On today’s episode, Esty catches up with H. Bruce Franklin about his latest book, Crash Course, in which he details the historical and cultural implications of the Vietnam War and how it set in motion the perpetual, global wars waged by the U.S. up through the present day.

H. Bruce Franklin is a professor of English and American studies at Rutgers University. His areas of research include the history and literature of the Vietnam War, the cultural significance of science fiction, marine ecology, and American prison writing. He is the author or editor of nineteen books, including his most recent work, Crash Course: From the Good War to the Forever War (Rutgers University Press, 2018).