Read Escape from Saigon Online
Authors: Andrea Warren
Escape from Saigon (14 page)
Children of Vietnam,
by Marybeth Lorbiecki (Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, 1997). A look at the lives of children in contemporary Vietnam, with simple explanations of its culture and history. Lovely color photos.
Sweet Dried Apples,
by Rosemary Breckler (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1996). A touching tale about two Vietnamese children whose village is bombed during the Vietnam War.
Vietnam,
by Karen O'Connor (Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, 1999). An engaging book about the land, the people, and their daily lives.
Water Buffalo Days,
by Huynh Quang Nhuong (New York: Harper Trophy, 1999). The author recounts in charming fashion his childhood growing up in a Vietnamese village, where his best friend was the family water buffalo.
F
OR
M
IDDLE
R
EADERS
Cultures of the World: Vietnam,
by Audrey Seah (New York: Marshall Cavendish, 1994). Excellent introduction to the people, their history, and culture. Three books by Bobbie Kalman:
Vietnam: The Land; Vietnam: The Culture; Vietnam: The People
(New York: Crabtree Publishing, 1996). The author uses simple text and excellent photos to introduce readers to Vietnam.
In Vietnam,
by Denis J. Hauptly (New York: Atheneum, 1985). Clear explanations of Vietnam's history, the conflict between North and South, and America's involvement.
The Story of the Saigon Airlift,
by Zachary Kent (Chicago: Children's Press, 1991). Photos and simple text explain the last month in Saigon before it fell to the North Vietnamese.
The Land I Lost,
by Huynh Quang Nhuong (New York: Harper Trophy, 1986). Fifteen tales by the author of
Water Buffalo Days
about his boyhood in South Vietnam. (The author is now a U.S. citizen.)
Two books,
The Vietnam Antiwar Movement in American History,
by Anita Louise McCormick (Berkeley Heights, N.J.: Enslow Publishers, 2000), and
The Vietnam War,
by Roger Barr (San Diego: Lucent Books, 1991), work well with
The Vietnam War: A History of U.S. Involvement,
by John M. Dunn (San Diego: Lucent Books, 2001) to provide an overview of America's war in Vietnam, offering clear explanations about the ground war, the politics, and the protests back home in America.
F
OR
M
ATURE
R
EADERS
Dispatches,
by Michael Herr (New York: Avon Books, 1978). A classic journal of war.
In Country,
by Bobbie Ann Mason (New York: HarperCollins, 1986). A coming-of-age novel about a teenage girl whose father was killed in Vietnam and whose uncle is a Vietnam vet.
Tears Before the Rain: An Oral History of the Fall of South Vietnam,
by Larry Engelmann (New York: DaCapo Press, 1997). Voices of Vietnamese and Americans who were there.
The Things They Carried,
by Tim O'Brien (Broadway Books, 1998). A collection of twenty-two interrelated short pieces that together form a whole. All relate to the Vietnam War. Some are fiction; some are based on the author's experiences as an American GI in that war.
The Unwanted: A Memoir of Childhood,
by Kien Nguyen (Boston: Little, Brown, 2001). A memoir by an Amerasian who now lives in the U.S. about the devastating years following reunification in Vietnam, and the suffering he and his family endured.
Vietnam: A History,
by Stanley Karnow (New York: Viking Press, 1983). A comprehensive history of the war, with special emphasis on America's role.
Vietnam, Now: A Reporter Returns,
by David Lamb (New York: PublicAffairs, 2002) A fascinating journey through modern Vietnam, told by a reporter who covered the war, then went back to live there in 1997 and discovered a whole new country.
When Heaven and Earth Changed Places
(New York: Doubleday, 1989) and
Child of War, Woman of Peace
(New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1993), both by Le Ly Hayslip. The author was a village child during the war and grew up to marry an American GI and live in the U.S.
R
ECOMMENDED
W
EB
S
ITE
http://www.vvmf.org
.
Sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. Click on “Teach Vietnam” to explore a remarkable Web site that includes history, reflection, photos, and links with other quality, updated Web sites. Very well done and useful for students and educators.
A Web site search for “Vietnam War” and “Operation Babylift” will bring up a variety of sites and information. Keep in mind that groups often have a specific agenda, and it's possible that not all the information given will be reliable.
V
IDEOS
Vietnam: A Television History.
This Emmy-winning seven-volume series presents a detailed study of the war and its aftermath. Contains graphic material. Written by Andrew Pearson, produced by WGBH Educational Foundation, Boston.
Precious Cargo.
Produced for PBS, this documentary follows eight adoptees from Vietnam on their journey back to their homeland in search of their past.
M
OVIES
Hollywood has its own versions of the Vietnam War. With the exception of
Indochine,
which views the coming war from the French perspective (and is in French with English subtitles), all of the notable movies listed here relate stories of American soldiers before, during, and/or after the war.
About the War
Apocalypse Now, Born on the Fourth of July, Coming Home, The Deer Hunter, Full Metal Jacket, Hair
(based on the musical of the same name),
Hamburger Hill, In Country, Indochine, Platoon, We Were Soldiers.
Because of graphic violence, parental discretion is urged.
About Vietnam
Cyclo, The Scent of Green Papaya, Three Seasons, The Vertical Rays of the Sun.
These four fine movies have all been produced by Vietnamese directors using Vietnamese actors. They realistically portray Vietnamese culture.
S
OURCES
Like many writers whose subject matter has been Vietnam, I found I could not do it justice until I actually visited that tiny country, experiencing for myself the landscape, the culture, the warmth of the people, and the ghosts of war. I believe that firsthand experience has brought accuracy of detail to many passages in this book.
In addition to the invaluable help of eyewitness accounts from Matt Steiner and from men and women I've cited elsewhere who were in Saigon and participated in Operation Babylift, I found the following texts helpful:
The Fall of Saigon,
by David Butler (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1985);
Orphans of War,
by Rosemary Taylor (London: William Collins Sons & Co., 1988); and
Tears Before the Rain: An Oral History of the Fall of South Vietnam,
by Larry Engelmann (New York: DaCapo Press, 1997).
I have long been interested in the story of the orphaned children of South Vietnam and in Operation Babylift, and I began collecting materials and interviewing eyewitnesses shortly after the end of the war. In graduate school, I explored American magazine coverage of the Babylift in my thesis, and I repeatedly turned to that thesis for assistance while writing this book. Thus, it, too, was an important source: “Operation Babylift and the Adoption of Vietnamese Orphans: The Coverage Given By Four American Magazines, 1975â1976,” by Andrea Warren (M.S. thesis, University of Kansas, 1983). I also referred to a first-person narrative article I wrote for the May 1999 issue of the journal
The World & I
titled “The Angels of Vietnam,” in which I related the story of my daughter's return to Vietnam in search of her own past.
Other sources I consulted include:
Cultures of the World: Vietnam,
by Audrey Seah (New York: Marshall Cavendish, 1994);
Encyclopedia of the Vietnam War,
edited by Stanley I. Kutler (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1996);
Fire in the Lake: The Vietnamese and the Americans in Vietnam,
by Frances FitzGerald (New York: Back Bay Books, 2002);
For Children Cannot Wait,
by Susan Carol McDonald, S.L. (Columbus, Ohio: Brown Graphic Press, 1980);
A Home for Every Child,
by John Aeby (Eugene, Oregon: Holt International Children's Services, 1986);
The Home Front: Americans Protest the War,
by Stuart A. Kallen (San Diego: Lucent Books, 2001);
Vietnam: A History,
by Stanley Karnow (New York: Viking Press, 1983); “Vietnam Now,” by Stanley Karnow,
Smithsonian,
January 1996, pp. 34â42; and
The Vietnam War Almanac,
edited by John S. Bowman (New York: World Almanac Publications, 1985).
A
CKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am grateful to many individuals for their assistance with this project. I could not have written it without the full cooperation of Matt Steiner, who, in spite of an incredibly busy schedule as a husband, father, and physician, cheerfully worked with me endless hours so we could get the story right. I am also grateful to Matt's mother, Mary Steiner Psolla, who contributed her memories and a careful record of what happened when; John Williams and Glen Noteboom, formerly of Holt's Saigon Center, who were part of Operation Babylift; Susan McDonald, a Sister of Loretto, who worked with the orphaned children of South Vietnam and also participated in the Babylift; Mary Nelle Gage, a Sister of Loretto, and Peggy Hammond, volunteers in South Vietnam, for assistance with memories and photos; Barbara Bartocci and Deborah Shouse, who stuck it out with me, week to week; Susie Nightingale, Sandra Lamb, John Aeby, and Latha Meyer for technical help; my agent, Regina Ryan, who was encouraging from start to finish; and my editor at Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Melanie Kroupa, who shared my vision for this book. Finally, I must mention in loving gratitude my husband, Jay Wiedenkeller, who lives the ups and downs with me, and never complains.
P
HOTO
C
REDITS
Courtesy of AP/Wide World Photos
Courtesy of AP/Wide World Photos
Courtesy of AP/Wide World Photos
Courtesy of AP/Wide World Photos
Courtesy of AP/Wide World Photos
Courtesy of AP/Wide World Photos
Courtesy of AP/Wide World Photos
From the photo archives of FCVN/FFAC and the personal collection of Mary Nelle Gage, S.L.
Wilbur E. Garrett / National Geographic Image Collection
Courtesy of Holt International Children's Services
Courtesy of Holt International Children's Services
J. Baylor Roberts / National Geographic Image Collection
Courtesy of Matt Steiner and Mary Psolla
Courtesy of Matt Steiner and Mary Psolla
Courtesy of Matt Steiner and Mary Psolla
Courtesy of Matt Steiner and Mary Psolla
Courtesy of Matt Steiner and Mary Psolla
Courtesy of Matt Steiner and Mary Psolla
Courtesy of Matt Steiner and Mary Psolla
Courtesy of Matt Steiner and Mary Psolla
Courtesy of Matt Steiner and Mary Psolla
Courtesy of Matt Steiner and Mary Psolla
I
NDEX
The index that appeared in the print version of this title does not match the pages in your eBook. Please use the search function on your eReading device to search for terms of interest. For your reference, the terms that appear in the print index are listed below.
adoption
see also
international adoptions
Alison (Alice Spring, now Alison Warren Doerr)
Amerasians
Communist mistreatment of
at Holt Center
Vietnamese discrimination against
Amy
Anh, Miss
and departure from Holt Center
special outings with
Australia
Ba (Long's grandmother)
Buddhism of
and daughter's suicide
and Holt Center
life in Saigon of
Long's adoption and separation from
village life of
betel nuts
Buddhists
Cambodia
Canada
casualties of war
civilian
Catholics
C-5A cargo plane, crash of
Chamness, Bob
Chinese
Communists
Amerasians and
fall of Danang to
South Vietnamese fear of reprisals by
offensive against South Vietnam launched by
refugees from
see also
Vietcong
Congress, U.S.
Convoy of Tears
Danang
Communist takeover of
discrimination
against Amerasians in Vietnam
Ford, Gerald
foster parents
French
Friends For All Children (FFAC)
Gage, Mary Nelle
Ho Chi Minh City, Saigon renamed as
holidays
American
Vietnamese
Holocaust
Holt International Children's Services
adoptions arranged by
airlift organized by, (
see also
Operation Babylift)
