A Year in Saigon: How I Gave Up My Glitzy Job in Television to Have the Time of My Life Teaching Amerasian Kids in Vietnam [Hardcover]

Katie Kelly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1992

The former television movie and theater critic recounts her year teaching English to Amerasian children in Saigon, describing the plight of these children who were abandoned by G.I. fathers and shunned by Vietnamese. 15,000 first printing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This is a heart-tugger from former TV journalist Kelly, who presents a richly drawn portrait of postwar Vietnam and a harrowing picture of the lot of Amerasian children. But the core of the book is a sprightly account of Kelly's 1990 stint teaching in Saigon orphanages and at such improvised sites as restaurants and outings. One only wishes she had revealed what in her own history drew her so powerfully to these children. We not only watch Kelly tutoring but see her efforts to feed the kids and get their teeth fixed (a local dentist is overwhelmed at the state of American dentistry evidenced in Kelly's mouth). For her part, Kelly gags at a fried sparrow feast, faints at a childbirth and shed tears for the children. Her story is an inspiration and a graphic reminder of the ravages of war. Photos not seen by PW. Reader's Digest Condensed Book Club selection.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A former television critic and teacher, now a freelance journalist, tells of the year she spent trying to help young Amerasians in Vietnam. After Kelly visited Vietnam in 1988, she decided to return to teach English and facts about the United States to the children abandoned by their American fathers and shunned by the Vietnamese. She held classes in the American Transit Center and then, when that privilege was denied her, in parks, restaurants, bars, and a student's home. She describes her experiences, which ranged from pathetic to humorous, and portrays life in contemporary Saigon. This touching, perceptive eyewitness account will be of interest to general and subject collections.
- Shirley L. Hopkinson, SLIS, San Jose State Univ., Cal.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 254 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (July 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671750909
• ISBN-13: 978-0671750909
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,172,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars A story rich in detail, March 29, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: A Year in Saigon: How I Gave Up My Glitzy Job in Television to Have the Time of My Life Teaching Amerasian Kids in Vietnam (Hardcover)

I found this book to be very interesting. Kelly includes a rich description of Vietnam and her people.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Decent Human Being, February 22, 2001

By 

Richard Shanner (Long Beach Ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Year in Saigon: How I Gave Up My Glitzy Job in Television to Have the Time of My Life Teaching Amerasian Kids in Vietnam (Hardcover)

Katie Kelly went back to Vietnam to work with the half American street kids of Saigon. She was a friend to them and tried to teach them English. In her book she chronicles their life histories and what it meant to live in a society where taunting by their fellow students drove most of them out of school after five years or less. Her year in Saigon and her subsequent efforts on behalf of those lost Americans reveals what a decent human being she is. Would that we would have more like her.