If any question why we died
Tell them, because our fathers lied.
—Rudyard Kipling
Washington Post's 50 Best Nonfiction Books of the Year
Washington Post's 50 Best Nonfiction Books of the Year
Because Our Fathers Lied: A Memoir of Truth and Family, from Vietnam to Today
RELEASED MAY 2022 | LITTLE, BROWN AND COMPANY
Washington Post’s 50 Notable Works of Nonfiction
Craig McNamara came of age in the political tumult and upheaval of the late ‘60s. While Craig would grow up to take part in anti-war demonstrations, his father, Robert McNamara, was John F. Kennedy's Secretary of Defense and the architect of the Vietnam War. This searching and revealing memoir offers an intimate picture of one father and son at a pivotal period in American history.
Before Robert McNamara joined Kennedy's cabinet, he was an executive who helped turn around Ford Motor Company. Known for his tremendous competence and professionalism, McNamara came to symbolize "the best and the brightest." Craig, his youngest child and only son, struggled in his father's shadow. When he ultimately fails his draft board physical, Craig decides to travel by motorcycle across Central and South America, learning more about the art of agriculture and making what he defines as an honest living. By the book's conclusion, Craig McNamara is farming walnuts in Northern California and coming to terms with his father's legacy.
Because Our Fathers Lied tells the story of the war from the perspective of a single, unforgettable family. But it’s more than a family story—it’s a story about America.
ORDER NOW:
Because Our Fathers Lied trailer by Mizzica Films
Top Reviews & Interviews
Photo: Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times
Haunted By His Father’s Role in Vietnam, He Turned to Farming to Grow a New Legacy
—Jessica Garrison, Los Angeles Times
“Because Our Fathers Lied is a captivating text for anyone grappling with the pain of possessing a parent who did horrible things.”
—Noah Kulwin, The New Republic
“The son of John F Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson’s defense secretary delivers a searing memoir of war, betrayal and love.”
—Charles Kaiser, The Guardian
“That Craig McNamara has survived, and thrived, and given us this staggering book, is something of a miracle.”
—Joe Klein, Washington Post
Morning Edition CapRadio host Donna Apidone interviews Craig about his memoir and relationship with his father for NextAvenue.
Photo: Brontë Wittpenn / The Chronicle
“The tale of a son’s lifelong yearning for his father to look him squarely in the eye and tell him the unvarnished truth, regardless of the scale of his missteps or regrets.” —Jessica Zack, San Francisco Chronicle Datebook
KQED Forum host Mina Kim talks with Craig about what it means to carve out his own legacy and how he contends with his father’s actions today — and takes some difficult questions from listeners. Listen here
Events
To inquire about hosting a book-related event with Craig McNamara, or to request a review copy,
please email Lena Khidritskaya Little, Director of Publicity, Little, Brown and Company
Praise for Because Our Fathers Lied
“Anyone who lived through the sixties remembers the Vietnam War, Robert McNamara, and the intensity of feelings about the role he played in the prosecution of that war. Indeed, rightly or wrongly, it became known as McNamara's War…This is a story — an unknown story — about their [Robert and Craig’s] relationship and how the hurt of the conflict in Vietnam, a national sorrow, spilled over into a personal relationship…A story about a generational conflict as well as an international conflict, and an important book in our understanding of that now-distant era.”
—Errol Morris, director of The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara
“Craig McNamara has written an intimate personal story about the afterlife of America’s disastrous Vietnam experience. His attempts to understand his own father, one of the most controversial figures of the 20th century, have created a new chapter in that history. His voice is as morally focused as any that resisted the war.”
—Daniel Ellsberg
"This is a courageous, devastating memoir, written from the inside out. While U.S. policy was conducted from an icy 30,000-ft. perch, for Craig McNamara, the Vietnam War was an intimate family drama full of complex moral dilemmas, betrayal, and family self-awareness and actualization."
—Ken Burns, filmmaker
"This memoir is both fascinating and heartbreaking. Craig McNamara has taken the monumental figure of his father, Robert McNamara, and brings him to life in a profoundly intimate way. This is not just a beautifully written book about the past history of our country, it tells an urgent story about the present. Through the experiences of his becoming an activist and travelling the world, we deeply understand Craig's passionate commitment to equity and sustainability.”
—Alice Waters, author of Coming to My Senses
"Craig McNamara has written an important book that should be read by every American if we are ever to truly heal from that war."
—Ron Kovic, Vietnam Veteran and author of Born on the Fourth of July
“Craig McNamara, in this heartfelt memoir, shares the story of his coming of age, haunted by the horrors of the Vietnam War and his father's role in it. Hobnobbing at the White House, war protesting in Berkeley, motorcycling to Chile and even living on Easter Island, then becoming a walnut farmer in Northern California—McNamara recounts an absorbing tale of father and son, bound together but deeply separated by different lives and understandings of truth and loyalty. The telling is clear and candid.”