Book Review: 'The Girl in the Picture' (2012)

It's one of the 20th century's most disturbing and recognizable photos: A young, naked Vietnamese girl runs screaming down a street after being horribly burned by an American napalm attack. In the intimate portrait The Girl in the Picture, journalist Denise Chong tells the story of that girl, Kim Phuc, who miraculously survived after being rushed to a hospital by the AP photographer. The 1972 picture would sway American public opinion against the war and transform Kim into a propaganda tool for the Communist Vietnamese government (ironically, perks like international travel led to her 1992 defection to Canada). Moving beyond the frame of that powerful photo, Chong deftly shifts focus between its personal and political impact. B+