Super Short Summary

The Armies of the Night by Norman Mailer is a nonfiction novel published in 1968 that splits into two segments, depicting and analyzing the October 1967 March on the Pentagon to protest the Vietnam War. The first segment, "History as a Novel: The Steps of the Pentagon," presents Mailer's personal involvement and arrest during the march, while the second, "The Novel as History: The Battle of the Pentagon," offers a broader, factual examination of the protest and the varied tactics employed by protesters and the military. The book addresses political radicalism, the activist community, and America's reasons for involvement in Vietnam. Topics including war, aggression, and political unrest are discussed.