This book is meant to be a ‘slice of life’ in that time
during the American war in Viet Nam in the late Sixties. It is not a memoir. I think of it as ‘living’ in a particular
time. The protagonist, Private Bill Collins, is something like me but not
really….maybe a fantasized version of myself…and other people too.
Red Beach in Da Nang where the Marines landed in 1965 |
The original title, ‘My Friend Me’ is an expression used
frequently by locals when speaking with GIs during that era but 'The Girl from Tam Hiep' took over.
With an old VC in the fields outside of Da Nang 1993 |
It’s the story of a farm kid from the States out in the world for the first time and a young girl from Cambodia who lives in Viet Nam and works for the American GIs.
It’s the story of the beginnings of their stumbling
relationship and where it goes; ultimately to present day Viet Nam.
Downtown Tam Hiep |
It’s also the story of other American boys from varied
backgrounds and their relationship with
the powers that be that control army life, the Green Machine, the US Army. And their relationships with other GIs and the
Vietnamese ….especially the girls.
Another girl from Tam Hiep |
In many ways it explores the relationship of two
peoples who have great differences in background but are very much alike at the human level.
The author |
There is a larger story of a rich and powerful country
enveloping a small, poor and distant one that is very unlike itself.
The boys from the Company |
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