Dress Whites

"Beneath the nostalgic memories of lava lamps and tie dye of the 1960's was a grittier era unfolding in the blue-collar bars of Staten Island, the swamplands of the south and the jungles of Vietnam. John Phillips' new book Dress Whites is a cinematic collection of fascinating interlocking stories told in the styles of Quentin Tarantino and Raymond Chandler. It's a new, must-read look at how the Vietnam era shaped the lives of those who served and those left behind."--Jody Heaps, TV producer, writer; five-time Emmy winner

"Not since Hemingway's 'Twenty Grand' and Algren's 'A Bottle of Milk for Mother' have I realized how much power is in the mastery of a short story. With Phillips it is the people-a woman becomes a war widow at age 23, a returning Vietnam vet turns to the brutal world of boxing to fund the search for his missing daughter left behind in Vietnam, the occupants of a run-down Vegas hotel battle their private demons. It's not fancy. It's not pretty. It's a journey through the dark end of real life, where people battle for a second chance. It makes you want more."--Jerry Izenberg, award-winning columnist and author of Once There Were Giants

"Evocatively and poignantly written, Dress Whites recreates slices of life in America as it was a half century ago."--Thomas Hauser, author of Missing and Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times