Genealogy Books - The Sacred Willow: Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Family

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Summary: Personal account of history
Comment: If one wants to understand Vietnam it is always important to read books with a Vietnamese viewpoint
rather than those written through Western eyes. The author covers a wide time span in Vietnam's
history and she presents it accurately while also dealing with the personal side of historical
events. For anyone interested in understanding Vietnam this has to be added to one's must read list.

Customer Rating:

Summary: Recommended by a Vietnamese friend; did not disappoint
Comment: I did not realize the importance of reading a book written from a Vietnamese viewpoint until I began
reading other books on Vietnam written from Western viewpoints. Certain events, such as the lasting
meaning of the Tet Offensive of 1968 and Vietnam's engagement of the Khmer Rouge are shown in a
completely different light in "Sacred Willow".
In addition, Elliot's coverage of an unwieldly
time span is impressively complete, even though the ealiest events comprise only a few chapters of
this 500-page tome.
Elliot keeps her references to her experiences in America to the bare
minimum necessary to flesh out the story, which I found appropriate in a book about Vietnam (not
about the Vietnamese-American immigrant experience). There are several memoirs out there dealing
with Vietnam, but none are as clearly focused on Vietnam, or have near as broad a depth as this
book. I am utterly satisfied and excited to have this one in my personal library.

Customer Rating:

Summary: A Personal Account of the Impact of history
Comment: Duong Van Mai Elliott has given the world as intimate an account of the entire breath of Viet Namese
history as you'll ever encounter. It is remarkable how close to the ground her family has always
been throughout her country's efforts to break the bonds of colonialism, regardless of the
oppressor. She casts history accurately, relates its impact on her forebears and brings the whole
discussion front and center in the conflicts that arise among siblings as they come to terms with
some who embrace Ho Chi Minh, others who embrace US personnel.
Mai's own story is full of that
heart-rending division as she comes to term with her husband's family, who while very supportive of
their daughter-in-law, really are not aware of the enormous drama taking place in the souls of this
family. It is not like the Viet Namese to be outwardly emotional, and so their resolve to be brave
in the face of often crushing personal sacrifice leaves you stunned.
One of the things I got from
this book was that the US never stood a chance. The Us never understood what the central issue was
for the Viet Namese people, inspite of having liberated themselves from similar colonialism in their
own history. Replacing one colonialist for another, be they kinder or crueler, was not the point:
they were still colonialists, and too often the US opted for choices based on ideologies instead of
on the human factor, a point the Viet Minh knew was more powerful than bullets.
The war decimated
Viet Namese as well as Americans, a point too often overlooked in the rush to build monuments to
people who had no business there to begin with. The killing fields that would follow in the wake of
the US departure would exact a toll on the humanity of a remarkable people. Time would show that the
ideologues of Uncle Ho were little better than oppressors from afar. Mai saw it up close and
personal.
The familial rifts remained. Still there is so much healing needed. This book will not
resolve anything for the reader. Imstead, it shows that history happens to real families. Holocausts
impact real people. The numbers and the monuments don't tell the story at all.

Customer Rating:

Summary: THE SACRED WILLOW
Comment: I am a Vietnam vet that thoroughly enjoyed this historic background as portrayed by Mai Elliiot in
this remarkable book. I have always been amazed our government prepared us so lightly for a conflict
that needed the knowledge Mai exhibits for this far-away land we tromped into so blatantly. Only a
vet could begin to comprehend the extent of Mai's wonderful treatment of her native people's
travails and create the respect one has to garner for their toughness and leathery resiliency.
I
flew helicopters in the Mekong Delta in 1966-67 at Vinh Long, with the Outlaws of the 175th Aviation
Company--a very lucky assignment. I grew familiar with the terrain this VN author describes and the
torment of her citizenry in this conflict. Every vet and family member of a Vietnam vet should have
this book in their library; hurry up and buy it before it is past!! My book of the same title as my
unit covers our flying experiences as youthful US Army Aviators.

Customer Rating:

Summary: story of perseverance and optimism
Comment: This family saga starts out slowly and methodically more than a century ago. The story of earlier
generations seems distant, impersonal and embellished, as sagas are wont to get. But as the author
progresses through time to the more recent past, the richness and reality of the story takes hold.
If you are patient enough to wade through the first few chapters, you will find a fine and inspiring
story of perseverance and optimism. As it is only one family?s experience, it should not be taken
as the story of a nation. But in conversations I have had with friends and in-laws, it does seem
quite typical, especially for Northern Catholics.

Many have justifiably compared this book to Wild
Swans, the multi-generational tale of a Chinese family. There are many parallels between the two.
But there are fundamental differences that, in my mind, negate many of the similarities. First is
that Wild Swans focuses mainly on the women in the family while Sacred Willow is more equitable in
its coverage of women and men in the family. Perhaps more important to my political mind is that,
in Wild Swans, the family joined the Party that persecuted them while in Sacred Willow, the family
tried their best to keep the ruling forces at a safe distance. An earlier reviewer cites this
distance as a flaw in the story. It certainly makes the tragedy of Sacred Willow less ironic, but
the family seems all the worse for it.

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