What do you think?
Rate this book
Escape from Saigon: How a Vietnam War Orphan Became an American Boy
An unforgettable true story of an orphan caught in the midst of war
Over a million South Vietnamese children were orphaned by the Vietnam War. This affecting true account tells the story of Long, who, like more than 40,000 other orphans, is Amerasian -- a mixed-race child -- with little future in Vietnam. Escape from Saigon allows readers to experience Long's struggle to survive in war-torn Vietnam, his dramatic escape to America as part of "Operation Babylift" during the last chaotic days before the fall of Saigon, and his life in the United States as "Matt," part of a loving Ohio family. Finally, as a young doctor, he journeys back to Vietnam, ready to reconcile his Vietnamese past with his American present.
As the thirtieth anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War approaches, this compelling account provides a fascinating introduction to the war and the plight of children caught in the middle of it.
Over a million South Vietnamese children were orphaned by the Vietnam War. This affecting true account tells the story of Long, who, like more than 40,000 other orphans, is Amerasian -- a mixed-race child -- with little future in Vietnam. Escape from Saigon allows readers to experience Long's struggle to survive in war-torn Vietnam, his dramatic escape to America as part of "Operation Babylift" during the last chaotic days before the fall of Saigon, and his life in the United States as "Matt," part of a loving Ohio family. Finally, as a young doctor, he journeys back to Vietnam, ready to reconcile his Vietnamese past with his American present.
As the thirtieth anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War approaches, this compelling account provides a fascinating introduction to the war and the plight of children caught in the middle of it.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published September 9, 2004
17 people are currently reading
298 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
January 25, 2009
I was an elementary school student at the end of the Vietnam War, but the newscasts of the Operation Babylift airlifts are seared in my memory. Hundreds of war orphans were being rescued and flown to the United States in the mid-seventies, as it became apparent that South Vietnam would be taken over by North Vietnamese forces. When one of the Babylift planes crashed, killing all the adults and many of the babies, I remember my mother crying at the kitchen table after she heard the news.
In an introduction to the book, author Andrea Warren tells how her own daughter was adopted from Vietnam at the end of the war. However, her daughter was an infant at the time, and has no memory of her life before adoption. Warren felt that she needed to write about of the many Vietnamese and Amer-asian orphans of the war, about Operation Babylift, and most importantly, to show how children and families become the innocent victims of war. She wanted to find someone who could help her tell this story, and eventually she found Matt Steiner, now an emergency room physician, but also an orphan of the Vietnam War. Escape from Saigon, by Andrea Warren is the true story of Matt Steiner, an eight-year-old boy, then named Long, who left Vietnam in one of the Operation Babylift planes, just as Saigon was falling under communist rule.
The book includes many pictures of children in Vietnam during the war, and I believe that if students do nothing other than look at the pictures in this book, they will learn how children are affected by war. The pictures are age appropriate for upper elementary students, but be aware that children with injuries and living in bad conditions are shown. Much of the book focuses on life at the orphanage where Long (Matt) was living, and the preparations being made for the children to be flown out of Vietnam on the Babylift flights. Warren discusses the crash of the first babylift flight, and I have to admit, it brought tears to my eyes.
As the fall of Saigon approaches, Warren's writing truly conveys the sense of urgency to get the children and workers out of the country before it was too late. Warren describes the difficult choice made by one orphanage worker, a Vietanamese woman whose family was not issued the necessary paperwork to be allowed to leave the country. The woman, fearing that when the North Vietnamese forces arrived, her life and her baby's life would be endangered due to her work with and American agency, chose to relinquish her parental rights, allowing her baby to be airlifted to safety. Miraculously, an American governement official found a way for the woman to fly out on literally the last helicopter flight before Saigon fell.
I personally enjoy Andrea Warren’s books, but I have found them to be difficult for the 5th graders that I work with. Most of the reviews for her books place them for readers age ten and above, or for fifth through ninth grades. I would recommend Escape from Saigon for middle school and up.
In an introduction to the book, author Andrea Warren tells how her own daughter was adopted from Vietnam at the end of the war. However, her daughter was an infant at the time, and has no memory of her life before adoption. Warren felt that she needed to write about of the many Vietnamese and Amer-asian orphans of the war, about Operation Babylift, and most importantly, to show how children and families become the innocent victims of war. She wanted to find someone who could help her tell this story, and eventually she found Matt Steiner, now an emergency room physician, but also an orphan of the Vietnam War. Escape from Saigon, by Andrea Warren is the true story of Matt Steiner, an eight-year-old boy, then named Long, who left Vietnam in one of the Operation Babylift planes, just as Saigon was falling under communist rule.
The book includes many pictures of children in Vietnam during the war, and I believe that if students do nothing other than look at the pictures in this book, they will learn how children are affected by war. The pictures are age appropriate for upper elementary students, but be aware that children with injuries and living in bad conditions are shown. Much of the book focuses on life at the orphanage where Long (Matt) was living, and the preparations being made for the children to be flown out of Vietnam on the Babylift flights. Warren discusses the crash of the first babylift flight, and I have to admit, it brought tears to my eyes.
As the fall of Saigon approaches, Warren's writing truly conveys the sense of urgency to get the children and workers out of the country before it was too late. Warren describes the difficult choice made by one orphanage worker, a Vietanamese woman whose family was not issued the necessary paperwork to be allowed to leave the country. The woman, fearing that when the North Vietnamese forces arrived, her life and her baby's life would be endangered due to her work with and American agency, chose to relinquish her parental rights, allowing her baby to be airlifted to safety. Miraculously, an American governement official found a way for the woman to fly out on literally the last helicopter flight before Saigon fell.
I personally enjoy Andrea Warren’s books, but I have found them to be difficult for the 5th graders that I work with. Most of the reviews for her books place them for readers age ten and above, or for fifth through ninth grades. I would recommend Escape from Saigon for middle school and up.
February 8, 2019
Very well written. Gives an excellent look into Vietnam during its 21 year war. Raw and Real, without being gruesome! Highly recommended!
August 13, 2021
Quick read for an adult. The fall of Saigon was engrossing. I think this is a good addition to any reading journey of Vietnam.
May 30, 2011
This is the true story of a young Ameriasian boy finds a new family in the United States. Being the son of a Vietnamese woman and an American man puts Long in a difficult position. Because of the war, many do not see Americans with an unbiased eye. When Long loses his mother and his grandmother can no longer support him, he goes to live in an orphanage run by a nonprofit organization from the United States. As the Communists get ever closer it, Holt International (the group running the orphanage) decides they must get the children out without delay (most of the children have been placed for adoption). The book follows the remarkable operation known as Babylift which helped get over two thousand children out of Saigon before the Communists arrived. The rest of the story follows Long's (Matt) experiences in adjusting to a new family and a new life.
This book beautifully compliments Inside Out & Back Again, giving the reader a glimpse of the Vietnam War from the perspective of a child. It also reveals that some good things were done by Americans as well as all the bad things we always here about happening during that war. The writing is clear and crisp and perfect for reading out-loud. This book gives the reader, especially a child reader, a chance to see some of the things that children experience around the world, and hopefully better appreciate the good things about living in the United States.
This book beautifully compliments Inside Out & Back Again, giving the reader a glimpse of the Vietnam War from the perspective of a child. It also reveals that some good things were done by Americans as well as all the bad things we always here about happening during that war. The writing is clear and crisp and perfect for reading out-loud. This book gives the reader, especially a child reader, a chance to see some of the things that children experience around the world, and hopefully better appreciate the good things about living in the United States.
July 22, 2016
Escape from Saigon: How a Vietnam War Orphan Became an American Boy by Andrea Warren is the true story of how Long gets adopted during the Vietnam War by an American family from Ohio. I am continually amazed at how little I know about other countries. I knew that we went to war in Vietnam and that there were many casualties but that is the extent of what I knew. Due to the Americans fighting North Vietnam many children were born and left in orphanages. When America pulled out of the Vietnam War, North Vietnam continued its attack to take over South Vietnam. As a result American-run orphanages needed to airlift as many Amerasian children as possible. Long’s story is one that catches the readers’ attention and shares many facts and photos. In the end, with the help of President Ford over 2000 orphans are able to get out of Vietnam and have the opportunity to be adopted. The author does share that not all of the stories are as positive as Longs.
December 18, 2017
I thought the book had a great order of events that all seemed to lead up to a big climax of the story but I felt it never really happened. The first half of the story seemed to really be written like an exciting NNF book while the second part seemed rather boring and more factual. Overall the book still showed the choices and struggles of an orphan during the war and really helped me understand as a reader the events
August 25, 2021
Don’t google this guy now…😳
February 29, 2024
3-3.5 is probably more accurate. I’m rating it based on non-fiction books for this age group. I’m not comparing it to Wendell Berry.
Read as part of our World History curriculum.
This is a helpful glimpse at the horrors of war and the cost of war on the innocent.
As an adoptive parent, I was often awaiting a message that would make me cringe and I expect some adoptive parents will set this book on fire. However, I think the author showed the need for the children to be saved out of a war zone and also the struggle of loss and grief that they experienced over the years after being adopted by American families. I don’t think the adoptive families are more romanticized than the adoptee. This is a short book with a middle-school audience—it’s not going to be wildly nuanced. The dark side of adoption (adoption for profit/wanting to adopt because it seems cool in the moment) are both touched on briefly in the book.
Long/Matt does well in his new life, but still needs to work through some things and heal. The book doesn’t gloss over that. His trip back to Vietnam as an adult helps him realize that he left some of his identity behind—and that trip helps him reconnect with the little boy who grew up there.
But, while the book doesn’t ignore the hard pieces of adoption, it does show that adoption can build real, honest, beautiful family relationships that aren’t lacking in depth or openness.
In the end, I am left with a terrible sadness that sin can lead to the kind of utter devastation that the Vietnam War wreaked on millions. I’m also touched by how, in the midst of the darkness, there are heroes. In this case, there are so many and Long/Matt is thankful for all those people who made it possible for him to love and be loved again after so much loss.
Read as part of our World History curriculum.
This is a helpful glimpse at the horrors of war and the cost of war on the innocent.
As an adoptive parent, I was often awaiting a message that would make me cringe and I expect some adoptive parents will set this book on fire. However, I think the author showed the need for the children to be saved out of a war zone and also the struggle of loss and grief that they experienced over the years after being adopted by American families. I don’t think the adoptive families are more romanticized than the adoptee. This is a short book with a middle-school audience—it’s not going to be wildly nuanced. The dark side of adoption (adoption for profit/wanting to adopt because it seems cool in the moment) are both touched on briefly in the book.
Long/Matt does well in his new life, but still needs to work through some things and heal. The book doesn’t gloss over that. His trip back to Vietnam as an adult helps him realize that he left some of his identity behind—and that trip helps him reconnect with the little boy who grew up there.
But, while the book doesn’t ignore the hard pieces of adoption, it does show that adoption can build real, honest, beautiful family relationships that aren’t lacking in depth or openness.
In the end, I am left with a terrible sadness that sin can lead to the kind of utter devastation that the Vietnam War wreaked on millions. I’m also touched by how, in the midst of the darkness, there are heroes. In this case, there are so many and Long/Matt is thankful for all those people who made it possible for him to love and be loved again after so much loss.
November 13, 2021
This is a book I felt a deep connection with as my story is embedded within the pages of this autobiography. This fantastic book aimed at middle to high school students details the events of the Vietnam War that led to the adoption of thousands of Vietnamese and Amerasian children during this time period. Without bogging down the reader in the politics of the war, the author provides enough background information that the reader understands the horror of war, the crushing poverty faced by Vietnamese families, the terror the families felt as war encroached upon their lives, and the reasons why children were often given to American orphanages and hospitals. Accompanying the prose are vivid and powerful pictures that add even more to the story.
Helping the narrative is the story of Matt "Long" Steiner, an Amerasian boy who finds himself living with his grandmother in Saigon. Her old age and struggles to support themselves causes her to turn her grandson over to Holt International, an American adoption agency working to get Vietnamese children families in the United States, Australia, and elsewhere. We learn his story and meet his adoptive parents and siblings. We also learn about his return to Vietnam to reconnect with his culture and tour the country.
This is a beautiful, informative book that moved me a great deal. While this book would be a worthwhile read for anyone adopted from Vietnam, other adoptees will see a great deal of similarities in the story of Matt Long. I'm so glad I discovered this book.
Helping the narrative is the story of Matt "Long" Steiner, an Amerasian boy who finds himself living with his grandmother in Saigon. Her old age and struggles to support themselves causes her to turn her grandson over to Holt International, an American adoption agency working to get Vietnamese children families in the United States, Australia, and elsewhere. We learn his story and meet his adoptive parents and siblings. We also learn about his return to Vietnam to reconnect with his culture and tour the country.
This is a beautiful, informative book that moved me a great deal. While this book would be a worthwhile read for anyone adopted from Vietnam, other adoptees will see a great deal of similarities in the story of Matt Long. I'm so glad I discovered this book.
July 4, 2019
I really needed this book to finish off my recent obsession with the Vietnam War. I've read many books that go into depth about the years leading up to the war and the years of U.S. involvement, but they always end with the U.S. pulling out. It didn't occur to me that the war continued on without the U.S. North Vietnam worked its way south, leaving massive destruction in its wake. The South Vietnamese people fled to the cities and tried everything possible to get out of the country. Caught in this chaos were thousands of orphaned children. Some had no family and some were delivered by family who wanted to get their children out of Vietnam. Several orphanages participated in a program called Operation Babylift to adopt these children out to families in other counties.
Andrea Warren adopted one of these children. Since her daughter was an infant at the time, she found another child who could remember and share his story. Long was the son of a Vietnamese woman and American father. His mother killed herself and his grandmother couldn't afford to take care of him. He ended up being one of the children who got out. The book has just the right amount of detail to be enjoyable and not tedious for a middle school student. You get a strong sense of the devastation going on in Vietnam. Most of the book focuses on Vietnam rather than Long's new life in America. I will be purchasing this one.
Andrea Warren adopted one of these children. Since her daughter was an infant at the time, she found another child who could remember and share his story. Long was the son of a Vietnamese woman and American father. His mother killed herself and his grandmother couldn't afford to take care of him. He ended up being one of the children who got out. The book has just the right amount of detail to be enjoyable and not tedious for a middle school student. You get a strong sense of the devastation going on in Vietnam. Most of the book focuses on Vietnam rather than Long's new life in America. I will be purchasing this one.
June 13, 2017
Hoang V. Long (renamed Matt Steiner) was the son of an American father and a Vietnamese mother. He never knew his father; his mother took her life when he was young. His Vietnamese grandmother, Ba, did all she could to keep him fed and clothed.
In another country and century Victor Hugo wrote about Jean Valjean and his adopted granddaughter Cosette, He protected her and she sustained him.
When Ba came to the end of her resources she asked the Holt Center to take her grandson. My heart broke for Ba, who, for fear of his destiny when she died, gave up the child she loved at a staggering personal cost.
With the Vietcong (which I learned is short for Vietnamese Communists) entering Saigon, Long/Matt joined 400 other orphans in a dramatic flight to America. He thrived with the Steiner family.
The writing is no-frills. Warren acknowledges that all the stories of Vietnam orphans are not so neat and tidy. At the end are great recommendations for further reading and viewing.
In another country and century Victor Hugo wrote about Jean Valjean and his adopted granddaughter Cosette, He protected her and she sustained him.
When Ba came to the end of her resources she asked the Holt Center to take her grandson. My heart broke for Ba, who, for fear of his destiny when she died, gave up the child she loved at a staggering personal cost.
With the Vietcong (which I learned is short for Vietnamese Communists) entering Saigon, Long/Matt joined 400 other orphans in a dramatic flight to America. He thrived with the Steiner family.
The writing is no-frills. Warren acknowledges that all the stories of Vietnam orphans are not so neat and tidy. At the end are great recommendations for further reading and viewing.
November 28, 2018
Escape from Saigon: How a Vietnam War Orphan Became an American Boy is a chapter book about how a boy named Long who is lived in Vietnam with his mother. Long’s father was an American Soldier who left both Long and his mother in Vietnam. After Longs mother died, his grandmother took care of him, however, the Vietnam War had brought many hardships for his grandmother, so she had to give him up to the local orphanage. The local orphanage accepted him however the people would not appreciate his presence since he was Half-American which meant he was a part of the enemy. Operation Babylift saved Long where he flew to Chicago and met his adoptive parents and assumed an American name. This book would be great to include in any classroom since it highlights the difficulties that Vietnamese orphans went through.
May 10, 2019
This is the true story of the mission (Operation Babylift) to get many orphaned children out of Saigon, Vietnam during the end of the Vietnam war when the North was about to take over the South. The story is told from the point of view of Long, an Ameriasian child that was turned over to an orphanage after his mother killed herself and his grandmother couldn't take care of him anymore.
We were reading this as part of our schooling (for history about the Vietnam War). I had no idea about this history of Ameriasian children and Operation Babylift, so I found that I was learning something new. The story was a little dry at times, but mostly it kept our attention and we looked forward to hearing what was going to happen next. We were least interested in the story once Long/Matt made it to the United States. I think that it is a good compliment to learning about this time period.
We were reading this as part of our schooling (for history about the Vietnam War). I had no idea about this history of Ameriasian children and Operation Babylift, so I found that I was learning something new. The story was a little dry at times, but mostly it kept our attention and we looked forward to hearing what was going to happen next. We were least interested in the story once Long/Matt made it to the United States. I think that it is a good compliment to learning about this time period.
December 11, 2017
This book was such an amazing book, had my emotions going up and down, up and down.Lots of sadness and petty for the people left in saigon during the war.After reading this book I actually learnt about how much terror the little kids and adults of vietnam had gone through.Before reading this book I never knew that there was a war in vietnam at any time point, but now, after reading this book I not only know that there was a war in vietnam but also know how much terror so many people were facing during the time period of this war.Definately recommend this book as it reminds you about how lucky you are, that you were not in vietnam or part of the war during this terrible time period. Loved the book.
November 29, 2018
I just read a book about a Vietnamese/American kid growing up in Vietnam call Escape from Saigon. He was an extremely poor kid growing up in a very poor country this story tells his very interesting path to become the person he is today, a doctor in Indiana. I found this book very interest it gave lots of information about Vietnam and really gave you a very good picture of what life was like there. This book has many points where it really brings you to the edge of your seat as his situation looks so bad that it seems like he won’t make it. Overall this book was great and I would strongly recommend it.
August 7, 2021
Who said that biographies and nonfiction books had to be dry? Real life can be just as compelling and emotional as fiction.
I greatly enjoyed how Andrea Warren handled Long's story, and I was on the edge of my seat desperate to see what would happen. I wanted to hug each and every one of the children who suffered through the terrible war. And I got to take a walk in the shoes of the Vietnamese people.
(For those who are wondering about content, this does touch on the Vietnam war and how it affected the Vietnamese. There are abandoned and starving children, mention of plane crashes, and such.; yet there are moments of hope too.)
I greatly enjoyed how Andrea Warren handled Long's story, and I was on the edge of my seat desperate to see what would happen. I wanted to hug each and every one of the children who suffered through the terrible war. And I got to take a walk in the shoes of the Vietnamese people.
(For those who are wondering about content, this does touch on the Vietnam war and how it affected the Vietnamese. There are abandoned and starving children, mention of plane crashes, and such.; yet there are moments of hope too.)
December 11, 2017
Normally, I wouldn't read in the genre historical non-fiction, however, I found this book quite interesting. It's a story about a Vietnamese boy who started his new life in America. This book is all about, love, family, hope, new beginnings, fitting in, and culture. There were some parts that were a bit boring but overall the book was very fun. The author did lots of good research and made the book very vivid and descriptive.
December 11, 2017
I learned a lot from this book. Prior to reading this, I did not know a lot about the Vietnam war or anything about operation baby lift. The main character goes through big changes that he has no choice or say in. I think it is a amazing story as it is from a perspective from a person who actually experienced the story.
November 29, 2018
Personally, as a 14-year-old teenager, I don't really like non-fiction books but, I think I will get into more nonfiction books. I thought that at the start of this book it was boring but, as I read further on I realized the pain and the impact it had on everyone. I also realized that I had learned a lot of interesting stories and facts from this book.
January 18, 2021
A tale both heartwrenching and heartwarming at the same time, Andrea Warren tells the true story of a boy's life in South Vietnam during the war and his escape to America. The details provoke much emotion and thought to this time in history, and remind us of the importance of taking care of children.
April 10, 2025
This was an excellent addition to our study of the Vietnam War and how it affected real people. There were some sensitive subjects, including suicide, abandonment, and adoption, but it was handled pretty well. My children and I appreciated the story and how it was told, even as we discussed ideas such as changing children's names and people romanticizing adoption.
December 6, 2017
This book not only had some strong words but also had some strong, vivid images to support the text. If you like history and reading about the war along with non-fiction, read this book.
April 11, 2019
Lots of tears and joy in this story.
Read
November 6, 2019Stark yet hopeful telling of the life of a Vietnamese war orphan and his journey to his family in America. I so appreciate the emotional tone of this book.
February 12, 2024
a good read of an 8 year old orphaned Amerasian boy who is gathered up by Operation Babylift where he is airlifted out of Saigon....around 1975 when N Vietnam was pushing into S Vietnam
December 18, 2017
This book was very emotional and the author told the narrative nonfiction really well. I enjoyed reading this book because it had a lot of messages about the meaning family, war, resistance, perseverance, and accepting change. The graphics in the book also struck me emotionally and really added more meaning to the book. I would recommend this book to people that like reading about the historical fiction or more specifically the Vietnam War.
May 5, 2011
I found this book in the juniors section of the library. It was on display and I read the inside jacket, found it intriguing and checked it out. I am so glad I read this book! It is about a boy who is "Amerasian" meaning a Vietnamese mom and an American dad. Of course since the dad was probably a serviceman, he wasnt in the boy's life. He ends up an prphan, through some unfortunate events during the Vietnam war. He is adopted by an American family and barely escapes to America before the North Vietnamese take over and no one is allowed to leave. In many countries where everyone is of color, alot of times, the lighter your color, the higher in esteem you are held. I figured this may apply in Vietnam. Not the case. The kids who were mixed were somewhat outcast, especially after North Vietnam took over the south. Most of the kids in the Holt orphanage in Saigon were Amerasian because of this. I was very interested to get the view of life from an orphan who remembered his mom and grandma. Life was very confusing for him. I also learned what the orphanage was like, from an insider's view. I had not heard of Operation Babylift at the end of the Vietnam War, but learned about the thousands of orphans who were saved by being flown out of the country when it was litterally falling. This was an amazing book. I learned a lot. It is written in shorter sentences for the younger readers, but the content is heavy enough to keep the interest of adults as well.
Read
October 15, 2014Andrea Warren shares the true story of Matt Steiner, a Vietnam War orphan, whose life journey takes him from a peaceful Vietnamese village to Saigon, then from an orphanage to America. It is about children in need and people trying to help them during the Vietnam conflict.
The author had felt that the story needed to be told of the plight of the war orphans during the final days before South Vietnam fell to the North Vietnamese forces. Matt Steiner whose Vietnamese name was Hoang-V-Long was 8 when he was evacuated from an orphanage in Saigon. When his grandmother was unable to care for him she took him to an international relief agency who worked to find homes for many of the orphans. The author walks the reader through Matt Steiner's experiences as he remembers them, his feelings he had with the loss of her mother, his move from the village to Saigon with his grandmother, his stay at the Holt International Children's Services, and his escape along with many other orphan children on the Pan American 747 Jet. It is narrated by the author and a well written account especially during this tragic period of time. Included are recommended websites, videos, and other information in conjunction with the Vietnam conflict. It is recommended for the early reader, the middle school reader and the adult reader.
The author had felt that the story needed to be told of the plight of the war orphans during the final days before South Vietnam fell to the North Vietnamese forces. Matt Steiner whose Vietnamese name was Hoang-V-Long was 8 when he was evacuated from an orphanage in Saigon. When his grandmother was unable to care for him she took him to an international relief agency who worked to find homes for many of the orphans. The author walks the reader through Matt Steiner's experiences as he remembers them, his feelings he had with the loss of her mother, his move from the village to Saigon with his grandmother, his stay at the Holt International Children's Services, and his escape along with many other orphan children on the Pan American 747 Jet. It is narrated by the author and a well written account especially during this tragic period of time. Included are recommended websites, videos, and other information in conjunction with the Vietnam conflict. It is recommended for the early reader, the middle school reader and the adult reader.
March 16, 2009
While I hate to give such a low rating to a story about war orphans, this book is a bit confused in its mission. On one hand the length, clocking in at about 100 pages, suggests it is a book for young adults. However, the writing is about at the third grade level, suggesting the book is aimed at children. So does the rah-rah America sentimentality of the story, which at its heart is far from a simple morality tale - there is little examination of how Amerasian war orphans came to be in the state that they did, for example. If the author had been a little braver in depicting the story as the ethically gray situation it surely was, and if she had written the book with a bit more flashy language, Escape From Saigon could have been an engrossing account of a little examined effect of war. As it is currently though, Escape from Saigon takes a fascinating subject and makes it read like the literary equivalent of cardboard. The first few chapters are fairly engrossing accounts of life during war-time, however.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews