One of the former Vietnam Fulbrighters suggested that we all read this book as background knowledge to our journey, so I downloaded it to my Kindle (thank you a million, once again, Aunt Randi and Aut Barbara- I absolutely ADORE my Kindle!) and read half of it yesterday on my many plane flights.
It is a mix of travelogue, memoir, and history lesson, but done in actually impressive and thoughtful writing.
The book is called "Catfish and Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Voyage through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam " and it's by Andrew Pham. I absolutely love it so far, and it has provided me with lots of insight into Vietnam's historical and cultural identity. I admit to not knowing much about the history here, and this book is leaving me on more solid ground.
So if any of my loyal readers are in the mood for a good read that might give them insight into the land where I will be living, feel free to pick it up.
It is 2:30 AM here and of course my sleep schedule is all messed up, which is why I am online wasting time. But I'm gonna try to go back to bed so I can wake up in a timely manner for my first Vietnamese breakfast.
Night night!
Some preliminary thoughts...
- Allison B.
- Somerville, Massachusetts, United States
- Finding the best places to eat and drink in my area! Check back for more!
Night Pallie!
ReplyDeleteAnother miracle in posting a comment. It's hit or miss with me so I need to document the steps that work until it's repeatable. So glad you found a great book to give you Vietnamese cultural and historical grounding; and so glad you have two nice aunts (and their families) who bought you a great Kindle for your reading pleasure. Here's a shout-out to Skyping with you.
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