Child of War, Woman of Peace

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Binding: Paperback Dewey Decimal Number: 973.049592 EAN: 9780385471473 ISBN: 0385471475 Label: Anchor Manufacturer: Anchor Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 388 Publication Date: 1993-12-01 Publisher: Anchor Release Date: 1993-12-01 Studio: Anchor
Related Items When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: Tie-In Edition Heaven & Earth Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam The Sacred Willow: Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Family The Girl in the Picture: The Story of Kim Phuc, Whose Image Altered the Course of the Vietnam War
Editorial Reviews: The inspiring story of an immigrant's struggles to heal old wounds in the United States, this is the sequel to When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, Le Ly Hayslip's extraordinary, award-winning memoir of life in wartime Vietnam.
Spotlight customer reviews: Customer Rating: Summary: Ooooooooooohhhhh....Ummmmm.......... Comment: Tears are falling from my eyes as I write this review...now the LOWEST RATED review of this book. I feel as if I should stop typing and just punch myself in the nose. Okay....as other reviewers have pointed out, this book is the sequel to Ms. Hayslip's first book 'When Heaven and Earth Changed Places.' Additionally, Oliver Stone bought the film rights to both books, and made a movie with (IMHO) mixed results. I first saw Ms. Hayslip's book a few years ago, when it was offered as a featured selection in Quality Paperback Bookclub (QPB), as a 'first time' author. As a rule, the editors at QPB know their onions about what makes a rattling good yarn, and QPB (once again) was right on the mark: Heaven & Earth is one of the best books I have ever read. But that book ends with Ms. Hayslip just leaving Vietnam for America with her new serviceman husband. Did she live happily ever after? Inquiring minds wanted to know.... When I stumbled across 'Child of War, Woman of Peace,' the sequel to 'Heaven and Earth,' I was thrilled....But this book is not as good as the first. There; I said it. Two quick points: First, 'not as good' in this context is already a pretty high bar. As I mentioned, the first book was a wonderful, moving story--both tragic and heroic. Second, I was so wild in 'book reading love' with Ms. Hayslip's character from 'Heaven and Earth,' that I really enjoyed reading this book, and admire more than I can express the candor with how she describes some of the, frankly, poor decisions that she has made in her life--but still she bounces back. All that said, here's why I have to hang three stars on this book. Overall, the book felt a little rushed to me. The language, the phrasing in 'Heaven and Earth' was so polished, it shined. For example, at one point, Ms. Hayslip describes the Vietnam War as 'America driving the smiling Buddha from his temple, and replacing him with the Khaki-clad god of Abraham.' I don't recall any phrase of such breath and power in 'Child of War.' Because the book feels a little 'rushed' (ie sent to publication, when it needed another re-write), there are a couple of rough spots that hit my ear wrong. Mainly, Ms. Hayslip's relation with her first husband and new in-laws is a little disjointed. While she is grateful for her husband bringing her to the US, the husband still comes across as pretty much a pig of an older guy, who lives to doink the young Vietnamese wife. Additionally, Ms. Hayslip gives the impression that her in laws pretty much disaprove of her (if not hate her), and implies the family cheated her in a transaction with a car. Nevertheless, the end of the book includes a wide, all embracing 'thank you' to this family. I was left with the impression that Ms. Hayslip might have been thanking this family for not being even worse than what they were to her. Next, the relationship with her second husband was also a little unsettled. 'Major Daddy' from Heaven and Earth became the real 'Daddy'--only to quickly turn out to be an abusive crook who claimed not to understand why Ms. Hayslip would be unhappy about 'Major Daddy' becoming 'Daddy Arms Merchant' (not quite 'Daddy Warbucks,' but close--with lots less money). I thought the ups & downs of the relationship needed another re-write. There were some scenes where Ms. Hayslip is talking to her children about what the family should do, and one of the sons (at least to me) suddenly out of the blue becomes a very angry, troubled kid who insists the family should smash windows and slash the tires on cars. I did read the book quickly, so maybe I missed earlier signs that all was not well with this son, but I doubt it. To me, this boy's anger just exploded out of the blue. Overall, I think the biggest criticism I have of this book is that Ms. Hayslip tried to do too much. She has had a momentous life, and I certainly wanted to know EVERYTHING, but covering all the details meant not giving some points the attention they needed. For example, by the end of the book, Ms. Hayslip is organizing tours of Vietnam in an early effort to bring the Vietnamese and American peoples closer together. I thought that part of the book was fascinating, especially the fact that a large number of the Americans who wanted to return were Vietnam era vets. However, the program goes from running smoothly to Ms. Hayslip suddenly complaining about some of the visitors to Vietnam grousing about the fact the hotel accomidations and food are comparable to that of a third world country. I'm paraphrasing here, but Ms. Hayslip's response is 'Well--DUH!' I wanted to have more detail on how Ms. Hayslip's foundation adressed those rough spots: Did she get better hotel rooms, or less choicy customers? What I would have liked (I can't understand why Ms. Hayslip didn't ask me) would be for this book to describe more of her general impressions of a Vietnamese immigrant to America (and less about the specifics of her relationship with her first husband and his family), and more detail about her work with her foundation. All that said, many parts of this book are wonderful. One of the scenes that Oliver Stone captured so well in his film was Ms. Hayslip's shocked introduction to American refrigerators. Additionally, I loved Ms. Hayslip's 'betrayal' by American marketing via 'Uncle Ben's Rice.' The sections of the book where Ms. Hayslip returns to Vietnam, and her teenage son meets his Vietnamese father for the first time are very moving. But am I saying not to read this book? Of course not. What I am saying is you owe it to yourself to read 'Heaven and Earth.' THEN read this book--but be prepared: it is a step down (then after reading both books, give the Oliver Stone movie a miss. But that's just my opinion). Customer Rating: Summary: Culture clash, Vietnamese vs American Comment: I enjoyed this book, "Child of War, Woman of Peace", as it mirrored some of my experiences in the 1970s as the Australian wife of a US Army Officer. The sequel to "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places" describes the difficulties Le Ly Hayslip experienced in adjusting to a different culture and language. Although I spoke the same language as Americans, my culture and word usage was sufficiently different to cause me difficulties in adjusting to life in the USA. Through many trials and errors, Le Ly found ways to blend in and contribute to both her mother country and her adopted land. Customer Rating: Summary: Child of War, Woman of Peace Comment: The sequel to When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, this book chronicles the journey of Le Ly Hayslip from Vietnam to the United States, as conditions in her county become more militaristic and she has been alienated, raped, and exiled by members of the Viet Cong. Although she has been taught to fear Americans, she also believed that the United States was a place of great prosperity, and expected to find in it an escape from her troubles. She finds that life in America is more confusing than she imagined, from using all the mechanical contraptions to getting along with her in-laws. Quote: "This book is the story of my life in the land of "the enemy"- a Vietnamese woman struggling to survive among the "cat-eyed" Westerners whom I had been taught since birth to fear and hate." I liked this book, although I had rather hoped (because I'm a sentimental gal) that Hayslip's life once she got to the states would be a nice fairy tale ending with rainbows and butterflies and all that good stuff. Well, life is not always quite that simple, and instead of the endless joys we have the ups and downs of acclimating to a new culture, a new family, and various other situations. It was a very interesting book- I especially liked the sections about the publication of Hayslip's first book and her charitable foundation. Customer Rating: Summary: Everyone can learn something from the life of Le Ly Hayslip Comment: "Child of War, Woman of Peace" is a little bit of a continuation and a little bit of a repetition of her earlier memoir, "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places." If you've read "Heaven" and enjoyed it you will undoubtedly want to keep going and read this book as well. Le Ly Hayslip is a woman who was brutalized by all sides in Vietnam. Then she married an abusive American and received some of that same treatment here in the US. What might have caused another person to be bitter, angry and cynical seems to have only strengthened Hayslip's resolve to live and let go. It's clear that her Buddhism played a crucial role in allowing her to do this. I'm not a Buddhist, but I do wonder about the followers of other faiths in their ability to follow in Hayslip's footsteps. And that's ultimately what I think most readers will get out of this. If you've had a bad day, a bad year, or even bad life - read this book. If Le Ly Hayslip can forgive, move on, and make a positive contribution to this world then just about anyone else can as well. She's an inspiration and a role model to all of us, no matter who you are or what country you live in. Sadly, Oliver Stone butchered her two books in his movie. The drama, chaos, and the meaning of Le Ly Hayslips actions just aren't conveyed well. If you've seen only the movie you've missed out on the best parts of what Hayslip has to teach us. I can't recommend this book (and "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places") enough. It needs to be read - by everyone. I can't say that about too many books. Customer Rating: Summary: A MUST READ FOR EVERY WALK OF LIFE Comment: I was fortunate enough to come across this wonderful book purely by chance last year.Miss le ly Hayslip gives a truely heart rending account of her life as a little peasant girl living in war torn vietnam.This book really puts you through an emotional meat grinder at times tearing apart your insides with Le ly's terrifying accounts of her own terrible suffering and that of her family and indeed all those around her leaving you with an awful empty feeling of total sadness and total lack of faith for the human race.Amazingly Despite all her own horrific experience of human ignorance and cruelty she bears no ill will or malice towards her fellow man and through her own incredible courage and strength of spirit,she inevitably leaves us all with a strong sense of hope and her message of compassion and peace. Sadly this terrific book seems to have been largly overlooked which is a great shame as it is a real eye opener and has so much more to say than just your average account of the horrors of war.Its a deeply moving account of one very brave little womans triumph of spirit in the face of total adversity.Anyone with the tiniest shred of compassion will be moved to tears.It Really puts our own little problems and gripes into perspective. One of the most profound and touching books i have ever read.I cannot recommend it enough,please get your hands on it and read it NOW. More Reviews