Customer Reviews

Bac-Si: A Doctor Remembers Vietnam

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Dr. Caldwell's book, "Bac-Si, A Doctor Remembers Vietnam", embraces the best in the Vietnamese and tells a compelling story of his experiences there as a Navy physician attached to the Marines. It is a very moving portrayal of the gentler side of the Vietnamese, a side many Americans in Vietnam never experienced. Most readers would be pleasantly suprised to know that Dr. Caldwell never did really, "Fini Vietnam." From his home base in Hawaii, Dr. Caldwell and a team of other physicians return each year to Vietnam as part of humanitarian medical teams. His book brings the reader into an area of human compassion seldom explored by other authors writing about the war. This is not just another book about Nam, its about a doctor and his patients who became part of a larger extended family. He visited and photographed interesting historical places like the Citadel in Hue City, yet never loses sight of the fact that he just happened to be an American military doctor, his patients happened to be Vietnamese and there just happened to be a war going on. The book is small, easy to read, has plenty pictures and maps and the best part is, its written as a true expression of one human's emotion and compassion for people. Its not just another book about war. Its a must read for anyone interested in a great book about Vietnam minus all the "war stories."

I have traveled with medical groups in this area of Vietnam & this book was of great interest to me. It was obviously written by an amateur author, but did a fine job of telling the story of humane behavior under the horrible circumstances of war. Dr. Caldwell was a true hero of this terrible war. By the way, this book was very short & way too expensive.