Vietnamerica: The War Comes Home [Paperback]

Thomas A. Bass (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2003

A study of the plight of the Amerasian children, abandoned by their fathers in a xenophobic society that ostracized them, discusses their difficult lives, the impact of the Amerasian Homecoming Act, their repatriation to America, and their struggle in an unfamiliar society.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Vietnamese called the Amerasian children of U.S. servicemen bui doi, "the dust of life." Half American and half Asian, they had been abandoned by their fathers to a xenophobic society that ostracized them. Nor was the U.S. government anxious to acknowledge their paternity and accept responsibility - until the Homecoming Act opened the door to their immigration.

This poignant account renders the lives of these divided souls, resulting in an unflinching look at two countries, two cultures, and the legacy of a war that tore them both apart. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Freelance writer Bass (Reinventing the Future) spent a decade investigating the tragic story of children fathered and abandoned by American servicemen in Vietnam. Outcasts in Vietnam's family-oriented society, regarded as an embarrassment by the U.S., the Amerasians were not authorized to emigrate to their fathers' country until 1987. Bass weaves interviews with U.S. and Vietnamese officials, social workers and, above all, the children themselves into a sorry tale of racism and fraud, corruption and inefficiency that continues to keep these by-now young adults outcasts in a world that often regards their very existence as a mistake. Although Bass admits that not all the stories he recounts may be true in every detail, Vietnamerica compellingly depicts a pain behind the stories that is all too real and all too enduring. This book is a poignant, effective reminder that America's longest war did not end when the shooting stopped. Author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: Soho Press (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156947088X
• ISBN-13: 978-1569470886
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,028,233 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captures the issues that faced and still face Amerasians, October 18, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Vietnamerica: The War Comes Home (Paperback)

This well-written book does a good job of accurately capturing the plight of the Amerasians from Vietnam. Great descriptions of characters in Utica, NY and how they changed and/or stayed the same since their time in Amerasian Park in Saigon. Having visited Amerasian Park, I thought of the book and the many other Amerasians that are still in other parts of Vietnam and have been trying to leave.

Vietnamerica shows the challenges the Vietnamericans face, what they think and feel, and the way in which many of them have to deal with not finding their fathers even though they made it back to the U.S.A.

Thought-provoking and informative.

3 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars BORING, REPETITIVE AND NO CLEAR DIRECTION, September 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Vietnamerica: The War Comes Home (Hardcover)

THIS BOOK IS DISJOINTED AND BORING.BASS HAS NO CLEAR FOCUS AND FAILS TO GRIP THE READER. POORLY WRITTEN. THERE ARE PROBLEMS AND ISSUES OF SIGNIFICANT MULTITUDE CAUSED BY WAR, HOWEVER, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THESE ISSUES CANNOT BE GIVEN UNNECASSARY IMPORTANCE. WAR A TRAGEDY, BUT WE MUST LEARN TO LIVE ON.IF PEOPLE FEEL SO BITTER ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF WAR, THAN PEOPLE SHOULD THINK TWICE BEFORE CAUSES RIFTS BETWEEN NATION STATES.