
Maria Rocco write to tell us about this new book:
"In 1970, while sifting through war documents in Vietnam, Fred
Whitehurst, an American lawyer serving with a military intelligence
dispatch, found a diary no bigger than a pack of cigarettes, its pages
handsewn together. Written between 1968 and '70 by Tram, a young,
passionate doctor who served on the front lines, it chronicled the
strife she witnessed until the day she was shot by American soldiers
earlier that year at age 27. Whitehurst, who was greatly moved by the
diary and smuggled it out of the country, returned it to Thuy's family
in 2005; soon after, it was published as a book in Vietnam, selling
nearly half a million copies within a year and a half. The diary is
valuable for the perspective it offers on war—Thuy is not obsessed with
military maneuvers but rather the damage, both physical and emotional,
that the war is inflicting on her country. Thuy also speaks poignantly
about her patients and the compassion she feels for them.
Unfortunately, the writing, composed largely of breathless questions
and exclamations, is monotonous at times, somewhat diminishing the
book's power..."
Last Night I Dreamed of Peace: The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram
Amazon Link
Recent Comments