Genealogy Books - Shadows and Wind: A View of Modern Vietnam

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Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating:

Summary: Vietnam book for a new generation
Comment: Shadows and Wind is among the best books about my homeland that I've ever read. It really brings to
life the country and the issues it faces and it is written with a depth of knowledge that I am
surprised a non-Vietnamese could learn. This is one of the most important books about the country
written in recent years and the first that views it through the eyes of Vietnamese rather than
through the view of Americans and people who fought in the war. Parts of this book made me cry when
I understood how much people in Vietnam still have to endure. This is a book for the post-War
Vietnam, nto for those who only see the country through the war or those who still view it through
the ignorant lens of Hollywood and American war books.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Arrogant, boring, and occasionally interesting look at 'Nam
Comment: Hey! Guess what? All American's view Vietnam as a Vietnam War movie and all French people see it
as Indochine. And it does not stop there, all other writers about Vietnam do not know what they are
talking about. Yeah, Stanley Karnow, Neil Sheehan, Francis FitzGerald you don't know a thing
either. And guess who the only guy who knows anything about Vietnam is? ROBERT TEMPLER! HE LIVED
IN VIETNAM for THREE WHOLE YEARS AND HE KNOWS EVERYTHING! Well, that is what Robert Templer wants
you to think! Shadows and Wind, which is occasionally interesting, is an arrogantly written and
suprizingly boring look at Vietnam.

The whole beginning of the book is Templer lecturing the
reader on how bad the scholarship is on Vietnam and how he knows the real Vietnam. However after
making such bold claims the book bogs down into some really boring chapters about what should be
some interesting information about Vietnam. Basically pages 80-282 is a waste.

The book does get
interesting at point. I enjoyed the chapters on the role of food in Vietnamese culture and the
relationship between China and Vietnam.

I generally love books like this. The combination
history, travel narrative. But boy, Templer is boring.

The topics he brings up are interesting:
AIDS in Vietnam, the state of the communist party in Vietnam, life in Hanoi, young people...but he
finds a way to present it in a non-interesting way.

But again, if you are going to bash other
peoples views and writings about Vietnam, please back it with a good book. This is not a good
book

Reading through the current Lonely Planet or Rough Guide will give you a better picture of
Vietnam today.

Customer Rating:

Summary: a real politick understanding of present day Vietnam
Comment: This book is not so much an explanation of the Vietnamese "people" as it is of Vietnamese government
and bureaucracy. And on that score, the book is superb. Just don't expect it to give you a deep
understanding of culture or history. It goes back in time only far enough to explain Vietnam's
current situation (usually no more than 10 years back). And it only gets into cultural issues only
to the extent that it effects political and economic decisions.

Templer is no diplomat beholden
to his hosts for their hospitality. Neither is he a liberal academic in an ivory tower removed from
his subject. As a Britisher, he is not affected by the Vietnam War in the way that most Americans
are. In other words, he was neither on the right nor the left the American political debate. He
therefore does not give credit or discredit where neither are due. The tone of the book is fairly
critical, but those criticisms are always justified with specific facts of each case. So if you are
looking for a book that gives a good structural, realpolitick understanding of present day Vietnam,
I would highly recommend this one.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Real understanding of Vietnam
Comment: I bought this book before I went to Vietnam on vacation and if provided me with far greater insights
into the country than any other book I've read on Vietnam. So many books are just about the war but
this one goes deep into Vietnamese life and culture, explaining so much about the place. You end up
learning so much about the country. I was particularly impressed by the chapters on food, literature
and religion that explained so much. A great book on Vietnam. I thoroughly recommend it.

Customer Rating:

Summary: A masterful understanding of Vietnam
Comment: Shadows and Wind is an extraordinary book that really brings to life the trials and tribulations as
well as the joys of life in Vietnam. I spent three years working there and this book captures so
much of my experiences, both the frustrations with the bureaucracy and corruption of the country and
also the rich cultural experience of Vietnam. The war is long over but Vietnam is a troubled country
and this book reflects that -- it certainly can sometimes be depressing reading but this is not a
theme park. It's a country with real problems, deep poverty, issues with human rights and a growing
problem of HIV. If you want the purely romantic tourist vision, look elsewhere (Daniel Steele,
perhaps, she wrote a book called Nam) but this is the most honest, most thorough book about Vietnam
to come out in years. If you really want to read a book by someone who understands the country, read
this. It is an excellently written book that beats all others into distant second. Its depth of
knowledge about Vietnam is unparalled.

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