Ward Just is an American writer who, among his many accomplishments, has written 19 novels. To the best of my knowledge, I am the only person who has read any of them! He is an unknown literary figure (unless you read an obscure journal, the Atlantic)! This book is from a distinct milieu, a collection of 21 short stories and novellas. Its episodes are wide ranging in terms of locale, but the characters lives are, as a rule, centered around governance: they are war correspondents, diplomats, judges, staffers, politicians, soldiers, journalists -- everyone involved herein is part and parcel of the American 'adventure' in Vietnam and its long-lingering effects up into the post 9/11 world. A final note: the few critiques of Just's writings use the word "Hemingwayesque;' in truth, the women who inhabit these pages are strong, decisive, and brilliant, an archtype whom Hemingway never met! ( )