Child of War, Woman of Peace

by Le Ly Hayslip, James Hayslip

The inspiring story of an immigrant's struggles to heal old wounds in the United States, this is the sequel to When Heaven and Earth Changed Places , Le Ly Hayslip's extraordinary, award-winning memoir of life in wartime Vietnam.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, War, Biography, Asia, History, Autobiography

374 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Le Ly Hayslip is a Vietnamese-American writer, memoirist, and humanitarian, known for her work in rebuilding cultural bridges between Vietnam and the United States following the Vietnam War. Born in Ky La village, Vietnam, she endured a tumultuous childhood marked by war and personal hardship. At 12, American helicopters landed in her village, and at 14, she was tortured in a South Vietnamese prison for her "revolutionary sympathies."
After fleeing to Saigon, Hayslip worked in various jobs, including as a prostitute and drug courier, before marrying American contractor Ed Munro in 1969. Following his death, she married Dennis Hayslip, though this second marriage was troubled by domestic violence.
Hayslip's memoirs, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places (1989) and Child of War, Woman of Peace (1993), recount her experiences in Vietnam and the challenges of adapting to American life. She founded the East Meets West Foundation, a charitable organization focused on improving health and welfare in Vietnam. In 1995, she received the California State Assembly award for her humanitarian efforts. Her life was adapted into the 1993 film Heaven & Earth, directed by Oliver Stone, where she made a cameo appearance.

Reviews

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've ever wanted to learn a bit about Vietnam, Le Ly Hayslip's first memoir, When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, is essential reading. It's tragic and brutal, but quite possibly my all-time favorite autobiography due to it's being so passionate, honest, heart-felt, informative, and completely lacking in ego (which is strange in an auto-bio). Child of War, Woman of Peace may not be quite as compelling, but it comes remarkably close, considering that this is a whole different kind of memoir--something far less shocking and set much, much closer to home. It's a fantastic companion piece to her first book, identifying the struggles of becoming an American immigrant and getting immersed in a culture so vastly different from everything she had ever known--and there are some good comedic bits here regarding her misunderstanding of American traditions and customs, especially Halloween. From her unique perspective, we are given a look into what makes this country great, as well as many of the excesses and prejudices we, as Americans, still need to overcome in order to find our true soul as a nation. During the course of this book, Hayslip makes some incredibly difficult decisions--such as whether or not to allow herself to be blackmailed into getting married in order to rescue her sister's family--and her resilience in dealing with the effects of these decisions (even when the choices she made were bad ones) is incredibly inspirational. Despite living a life that would crush most people's spirits, Haylsip rises above the challenges and is able to achieve something for her home country that nobody would have thought possible. The fact that she manages to write about all this without boasting, pointing fingers of blame at others, or sounding like a victim just makes me admire her all the more. Of course, she is far from perfect and, to her credit, readily admits to her short-comings in all aspects of her life. This is a book about making peace with your past mistakes, and then moving forward with your life. It is not a put-down of America, a put-down of Vietnam, or a criticism of soldiers and politicians on either side of the war. It is simply a call to recognize that we all have a lot more things in common than we do differences. The idea of Karma figures into a lot of what Hayslip preaches, and, while her brand of spiritualism is radically different than mine, I applaud her efforts to retain her spiritual connections in life, and I appreciate the respect she shows people who disagree with her. Great book, and far more impacting than the Oliver Stone movie version, though reading COW,WOP has made me want to go back and revisit the film one more time.

[Ligaya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the sequel to "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places", the memoir of a Vietnam peasant girl who escapes the horror of the Vietnam War and heads to America with a US soldier. I actually liked this account even more than the Le Ly's first memoir--perhaps because Child of War was less brutal (not as many descriptions of extreme torture). Le Ly's life in America is still not without constant struggle. What I learned most from this book was Le Ly's strength and forgiveness despite all the pain she endured from both the Vietnamese and Americans.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sequel to When Heaven and Earth Changed Places. It's good but as always, the first book is much better. It's interesting to continue on her journey in the USA.

[Laurie AH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow - this book is a ride! A life full - full of conflict, confusion, resilience, compassion, and love. Husbands and other unsuitable men, children, foster children, mothers, siblings, rivalries. I was riveted - what will happen next? Impressive life, impressive woman.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

A sequel to "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places," the book is self-contained enough to be read as a stand alone. Hayslip is determined, tenacious, driven to succeed at virtually any cost. This is admirable in many ways, but you sense it comes at the expense of her three sons.

She also makes decisions that a little commonsense thought processing would avoid, but I have to keep in mind she is contending with cultural forces and past trauma I cannot even imagine. Her Buddhist beliefs guide her life and she eventually achieves much of what she believes she was destined for -- to improve the lives of the village people at her ancestral home, and to foster better relations between Vietnam & America.

[Alisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this follow-up to Le Ly Hayslip's first memoir about growing up in the middle of the Vietnam War. This book fills in a lot of gaps and illustrates her experiences as a Vietnamese refugee who fled to the US while the war was still raging. I read both this book and her previous book in order to get a more "local" perspective of the war (as opposed to a biased political view from either side of the conflict). I think these two books combined did a good job at revealing the good and bad of both sides--both before and after the war--and so it accomplished exactly what I was after.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

I"m not sure why I have found Le Ly's two books so compelling - while the narrative and honesty in the books is outstanding, there are some really interesting insights when Le Ly constantly tries to explain and reconcile her Buddhist upbringing and life-long philosophy to the Baptist community in which she finds herself in San Diego. While she is street smart, her reliance on fortune tellers and her naivety in love are surprising at times. Her story is one of looking for inclusion but often being perceived both in the US and when she returns to Vietnam as an outsider.

[Karen Mattson · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was the first book I read from cover to cover that I really enjoyed back in H.S.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Again the author digs deep and tells a emotional story guaranteed to keep your attention.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose to read this novel for one of my English lit circles which is just like a sort of book club but done every Friday with a small group (most who did not read at all, so I was the only one who was talking over all) and during English class. The novel wasn't bad at all although I do wish I was able to read the first novel before reading this one (although this one could stand alone.)
I had never read a memoir and I'm glad this one was my first one. It gave me a lot of insight about the war in Vietnam which was only something I had only heard briefly in History class last year.
Over all I give this a 4 1/2 stars :D

[Eric · Rating 1 out of 5]

Set mostly in America after Hayslip flees Viet Nam. You can imagine how exciting a story set in suburban California is compared to one set in wartime Viet Nam. The book is alright until a bit less than halfway through, after which Hayslip makes a certain life decision at which I cringed so hard I had to stop reading and return the book immediately. Read this if you want to know what happens after the events of her first memoir. Avoid if you want it to be as exciting, heartwarming, or sensical as the first memoir.

[Seohee · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started off really good but I feel like it got very preachy. She constantly gets cheated by people but she lets it go because of her karma. She feels as though she deserves the unlucky events of her life because of her karma. It just doesn't give a good explanation on why she feels the ways she does. I understand that it is her memoir but the book does a terrible job of communicating with the reader. The first book was fabulous but this one was a flop.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sequel to "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places". This memoir is about the author's adjustment to living in the US. Covers her relationships with the men in her life including her three sons. Ly wants to go back to Vietnam to build medical clinics. Not easy to get US approval....nor is it easy to work with the Vietnamese. Gives a picture of life in Vietnam up until 1989..... Recommend to anyone going to Vietnam or interested in Vietnam.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as When Heaven and Earth Changed Places. Especially the last 100 pages -- they seemed to sort of drag on. Still, I am glad I took the time to read and rest of her journey.

[Ruthie Sellers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know this subject does not appeal to everyone, but as an AmerAsian child who is the product of the Vietnam war, this book touched my heart. I also read her first biography "When HEaven and Earth Changed Places" and was equally moved.

[Robin Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible representation of the Vietnam War from the Vietnamese perspective as well as a story of hope and perseverance. A must read whether you are studying the Vietnam War or just want to get a better understanding.

[Alexis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was her second memoir or second part of her autobiography and not nearly as good as her first one. I highly recommend When Heaven and Earth Changed Places, that one truly is exceptional

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good long book... Took forever to read

[Amy Kitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice to know what she did after she came to the states but not nearly of an impact as her first book "When Heaven and Earth Changed Place."

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book.

[Shawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as her first, but worth reading if you read the first.

[Tiffany · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book pissed me off.

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Re-read of the memoir.

[Lysergius · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite inspiring. However Le Ly's account of her trials and tribulations would put anyone off immigrating to the US!

[Wan Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reread.

[Terry Tracz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Le Ly's humanity and perseverance are an inspiration, and a reminder if how lucky we are to have been born in America.

[Isadora Wagner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great!