
Undesirable
The Vietnam War and a Father's Battle for Justice
$49.90
- Paperback
264 pages
- Release Date
11 August 2026
Summary
The powerful true story of a parent’s unflagging battle on behalf of a beloved son struggling with PTSD, mental illness, and addiction and a family who bore the burdens of war for decades.
In January 1969, angry after a fight with his father, nineteen-year-old Doug Johnson—in what will be a fateful choice—decides to enlist in the Army. Once in Vietnam as a point man, Doug becomes addicted to speed and heroin, goes AWOL multiple times, and is court martialed and impris…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780826369796 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0826369790 |
| Author: | Laura Kalpakian |
| Publisher: | University of New Mexico Press |
| Imprint: | University of New Mexico Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 264 |
| Release Date: | 11 August 2026 |
| Weight: | 250g |
| Dimensions: | 229mm x 152mm x 22mm |
You Can Find This Book In
What They're Saying
Critics Review
“Beneath the gripping narrative of a single man battling the opaque impenetrable military bureaucracy during wartime is testimony of a father’s pure devotion and unrelenting love for his child.” – Maureen Stanton, author of The Murmur of Everything Moving: A Memoir“Undesirable is a poignant examination of duty: the author’s father’s to his son, her brother’s to his country, society’s to those who serve, and her own obligation to her father’s memory. This book reminds a new generation that wars fought far away still exact bitter collateral damage from everyone they touch back home.” – Paula Becker, author of A House on Stilts: Mothering in the Age of Opioid Addiction“A moving tale of a father’s love, the haze of war, and the grip of addiction. Kalpakian has written a testament to her family’s determination and a searing condemnation of the system that fails our veterans again and again. Her discovered cache of documents is a treasure map to a lost period in her family’s—and America’s—history. You won’t be able to look away.” – Jessica Pearce Rotondi, author of What We Inherit: A Secret War and a Family’s Search for Answers“As heartbreaking as it is infuriating, Undesirable is further proof that for some soldiers—and those soldiers’ families—the war is never over.” – Stewart O’Nan, author of The Names of the Dead and The Vietnam Reader
About The Author
Laura Kalpakian
Laura Kalpakian is the author of Memory into Memoir: A Writer’s Handbook (UNM Press), a memoir, sixteen novels, and five prize-winning collections of short fiction. She lives in the Pacific Northwest.
Returns
This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.




