Born on the Fourth of July

Born on the Fourth of July (ISBN 1888451785) is the autobiography of Ron Kovic, a paralyzed Vietnam War veteran who became an anti-war activist. It was adapted into a film in 1989 by Oliver Stone and Ron Kovic, and stars Tom Cruise and Willem Dafoe.

Introduction

According to Kovic, Born on the Fourth of July was written in Santa Monica, California during the fall of 1974 over a period of one month, three weeks and two days{{ref|kovicquote1}}. It tells the story of Kovic's life from growing up in Massapequa, New York to signing up for the Marines and going to Vietnam, before being wounded and left in a wheelchair, and eventually starting a new life as an anti-war activist.

Related Topics:
Santa Monica, California - Massapequa, New York - Marines

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:"I wrote all night long, seven days a week, single space, no paragraphs, front and back of the pages, pounding the keys so hard the tips of my fingers would hurt. I couldn't stop writing, and I remember feeling more alive than I had ever felt. Convinced that I was destined to die young, I struggled to leave something of meaning behind, to rise above the darkness and despair. I wanted people to understand. I wanted to share with them as nakedly and openly and intimately as possible what I had gone through, what I had endured. I wanted them to know what it really meant to be in a war -- to be shot and wounded, to be fighting for my life on the intensive care ward -- not the myth we had grown up believing. I wanted people to know about the hospitals and the enema room, about why I had become opposed to the war, why I had grown more and more committed to peace and nonviolence." — Ron Kovic, on writing his autobiography.{{ref|kovicquote2}}

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Tom Paxton also wrote a song based on the book.

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