The War Within a War: The Black Struggle in Vietnam and at Home
Wil Haygood
(Knopf, 2026)

Told through the stories of Black soldiers and officers, doctors and nurses, journalists and activists, artists and politicians, The War Within a War illuminates a generation caught between two battles: one on the front lines in Vietnam and another for justice and dignity at home. Surrounding their experiences are the cultural and political forces of the turbulent era of transformation. The story is both sweeping history and intimate revelation, providing a lens through which to understand the racial and political divides that continue to shape America.

This event is presented in partnership with Delaware Historical Society and Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justics (SDARJ).

About the Author
Wil Haygood is the author of ten nonfiction books, including The Butler, and he has been a correspondent for The Washington Post and The Boston Globe. Haygood is a Guggenheim and NEH Fellow and is currently a Visiting Distinguished Scholar at Miami University in Oxford, OH, his alma mater.

Purchase the book
Please help support local independent bookstores by purchasing this book at Browseabout Books, official bookseller of the History Book Festival. Online sources and digital versions are tempting; however, supporting local brick and mortar shops helps to preserve our vibrant main streets. Drop by Browseabout, order books online, or call the store at 302-226-2665. You also may purchase a copy at biblion in Lewes.

About the Festival
The History Book Festival is the first and only book festival in the United States devoted exclusively to history. With the help of our presenting funding partner —  The Lee Ann Wilkinson Group, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices | PenFed Realty — as well as our program and community partners, volunteers, and donors, the 2026 History Book Festival will be full of great discussions with authors of newly published narrative nonfiction and historical fiction. 

Thanks to all our donors, especially our education and outreach funding partners: Carolyn & Aaron Nayer, Jen Mason & Clare Hancock, the Red Wagon Foundation, and Browseabout Books. HBF authors visit classrooms in Delaware, and HBF provides their books to schools, libraries, and community organizations.

Our Keynote event is presented by Griswold Home Care for Sussex & Kent Counties and Groome Church; our Closing event is presented by the Delaware Community Foundation. The Spirited Discussion, our gathering for attendees and presenters to celebrate and discuss their day, is presented by Dogfish Head Beer & Benevolence.

Special thanks to our Program Partners for their continuing support: the Lewes Public Library for event promotion and production; Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, official bookseller of the History Book Festival; and Historic Lewes for event promotion and author hospitality. Thanks also to the Lewes Chamber of Commerce for event promotion, and the Cape Gazette and Delmarva Public Media, our media partners.