KENT STATE An American Tragedy

Narrator Daniel Henning takes on this detailed account of the shooting by National Guardsmen of students who were protesting the Vietnam War at Kent State University in 1970. Presented as a timeline with context but few digressions, it recounts the events from all sides: the National Guard's, politicians', Kent State administrators', students', parents', and local residents'. Henning uses an unemotional tone for recounting events and delivers the interviews, news accounts, and court hearings in a higher pitch. He captures the heightened reactions to protests, shootings, and other civil unrest that eventually left four students dead and nine permanently injured in Ohio. Fifty-five years later, this fatal clash between Vietnam War protesters and the National Guard still sparks emotions, visceral reactions, and sorrow. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2025]