Goodbye, Vietnam [Hardcover]

Gloria Whelan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 7, 1992 | Age Level: 9 and up

Thirteen-year-old Mai and her family embark on a dangerous sea voyage from Vietnam to Hong Kong to escape the unpredictable and often brutal Vietnamese government.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Whelan's ( Bringing the Farmhouse Home ; Hannah ) latest novel examines the monumental struggle and privation that a group of people must endure to escape political and economic oppression in contemporary Vietnam. Thirteen-year-old Mai is frightened and distraught to learn that her parents have planned to leave their home and secure passage to Hong Kong. But with hopes of freedom and prosperity to spur them on, Mai and her relatives cram themselves onto a barely seaworthy boat captained by a crusty, greedy man. The voyage is difficult at best: food and water are scarce; illness, lice, rats and blazing sun plague the debilitated passengers. When they finally reach Hong Kong, the challenges of a police inspection and a camp filled with thousands of other refugees await them. Although it chronicles many brutal realities, Whelan's story maintains an air of cool composure. Mai is the perfect narrator through whom to introduce a large cast of unusual, sympathetic characters; her emotional control and keen observations prove to be a source of calm in the storm that swirls around her. Readers will be introduced to elements of a new culture and made painfully aware of social conditions in other parts of the world. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8-- Since the grandmother faces arrest in present-day Vietnam for following the old religion and practicing healing, the Vinh family decides to flee their small rice-growing village in the Mekong Delta and escape by sea to Hong Kong. With his skills as a mechanic, the father has secured their passage on a small boat. In a first-person narrative, 13-year-old Mai relates their odyssey. Before boarding the boat, the Vinhs become acquainted with a female doctor and her daughter from Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). Whelan uses this relationship to set off Vietnamese rural life against the urban, the old traditions against the new. Perhaps because of this emphasis on imparting information, the plot is not as significant as it could be, and many of the characters are stock figures. Nonetheless, the book describes well the hardships many of America's newest refugees have endured and is one of the few accounts available on Vietnam's boat people. --Diane S. Marton, Arlington Coun ty Library, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 135 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; 1St Edition edition (July 7, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679822631
• ISBN-13: 978-0679822639
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,977,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For young readers., May 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Goodbye, Vietnam (Paperback)

I believe that this book is good for children because it explains things like sacrifice, suffering, and courage clearly. If a child reads this book, he or she will be interested because the principal character (a 13 years old) is telling the story. So, young readers can feel good witn this book, and also they learn about the true meaning of life. Finally, I would recomended that all children read this fantastic story.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful!, June 12, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Goodbye, Vietnam (Paperback)

I first got interested in Vietnam at the age of 7. My eldest sister's husband was born in Vietnam. From everything he and his family has told me about it, it is 110% acurrate. It is very special to me because of my brother-in-laws life there. HE escaped Vietnam, and it is true how they live on platforms. Anyway, it's an awesome book. It is amongst the best books I've ever read.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK, April 27, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Goodbye, Vietnam (Paperback)

My friends were reading this book and they said it was good so I triend it and it is one of my favorite books now. This book is a story about a girl and how she escapes with her family to Hong Kong and then on to America. Its a have to read!