused to accept the award.

Two months later, President Nixon addressed the people of the United States: “For the first time in 12 years, no American military forces are in Vietnam. All of our American POWs are on their way home. The 17 million people of South Vietnam have the right to choose their own government without outside interference…. We can be proud tonight of the fact that we have achieved our goal of obtaining an agreement which provides peace with honor in Vietnam.” (Richard Nixon Foundation, 2017)

Within weeks of Nixon’s speech, open fighting broke out between South and North Vietnam and quickly escalated. The bloodshed would continue for two more years and conclude with the fall of Saigon.

Back in the States, we were reminded that wars never end with peace accords, treaties, and presidential announcements. Wars always end at the same place, with families.

Book description:

In the shadow of loss, a path to healing begins.

Chris Richards grew up in a small New England mill town, where life was tough and loyalty ran deep. At just 19, his world was shaken when a close friend was left permanently disabled by a devastating accident. At the same time, Chris’s father began to show troubling symptoms linked to his service in the Vietnam War—unseen wounds that would slowly unravel the man he once knew.

The weight of watching two people he loved unravel under the strain of trauma and physical decline left deep scars—ones Chris carried silently into adulthood. For years, he buried his grief and fear, never imagining that one day, facing his own crisis, he would turn to their stories for strength.

This powerful and moving memoir explores the enduring impact of trauma, the quiet power of resilience, and how even the most broken lives can become sources of inspiration. Born of hardship, shaped by loss, and redeemed through reflection, Chris’s story is a testament to the human spirit and the healing that can come from finally confronting the past.

Keywords:

New England memoir, Vietnam War legacy, trauma and healing memoir, coming-of-age true story, memoir about father and son, real-life story of resilience, personal story of grief and growth, emotional healing journey, memoir of small-town life, family trauma memoir, impact of war on families, veterans and PTSD family stories, intergenerational trauma, inspirational memoir about loss, adult child of a veteran, memoir set in a mill town, friendship and tragedy true story, memoir about overcoming fear and grief, how to heal from family trauma, memoir about growing up with a veteran parent, finding hope through personal crisis, true story of surviving emotional loss, lessons from a father's wartime wounds, memoir about friendship, trauma, and redemption

For more posts about Chris and his book, click HERE.

Read more posts about PTSD HERE.

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