Cereal History
We are nine days away from Uprooted's March 8th release. I am trying to breathe a little easier now the hard work is done. I also have the opportunity to read and watch the books, TV serials and movies about Vietnam that I had avoided during the latter part of the writing process, for fear they would lead me off Tung's story. The merits of such avoidance will soon become clear. I have just started watching the History Channel's recent “Vietnam In HD” series. An emotive docume
Same Same, But Different
Our trip to Vietnam a few years back included a visit to Halong Bay. A staggeringly beautiful area of forested limestone rocks that populate the coastline. Naturally it is a huge tourist destination. On the ride from the northern capital, Hanoi, the tour guide thought it a good idea to get on the microphone and give everyone a few home truths about the Vietnamese and how they perceive themselves. “The Northerners,” she said, “are the brains and the heart of Vietnam.” Pretty g
Cultural Dissonance aka Stomach Vs Food
In preparation for writing the novel, Uprooted, my wife and I visited Mai Dong in the fall of 2010. A lot had changed since Tung's family left in 1954. The village has electricity. It has better roads which mean it doesn't get cut off by the floods each year. And there are fewer young people tending the ancestors' graves. Still, cricket chirps blanket the air, chickens bicker in the dirt, and the old ladies sit around talking as they chew their betel leaves. We met some dista
So, Who Started It?
On March 8th 1965, the first American combat troops landed on a beach outside of Danang. It was only the most prominent of a thousand tiny steps that had been leading American soldiers closer to full involvement. My first exposure to the Vietnam War was the films that unpicked the American soldiers' experience. The subject became a sub-genre of its own in the 1980's, as a generation of film-makers each released their own depiction. These films were mostly tales of individual
So, You've Written a Book?
This story has been a long time coming. I first met Tung in the spring of 2008. Everyone in the family told me that my fiancee's grandfather had lived through some incredible experiences. “One day someone should write them down.” The arrival of my work permit timed in perfectly with the economic crash that year. So between shooting off resumes and figuring out the differences between UK and U.S. driving codes, I began reading up on the Vietnam War. Three things quickly became
