Dear Juliet
I am seventeen and live in
England. Yesterday I got your book "War Child" out of my local
library, started reading it when I got home and finished it in one evening-
I loved it!
I have just completed my first year of A levels at a 6th form
and do History as one of my subjects, as one of our units for our exam we learnt
about the Vietnam War. Before doing the course, I knew nothing about the war and after
learning about it can appreciate how much damage it caused your home country and
the people. When reading your book it made me realise how much pain, trauma and
loss the Vietnamese people went through at the time of war.
I really admire you for writing the book as it must have
been hard to relive those memories through writing them down
and sharing them with anyone who has read your book. I can't
believe you survived for a week on that crowded boat and the
shipwreck as a child, I can't imagine anyone I know being able
to deal with that level of danger! I really admire you for
learning English whilst in America and knowing what you want
and being able to have your son back and provide for him when
you moved to Paris.
I loved reading about your journey, I am planning to
study English at University and can really appreciate the way
in which you wrote as you allow the reader to get inside the
mind of you as a child in Vietnam and then experience you
maturing as you grow up to be an adult. The journey you
have made up until now is something I admire you for and to
have an insight of someone who experienced the Vietnam war
after learning about it in depth has increased my understanding
of it, which I thank you for.
I know you probably get lots of emails similar to this, but I hope it puts a smile
on your face and reminds you of how far you've come that a teenage girl from the
other side of the world wants to tell you how much she admires your courage for
surviving and overcoming some of the most horrible and difficult experiences that were thrown at you!
I hope you are well and happy!
Issy Donald, August 2010
