Bookworm: Vietnam

When I'm in a new country, or even a place I've been many times before, I always find a local bookstore and ask for a popular local writer's book in English. It's a good way to get insight into what makes the locals tick. Literature reflects subtleties in culture, in the way people think and what they value.

In Vietnam I picked up three books that all reflect Vietnam in different eras and from very different view points. In fact, I'm still making my way through one of them. Here are my reflections.

Catfish and Mandala
The author, Andrew X. Pham, was born in Vietnam in the 70s and escaped with his family as "boat people" to America after the war. His book is the personal journey back to his homeland. I expected demon chasing and deep epiphanies, but what I read was more of a journal. He gives harsh realities of growing up as an immigrant in America and the harsh reality of going "home" and finding that there is no such place. It is a well written and raw book that I would definitely recommend.

The Quiet American
Going to Vietnam I knew there was one book I had to pick up: The Quiet American by Graham Greene. He was not Vietnamese, but he was a journalist writing during a very tumultuous and dramatic time in the history of that nation. But I chose not to read it while traveling because I purposefully tried to avoid The War. I wanted to see this country for it's long and elaborate history, not as a violent period.

So, I've started reading The Quiet American this week. I'm halfway through. What I can say at this moment is that Graham Greene can create a world in one sentence with his use of words. I am reading the book with a pencil just to underline the beauty he constructs, one line that tells more than most paragraphs. Even the title "The Quiet American" comes from a beautifully written sentence with in the first few pages. I'd like to read more by Mr. Greene to see if his style is consistent. As chances would have it I read an article about him on the BBC this week and his travels in Africa, so now I have two good reasons to pick up another book by him.

***I have now finished The Quiet American and it is the best book I have read in 2013. In fact, it will probably end up in my top favorite 20 books of all time. What a good read!

Dumb Luck

So in Hanoi I popped into one of the many tiny bookstores that were selling copies of books. And when I say copies, I literally mean a bookstore full of PHOTOCOPIED books. You can get nearly anything you want for a few dollars or less. There are copies of Lonely Planet guides, the newest prize winning books, classics. 

In the bookstore I asked the young shop assistant what she recommended. She said that Dumb Luck by Vu Trong Phung was a classic. Written in the early 20th century, it has a farcical and slapstick feel about it. I enjoyed the book, especially after reading the academic introduction that gave insight into the times of the book, the development of its popularity, then banning by the authorities and ultimately a resurgence in popularity in recent times. It's a good read if you know the history behind the jokes, otherwise it can get a bit tiresome.