Primary Reading:
Ocean Vuong, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (Penguin Press, 2019).

Supplemental Readings:
Ocean Vuong Poetry Collection. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/ocean-vuong

Andrew Bacevich. “Past All Reason” (The Nation, 2017). https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/the-vietnam-war-past-all-reason/

Barry Romo, Pete Zastro, and Joe Miller. History of the US War in Vietnam, Vietnam Veterans Against the War. http://www.vvaw.org/about/warhistory.php

Participants:
Valerie, Alexa, Geena, Thomas, Sam, Kieran, Mimi, Shigeka, Sanami.

Soundtrack:
All music for the following soundtrack were selected based on references by the author in the novel.

Podcast theme music is sampled from History by the samplers extraordinaire, Thievery Corporation, featuring Mr. Lif & Sitali

Many Men (Wish Death) • 50 Cent
I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive • Hank Williams
His Eye Is On The Sparrow • Mahalia Jackson
Cry Me A River • Justin Timberlake
Nocturne No, 2 In E Flat, Op. 9 No. 2 • Frédéric Chopin (performed by Daniel Barenboim)
Diễm Xưa • Khánh Ly and Trịnh Công Sơn
Where Is The Love? • Black Eyed Peas
This Little Light of Mine • Ralph Stanley

Episode 5 Extras

Included here are additional best bits which, although did not make it into the full podcast episode, are featured here for your continual enjoyment.

Thomas’s favorite neuroscience theory

gan-bat-te, 頑張って, defined