When Heaven & Earth Changed Places [Audio Cassette]

Le Ly Hayslip (Author), Jay Wurts (Author), Nancy Kwan (Narrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1993

Hayslip's childhood was dominated by devastating violence and the realities of war. A haunting memoir of the Vietnam War and the basis for Oliver Stone's film Heaven & Earth. 2 cassettes.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Hayslip, who grew up in Vietnam during the Vietnam War, here recounts her heart-rending experiences. A pawn of both sides in the conflict, she endures rape, torture, and imprisonment before fleeing to the United States. Told in a series of flashbacks during a return trip to her homeland in 1986, the account jumps abruptly from present to past and back again with little or no transitional bridges. Nancy Kwan provides an excellent reading, but despite her best efforts, the story line remains difficult to follow. Oliver Stone's recent film version of this story, starring Tommy Lee Jones as Hayslip's U.S. Marine husband ( Between Heaven and Earth ), may stir patron demand. Suitable for history and biography collections and wherever patron demand warrants.
- Miriam Kahn, Columbus, Ohio
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Dove Entertainment Inc; Abridged edition (November 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558009426
• ISBN-13: 978-1558009424
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,669,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > Books on Cassette > Languages > Vietnamese

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heaven and Earth, July 1, 2006

By 

M. Hudgens "mhleigh" (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace (Plume) (Mass Market Paperback)

The book follows the first twenty years of Hayslip's life, beginning in the Vietnamese village of Ky La. The United States/Vietnam war begins early in her life, and she discovers that her centrally located village is stuck in the middle. By day the villagers are technically controlled by the U.S./Republican force, and threatened to ensure their loyalty, but by night the Viet Cong attacks and claims the village for their own, a process which is reversed the next day. The villagers try to pacify each side, and many are destroyed by both. Hayslip tells her family's story- they alternatively first for and are attacked by the Viet Cong, depending on the changes in the wind.

Quote: "The least you did- the least any of us did- was our duty. For that we must be proud."

I liked this book very much. Although I sometimes found it difficult to keep abreast of the movements back and forth in time, it generally fit together fairly well. Hayslip does not blame either side for the war- in fact, she is attempting to make both sides understand one another better- despite the fact that she suffered brutally from both. Instead, she tells her story to share the futility of war to get the average person what they really want in life: family around them, lasting love, watching children grow old- peace.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Survivor's Message, April 28, 2000

By 

"smichas" (Chicago, Il USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Heaven & Earth Changed Places (Audio Cassette)

Le Ly Hayslip's novel gave a new insight into the Vietnam War that many Americans are reluctant to look at. Because the war was fought on the soil of her homeland, it not only took away her brothers and father, but unthread the basic foundation of her life. Le Ly was forced into the war because of her residence not political affiliations. Le Ly is a strong woman forced into a difficult situation and survives with a message for the world. It is definately worth hearing.

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Perspective, November 26, 2010

By 

Rose (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace (Plume) (Mass Market Paperback)

I bought this book because I was taking a writing course that was dealing with works about the Vietnam War. I was assigned numerous books written by American veterans, but my professor also assigned Ms. Hayslip, and it was very moving.

This book is for anyone interested in Vietnam who wants to understand "the other side." Growing up, I was never told the Vietnamese were my enemy; however, I know some people were. "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places" aims straight for the heart, and anyone who isn't/wasn't moved... well, I can't understand. This book caters to a wide spectrum of emotions, and, in my opinion, will spark several moments of catharsis.