Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)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.
Click Here to see more reviews about: When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace (Plume)
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.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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