Reviews

Name: Sandy Tritt
Date: August 31, 2002

Rating:

Review: Excellent book! Josephine's heartfelt account of growing up in Saigon during the Vietnam War and the challenges she faced when she moved to America is moving and inspirational. A must-read for everyone.

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Name: Mike Cannell
Date: August 31, 2002

Rating:

Review: What a great book! Not only is it well written but what a gripping story. Americans have no idea what life CAN BE like! We grow up worrying about our clothes, our hair, our grades, etc... How would most American kids deal with what Phin had to go through. This is a great reality check for how blessed we are in this country. And for those that have had rough times growing up, Phin is an inspiration. She proves that you can achieve great things regardless of your past experiences.

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Name: Henry M Bechtold
Date: October 30, 2002

Rating:

This book has a flow to it that is so beautiful. As I read it I could hear her accent. I could see the buildings and the people. I could hear the sounds of the city and smell all the wonderful smells.

The book is a wonderful story on several levels. First it is an inspirational story of a girl borne into circumstances more difficult than most of us could ever know. A dysfunctional family, a national economy in shambles and a nation in the darkest days of a losing war. Still what ever is placed in her way can not stop her. She not only survives, she flourishes. As each hardship is thrown at her she rises to it, and above it, and with all that has happened there is not one word of bitterness or self pity in this book.

On another level it is a love story, but not a warm and fuzzy one. It is a solid love that, like our heroine, takes the pressures of life and, instead of being weakened, grows stronger.

And still on another level it tells of life as a bar girl in Saigon, during the war. This is an important story since these girls were often dismissed as having no value. Now we find that, at least this one, had values, hopes, dreams, strengths and a spirit that would take her from the emptiness of the Saigon bars to a full and exciting life.

She once asked would her friends still be her friends when they had read the book. As I read it I gained more respect and admiration for her with each chapter. I feel like I know her. I feel like I have always known her. "

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Name: Charles Ward
Date: January 7, 2003

Rating:

I Was With Phin In Vietnam... Yes, I was. I know what you're thinking and you're way off the mark! I finished this book just last night. It brought back so many memories of Vietnam past and present. Having been with the author this past summer in Vietnam on a humanitarian project, I can vouch for the authenticity of her life and the very personal story she shares with the reader about that life. The book kept my interest quite well.

I thought the early chapters and especially the later chapters were moving and personable. Nothing phony here. You will be come away from this book impressed with all she has accomplished in spite of incredible obstacles! If you ever wondered what life was like during the war for the average Vietnamese family, Phin's story will take you there. It will leave you with an appreciation for those that served as well as the South Vietnamese who had to endure the war on the home front. She wrote the book as she speaks today, so your reading experience will be genuine and personable.

Quite a remarkable story about the resiliency and desire of a young woman who had to earn everything in her life and do so completely on her own! A triumph of the human spirit and a testimony to the greatness of the "American Dream!" Enjoy!!!

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