Where the Ashes Are: The Odyssey of a Vietnamese Family

by Nguyen Qui Duc

In 1968 Nguyen Qui Duc was nine years old, his father was a high-ranking civil servant in the South Vietnamese government, and his mother was a school principal. Then the Viet Cong launched their Tet offensive, and the Nguyen family’s comfortable life was destroyed. The author’s father was taken prisoner and marched up the Ho Chi Minh Trail. North Vietnam's highest-ranking civilian prisoner, he eventually spent twelve years in captivity, composing poems in his head to maintain his sanity. Nguyen himself escaped from Saigon as North Vietnamese tanks approached in 1975. He came of age as an American teenager, going to school dances and working at a Roy Rogers restaurant, yet yearning for the homeland and parents he had to leave behind. The author’s mother stayed in Vietnam to look after her mentally ill daughter. She endured poverty and “reeducation” until her husband was freed and the Nguyens could reunite. Intertwining these three stories, Where the Ashes Are shows us the Vietnam War through a child’s eyes, privation after a Communist takeover, and the struggle of new immigrants. The author, who returned to Vietnam as an American reporter, provides a detailed portrait of the nation as it opened to the West in the early 1990s. Where the Ashes Are closes with Nguyen’s thoughts on being pulled between his adopted country and his homeland.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, History, Biography, Travel, Biography Memoir

280 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

Reviews

[Sharon Orlopp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insight into daily life during and after the Vietnam War in South Vietnam; addresses family separation and immigration to the US.

[Anoxic · Rating 5 out of 5]

The timing of me finishing this book couldn't be more interesting. Some of my friends were wrapping their heads around trying to understand why some people are pro-war. It's beyond obvious that they are anti-war.

I'm busy with my work, and really don't have much time to notice what's actually happening. I buried myself into video games or books when I'm not working, rarely entertaining myself with the world news. The Winter Olympics made me feel like everything now is now political. I just gradually lost the interest to follow what's happening in the world.

But not so fast. I kept thinking what I would do if I were the author, or his father. Someone spending their prime time in the prison could be a number for the history, but could also be a pity that they would have to live with. There are clashes between cultures, generations, experiences, space and time. It challenged my views on everything that we take for granted.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was very well written and I enjoyed the narration and different point of views he includes. The overall story was about the dysfunctional Vietnamese family who kept getting separated due to the war. The author explains the truisms of war and family dynamics as the story goes on while expressing the hardships each and every family member went through to survive. In general the novel was sorrowful and heartwarming at the same time once the readers reach the end and realise how much time passed between the family members once they reconcile and how much as changed. He shows this through expressing ptsd, traumas and the ruin of a country he once loved and thought of as home.

[Fran · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was very well written and I enjoyed the narration and different point of views he includes. The overall story was about the dysfunctional Vietnamese family who kept getting separated due to the war. The author explains the truisms of war and family dynamics as the story goes on while expressing the hardships each and every family member went through to survive. In general the novel was sorrowful and heartwarming at the same time once the readers reach the end and realise how much time passed between the family members once they reconcile and how much as changed. He shows this through expressing ptsd, traumas and the ruin of a country he once loved and thought of as home.

[Tiana Del]

Where the Ashes Are is a book based on a rich Vietnamese family that sofferì through The Vietnam War against America. I really liked this book because it makes you feel as if you suffered the war yourself, apart from giving background of Nguyen’s life, it also gives a lot of detailed visual and olfactory imagery.

[Rachel Sunshine · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tragic, yet beautifully told memoir. It was a privilege to follow this protagonist on his journey from a childhood torn apart into his desired return as an adult. Reading it while traveling toward his homeland was an added educational pleasure.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really interesting biography about one family’s experiences with the Vietnam war. Sad, happy, and intriguing.

[Natalie Farr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yup. All day.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much! It gave me a wonderful perspective on how important my family is and how a war can change people so much. Be grateful for what you have.

[Angelina · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a story! I appreciate that the author captured multiple perspectives and experiences: his father’s in imprisonment, his mother’s after the war ended, his own departure and return experience. This is one of a few accounts where there’s understanding and openness to both sides (north and south Vietnamese). As a Vietnamese born after the war looking to heal inter generational trauma, I appreciate this balanced storytelling.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author, now a US citizen and journalist, tells his family's story, beginning with his father's capture by the Viet Cong at the beginning of the Tet Offensive in 1968. His father, an official with the South Vietnamese government would remain in captivity (for re-educating)until 1979. The author's mother, a school principal, would remain in Viet Nam. The author, along with his uncle's family, secured spots on one of the last American flights out of Viet Nam. These three tales are interwoven and powerfully tell the story of a family torn apart by war. For the author, trying to assimilate into American life is diffcult and he remains attached to his homeland. I found most moving the poetry his father wrote during his years of captivity. This is a wonderful tale of loss and renewal, of finding a new home and never forgetting one's past.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book...it was hard to get into it at first because I found the writing style choppy and short, but I became accustomed to it. The story was an incredible account of a family's journey and survival in (and out) of Vietnam during the war. I found the narrator (i.e. the author) the least likable and found most interesting and poignant the relation of the father's experiences as a captive of the Viet Cong. An amazing story of resilience and strength, and a sad account of a generation and culture cut down by the communist movement and war.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Described what one family went through during Vietnam war, which made it more understandable on a personal level. Very sad. Then what the young man went through leaving the country that he loved. Also portrays the Vietnamese culture esp related to family

[Laura Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The view of the Vietnam war for most of us was in the "war is hell" movies such as Apocalpse Now or Platoon or Hanoi Hilton. This book shares the story of one family and the toll it took.