Such a Lovely Little War
Saigon, 1961-63
by Marcelino Truong
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A memoir, in graphic novel form, on the early years of the Vietnam war through the eyes of a young Vietnamese boy.
This riveting, beautifully produced graphic memoir tells the story of the early years of the Vietnam War as seen through the eyes of a young boy named Marco, the son of a Vietnamesediplomat and his French wife. The book opens in America, where the boy's father works for the South Vietnamese embassy; there the boy is made to feel self-conscious about his otherness thanks to schoolmates who play war games against the so-called "Commies. " The family is called back to Saigon in 1961, where the father becomes Presideent Ngo Dinh Diem's personal interpreter; as the growing conflict between North and South intensifies, so does turmoil within Marco's family, as his mother struggles to grapple with bipolar disorder.
Visually powerful and emotionally potent, Such a Lovely Little War is both a large-scale and intimate study of the Vietnam War as seen through the eyes of the Vietnamese: a turbulent national history interwined with an equally traumatic familial one.
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Vietnam War, Vietnamese Personal narratives, Comic books, strips, Comics & graphic novels, Graphic novels, Nonfiction, Biography & memoir, Youth culture, History, Asian Literature, Comics & graphic novels, nonfiction, biography & memoir, Vietnam war, 1961-1975, personal narratives, Vietnam War, 1961-1975, Personal narratives, Truong, marcelino, Vietnam war, 1961-1975, Vietnam war, 1961-1975--personal narratives, vietnamese--comic books, strips, etc, Ds559.5 .t74913 2016, 959.704/3092People
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Such a Lovely Little War: Saigon, 1961-63
2016, Arsenal Pulp Press
in English
1551526476 9781551526478
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Chiefly color illustrations. Issued also in electronic formats.
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Work Description
A memoir, in graphic novel form, on the early years of the Vietnam war through the eyes of a young Vietnamese boy.
Reviews
"Truong forcefully recreates his saga using a bold, blocky visual style and a muted color palette that deftly renders his family members and vividly captures crowded Saigon cityscapes and besieged countryside". -Booklist
"A beautifully illustrated tale that packs a surprising punch". -Mother Jones
"What holds the book together is Truong's artwork: confident, contoured brush strokes with watercolor washes, alternating between full color and monochromatic tints. He shows us that what was happening in Vietnam was a nightmare, but also that his youthful perspective made it seem, at the time, like an adventure". -New York Times
"A terrific graphic novel [...] [Given] American film representations of Vietnam (from Apocalypse Now and Platoon to Full Metal Jacket and Hamburger Hill) have become the de facto popular truth of that war, Truong's nuanced account offers an absorbing counter-narrative".-Macleans
"Truong shows his command of both text and visuals, as his boyhood provides a compelling perspective on the beginnings of a war that would have such devastating impacts on Southeast Asia and America alike [...] A first-rate work of graphic memoir dealing with a pivotal period in modern American history". -Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Truong's art has an appealing simplicity —it's deceptive, drawing the reader into the idiosyncrasy of each character's expression. This artistic presence, this human touch, makes Truong's world— the explosions from within and without --so much more immediate". -Quill and Quire
"Such a Lovely Little War is a remarkable graphic novel that engages both heart and head, and Truong's artwork provides an abstracted realism that perfectly reinforces both the viewpoint of a six year-old, and the edge-softening effect of memory. Providing a unique look into the early years of the Vietnam War, Such a Lovely Little War is not to be missed". -FreakSugar
"A gorgeous graphic memoir [...] This story of one family during a horrible war is powerful, managing to be both broad and intensely intimate at the same time". -Book Riot
"A riveting graphic memoir [...] Perhaps the passage of time has added an objective and journalistic vantage point for this eyewitness account, making a pivotal moment in American, French and Vietnamese history so meaningful and gripping". -Shelf Awareness
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