Spartan Profiles: Tom Bissell

THE FATHER OF ALL THINGS

            More than 30,000 books on Vietnam are currently in print.  Why another?  Because, says Tom Bissell, ’96, a contributing editor for Harper’s Magazine and The Virginia Quarterly Review, he wanted a more complete understanding of his father John, a Marine Captain who was deeply influenced by the war. 

            The two of them journeyed to Vietnam in 2003 and their experience is told in The Father of All Things: A Marine, His Son, and the Legacy of Vietnam (Pantheon Books, 2007).  Rave reviews ensued.  “Haunting . . . emotionally powerful,” writes the New York Times Book Review.  Adds Publishers Weekly, “This humorous memoir, travelogue, and accessible history—the author’s most ambitious book—confirms Bissell’s status as a rising star of American literature.” 

            Bissell had previously enjoyed widespread critical acclaim with Chasing the Sea, based on his experience in Uzbekistan as a Peace Corps volunteer, and God Lives in St. Petersburg, a collection of short stories that won him the 2006 Rome Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. 

            “My father and I were very close before the trip, and we’re very close now,” he recalls.  “There was no single moment when everything became clear.  Closure only happens in movies.” 

            A native of Escanaba, he chose to attend MSU because “all the people I liked were from MSU while all the snotty, grade-grubbers were from Michigan.” 

            The other reason was that one of his favorite writers, Jim Harrison, was from MSU.  “I loved MSU,” says Tom.  “I was co-editor of the Red Cedar Review for three years and had some great professors.” 

            He singles out Diane Wakoski, John Alford and Jim McClintock as great mentors.  “McClintock taught English 999, about (MSU writers) Tom McGuane, Jim Harrison and Richard Ford,” he recalls.  “Best class I ever took.” 

            After having lived in New York City, about a block from Ground Zero, Tom is now in Rome researching for his next book about the tombs of the 12 apostles.  Will it be like a Dan Brown book?  “I hope so, in sales,” says Tom.