The Land I Lost: Adventures of a Boy in Vietnam [Library Binding]

Quang Nhuong Nuynh (Author), Vo-Dinh Mai (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1986

‘Sparkling memories of [the author’s] childhood in a Vietnam hamlet.’ —K. ‘[Gives] the reader interesting information on customs, folklore, animals, and an entire philosophy of life.’ —CR. ‘Animals are central to the [narrative, but] it is the human factor that is most memorable; there is a strong sense of community and family bonds.’ —BL.

Notable Children’s Books of 1982 (ALA)
1982 Children's Editors' Choices (BL)
Notable 1982 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
1982 Teachers' Choices (NCTE)
Children's Books of 1982 (Library of Congress)
1985 William Allen White Children's Book Award (Kansas)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The author grew up in a hamlet in the central highlands of Vietnam, and these are his stories of that childhood. PW called it "a collection of beautifully written, true stories of growing up, of earthy humorous happenings and memories. Mai's action-filled illustrations impressively evoke a land physically lost to both author and artist but very much alive in this compelling volume."
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"This is first-person narrative brims with life." -- -- School Library Journal --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Library Binding
• Publisher: Harpercollins (June 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0397324480
• ISBN-13: 978-0397324484
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #522,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars People and animals in rural Vietnam, January 19, 2003

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Land I Lost: Adventures of a Boy in Vietnam (Harper Trophy Book) (Paperback)

"The Land I Lost: Adventures of a Boy in Vietnam" is written by Huynh Quang Nhuong, and includes illustrations by Vo-Dinh Mai. A short author bio at the end of the book notes that Huynh was born in Vietnam and eventually moved to the United States. This book is a wonderful account of growing up in rural Vietnam.

Huynh describes his life in a village on a riverbank, with a jungle and mountains nearby. The book is divided up into several short vignettes that describe the lives of the people and animals of this world. Although the danger and violence of some sections may be upsetting to some readers, I get the sense that the author is trying to present a truthful portrait of rural life.

There are accounts of many interesting people, such as Huynh's opera loving, karate fighting grandmother. But I was particularly fascinated by the many accounts of the domestic and wild animals of Huynh's homeland. I loved the descriptions of animal behavior and the accounts of the interactions between animals and people, between animals of the same species, and between animals of different species. We meet monkeys, otters, a fearsome crocodile, and many other creatures. It's a rich tapestry of life that is described vividly by the author. One of the most memorable animal characters is Huynh's water buffalo, Tank, a creature of great strength, loyalty, and courage.

This is a wonderful book that is written in a very effective, straightforward style that is ultimately quite poignant. It's sort of like a Vietnamese response to Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved "Little House" books. I recommend "The Land I Lost" to readers of all ages.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Little Hamlet, July 9, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Land I Lost: Adventures of a Boy in Vietnam (Harper Trophy Book) (Paperback)

The Land I Lost, by Huynh Quang Nhuong.(Reviewed by a 7 year old girl) This is a well written book, but still not my favorite book in the world. These stories from the author's childhood memories are fun, funny and sometimes heartbreaking. The book takes place in a small hamlet in Vietnam before the war. The author remembers adventures with the villagers and with various animals, particularly a special water buffalo named Tank. The several pictures in the book help to bring out the story. There is a great scene where the author and his sister catch some little birds. I won't tell you any more. Oh, if you are not comfortable with the death of animals and some villagers from snake bites and wild boar attacks, then I wouldn't recommend this book. All in all it's a pretty good book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The land I lost , written by Huynh Quang Nhuong( Author), January 15, 2004

By 

trevor savage (Ellensburg, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Land I Lost: Adventures of a Boy in Vietnam (Harper Trophy Book) (Paperback)

This Adventure story is full of dangerous fun and sorrow. Huynh Quang Nhuong lives in a small hamlet (village)in the central high lands of vietnam. The hamlet he lives in has a jungle on one side in which they must watch for jungle cats, lone hogs and the most dangerous the horse snake. And on the other is a river which Crocodiles live in. Many of the crocodiles are man eaters like mister short. In the begin of the story you meet Tank the Water bufflo. Tank isn't your regular water bufflo. He is bred between a lowland female because it would be patient and A moutainous bull so it would have the fierce fighting able.

The reason I choose this book was because love the outdoors. when I six years old I live in a village in Alaska and I hunted and fished all the time.