Ray Boomhower: ”The Ultimate Protest: Malcolm W. Browne, Thich Quang Duc, and the News Photograph That Stunned the World”

In this episode of Biographers in Conversation, Ray Boomhower chats with Dr Gabriella Kelly-Davies about his choices while crafting The Ultimate Protest: Malcolm W. Browne, Thích Quảng Đức, and the News Photograph That Stunned the World.

Here’s what you’ll discover in this episode:

• The powerful story behind Buddhist monk Thích Quảng Đức’s 1963 self-immolation protest in Saigon.
• How Malcolm Browne’s iconic photograph of this tragic act shocked the world, igniting global outrage that influenced the course of the Vietnam War.
• Why Boomhower chose The Ultimate Protest as the biography’s title.
• How Boomhower braided biography with war history. 
• Boomhower’s meticulous behind-the-scenes research, from scouring archives and news reports to retracing Malcolm Browne’s footsteps in Vietnam.
• How Boomhower captured Malcolm Browne’s voice and perspective despite never interviewing him. 
• How Boomhower depicted distressing and sacred moments with unflinching accuracy, empathy and cultural sensitivity.
• The ethical dilemmas Boomhower grappled with in sharing Browne’s story.