I am doing my best to get up to speed on Vietnam and its history. 'Ru' by Kim Thuy was recommended. The Chapters employee gave me a gift when she gave me this book.
It was amazingly written. I actually folded over pages so I could go back to the passages that broke my heart or make me shiver.
It details the story of a young girl who was one of the millions who fled Vietnam on boats after the war. Kim Thuy describes her voyage to Canada and how the war and the abandonment of her country and adoption of a new one changed her and her family.
I devoured this book. Usually, the chapters were only one page. But they are powerful. A must read.
I also bought a Lonely Planet for Vietnam. And an autobiographical book by Kim Phuc, The Girl in the Picture.
