Fathers and Daughters Quotes

“When the Republicans caught us around a dead Viet Cong fighter, we had to act like we didn’t know what was going on. We would tell the soldiers that nobody knew who the dead person was, even though his family might be standing right there, holding back their tears. We would claim the dead man was a vagabond or someone from another village. “Would you soldiers like to haul him away for us?” No, they would not. So we’d bury him ourselves and the relatives would mourn in secret.”
― Le Ly Hayslip, Fathers and Daughters: from When Heaven and Earth Changed Places

“Because our house was at the edge of the village and the first place people working in the fields would run to when the fighting started, my father insisted that our bunker be big enough for extra people.”
― Le Ly Hayslip, Fathers and Daughters: from When Heaven and Earth Changed Places

“This was unheard of—a father doing these things with a child that was not a son! Where my mother would instruct me on cooking and cleaning and tell stories about brides, my father showed me the mystery of hammers and explained the customs of our people.”
― Le Ly Hayslip, Fathers and Daughters: from When Heaven and Earth Changed Places

“Violence in any form offended him. For this reason, I think, he grew old before his time.”
― Le Ly Hayslip, Fathers and Daughters: from When Heaven and Earth Changed Places

“Because he sang these songs with a comical voice, my mother never appreciated them. She couldn’t see the absurdity of our situation as clearly as we children. To her, war and real life were different. To us, they were all the same.”
― Le Ly Hayslip, Fathers and Daughters: from When Heaven and Earth Changed Places

“Because I was his youngest daughter, I was entitled to listen from his knee—the place of honor.”
― Le Ly Hayslip, Fathers and Daughters: from When Heaven and Earth Changed Places

“Only a half-trained mechanic thinks everything needs fixing.”
― Le Ly Hayslip, Fathers and Daughters: from When Heaven and Earth Changed Places