50 Years after End of Vietnam War, 3 New Books Offer a Path to Healing and Reconciliation
by Haley Scull, 3RP Publicity Associate
This spring marks 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War — and a 50-year process of healing and reconciliation. For those in Vietnam and across the Vietnamese diaspora, these past decades have been fraught with the complexities of a new post-war cultural identity, while simultaneously serving as a vehicle for community, rediscovery, and connection.
On our 3RP bookshelf, we have three timely yet timeless books that speak to this ongoing process: THE COLORS OF APRIL; MY VIETNAM, YOUR VIETNAM; and VIỆT NAM CỦA CON, VIỆT NAM CỦA CHA, the Vietnamese translation of MY VIETNAM, YOUR VIETNAM. These important stories center the voices of those impacted by the Vietnam War: those who stayed, those who left, and those who are returning. What did it mean to be Vietnamese then? And, what does it mean now? Though the narratives within each book are distinct, they all consider the shared cultural experience of endurance.
Set to be released in late-March, THE COLORS OF APRIL is a new anthology of short fiction featuring more than two dozen literary voices that speaks to the global Vietnamese experience. From Quảng Trị to Chicago to Palo Alto, THE COLORS OF APRIL diversifies the post-war Vietnamese narrative, capturing the enduring spirit across Vietnam and the diaspora that has persisted even 50 years later. The collection features new work from award-winning Vietnamese authors, including Viet Thanh Nguyen (Pulitzer Prize winner, The Sympathizer), Andrew Lam (PEN/Beyond Margins Award winner, Perfume Dreams), Barbara Tran (Lannan Foundation Award winner, In the Mynah Bird’s Own Words), and Vu Tran (Whiting Award winner, Dragonfish).
MY VIETNAM, YOUR VIETNAM is a dual-memoir by Christina Vo and her father Nghia M. Vo, exploring identity, culture, heritage, and family through their contrasting journeys towards healing the generational scars of war. Originally released in April 2024, MY VIETNAM, YOUR VIETNAM is soon-to-be-available in Vietnamese translation this coming spring as VIỆT NAM CỦA CON, VIỆT NAM CỦA CHA. Much like the process of writing this memoir for Christina and her father, this translation aims to enhance dialogue and understanding between generations and geographies.
As we come up on the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, our upcoming releases THE COLORS OF APRIL and VIỆT NAM CỦA CON, VIỆT NAM CỦA CHA will be instrumental tools in the ongoing process of healing and reconciliation that bridges generations, continents, and politics.
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