The Eaves of Heaven: A Life in Three Wars

by Andrew X. Pham

From the award-winning author of Catfish and Mandala comes a son's searing memoir of his Vietnamese father's experiences over the course of three wars.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Memoir, Biography, Asia, Travel, War

301 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Hammock Navigator, Wine Taster, Lord of the Desk and the Writer's Block, Keyboard Slayer and Protector of the Realm
Detailed Bio: https://www.andrewxpham.com/

Reviews

[Left Coast Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most reviewers here loved this book. I enjoyed it too, so why am I giving it such a mediocre ranking?

In a scattershot structure that other people have noted, this book is the account of the author's father, told in the first person -- a memoir at one remove, if you like. I did not have problems with the structure, since it clearly delineated between a boyhood under French and Japanese occupation, an early adulthood during the war of liberation against the French, and subsequent flight to the South after marriage. Under the French, he led a fairly idyllic boyhood, enjoying both the education that he was lucky enough to have as well as the free time he spent out in the paddy fields doing boy stuff with the poorer families who worked his parents' land. He was a star student and was well along the path to becoming a respected teacher or professor when the world around him started falling apart.

What Pham does very well is describing the tightrope that people in unreasonable regimes have to tiptoe -- in his case, allowing both the French and the Communist armies to plunder the farm for food whenever they were in the neighborhood, and keeping carefully quiet. What one absolutely could not do in those days was to be perceived as a sympathizer for the other side, which is pretty damn difficult when you're in daily contact with both. One cannot help but feel sympathy for the vast majority of Vietnamese who just wanted to live their lives and not be bothered with the struggles of cruel, ambitious men in faraway places, using their land as a chessboard.

As with so many of his fellow citizens, he is eventually forced to choose sides...But I don't want to just recite the events described in the book. Generally, my goal in writing a review is give enough flavor to describe what I did and didn't like about it, and perhaps to allow readers to decide whether their opinions are similar enough to mine to allow them to predict whether they'd like/dislike it as well.

Let's start with the fact that I was deeply moved and deeply shaken by Pham's first book, Catfish and Mandala. This book starts pretty much where Eaves of Heaven drops off, and the contrast between the two is so jarring that I can't overlook it. In Eaves, we read of a man whose every action is dictated by respect and love for his wife and children. In Catfish, this same man is so violent that his wife and children cower from him and his trans daughter is eventually driven to suicide by his constant abuse. I just can't reconcile these two figures.

I have spent enough time in Vietnam and among the Vietnamese to realize that the descriptive prose in this book was Genuine Corinthian Leather or lite margarine compared to the real thing. In Catfish and Mandala, I felt that he was on the edge of describing something real. This book really didn't come close.

As history told from street level, it works. If you want a description of Vietnam, try something else, like Pham's first book.

[Mr Nguyen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reader Response – Eaves of Heaven by Andrew X. Pham, October 27, 2009

Why am I reading this book? I must’ve read hundreds of books about Vietnam, historical, political, cultural, literary. And this particular one isn’t even that great, or not as great as Pham’s last. Perhaps it’s because this time he’s writing his dad’s memoir and things get lost in translation. Surely his father recounted his memories in Vietnamese. And then for Pham to take those accounts and draft them into purple English prose somehow doesn’t work as effectively.

I guess I’m reading this book because I have an ambivalent relationship with my country and culture. Reading this book reminds me how beautiful the country is—the beaches at dawn packed with locals taking their daily dip, farmers in conical hats, their children commuting on water buffalo, the hustle and flow of Saigon cyclo traffic. It takes me back into times past, of colonial rule, war and suffering. It makes me think how far removed I am from my country of origin and the experiences of its citizens. Take my dad. My dad grew up in a small village in the Mekong Delta region. His dad died when he was a young boy. His mom was illiterate. He had 9 brothers and sisters. All the boys, as soon as they were able, either worked or were drafted into the army. Fast forward a few decades and here I am. I was born and raised in the richest country on earth. I never lost a parent, had to endure poverty or got shot at. And now I’m teaching a language foreign to my ancestors.

I guess that’s why I’m reading this book. On one hand, I want to better understand my parents. I want to better understand where they came from, why they gave me shit all my life, were so tough on me, had such high expectations. I remember when I was a teenager my mom would bitch me out for getting a B or the time when I told her I wasn’t going to law school and she cried herself to sleep every night for a week. Many times I thought she was just psycho strict like all the other Asian parents. It wasn’t until after I visited Vietnam, saw how the people live and read about its sad history that I understood my parents better. There are a lot of tense family issues I’ve dealt with growing up that still bother me to this day. Sensitive stuff I don’t want to get into now, but reading this book, the accounts of the father’s life in Vietnam during French and Japanese occupations, it’s like peering into my parents’ memories.

[Chrissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book! So why only four stars? There is one thing I don't like about it - that is that from chapter to chapter you change time periods. The chapters are not chronological. One chapter you are in the time of his youth in the north and then in the next chapter it switches to 30 years later. Now if it were a badly written book, one would scarcely care. However the writing really pulls you in and you NEED to follow the thread of thought in the previous chapter. I got tremendously pissed off, and that is only because it is so well written. I definitely do not like this stupid ploy. What, is it to increase the suspense? Well, the writing does that so very well that you certainly don't need such "techniques". I am telling you, this is very disturbing. So for this reason I give the book only four stars. This is the only thing I do not like about the book! Maybe I am being too brutal. I want a 5 star book to mean something, to be perfect. I am already feeling bad about only giving this book 4 stars.

As stated, the writing pulls the reader in. And you learn. You learn not only the historical facts about French colonialism in Viet Nam, the Japanese occupation during WWII, the growth of communism, the American war and the final take over by the north. You learn of the folly of governments, of the big powers. I will quote the author:

"I knew two things with certainty. First absolute power did indeed, corrupt absolutely, regarless of race or political ideology. Second, I would risk prison and death all over again to escape the Viet Cong's brand of communism."


And above this you learn in depth about the Viet Nam culture and its delightful mix with the French culture. One understands that a Vietnamese can hate the French person coming down the street but still love the French languagen, the litterature, the cafés and baguettes. You can see the French influence on the architecture, town planning. Nothing is back and white. French colonialism both gave and destroyed. Life isn't so simple. You learn of Vietnamese celebrations, bizarre mystical beliefs, beautiful port villages, children's games - hunting for grasshoppers rather than playing marbles. And children's brutal grasshopper battles. Children! You learn so much - even about the beauty of ancient opium apparatuses as well as the horrors of the drug itself. You learn more about Viet Nam than just the so often portrayed jungle guerilla warfare.

And you truly come to understand how families were all split between the different factions. I don't say ideologies because actually the Vietnamese people were less moved by ideologies than by the need to simply survive. The rich and the poor, all had to just get through these years and years of wars. You understand why so many joined the Viet Cong, and at the same time you understand why one would do anything to "escape the Viet Cong's brand of communism". You understand both.

Philosophically I agreed with the author's views. The importance of kindness, even from a stranger. What we will give up for a little kindness from a complete stranger. What is dignity. What is honor, and how the world seems to be ruled by lies. This book offers alot. It probably should be given 5 stars, but I detest such "techniques".

[Jeff Chappell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Pham's first book so much, I had to read this one; it did not disappoint. Having been exposed to much American navel gazing over what the Vietnam War meant, it is fascinating to read the account of someone who experienced it from the Vietnamese side. Someone whose life experience actually covers three of Vietnam's conflicts, the American war being just part of the ongoing saga that overlaps three generations. Someone from North Vietnam who, as a refugee from earlier conflicts, found himself with little choice but to fight on the South Vietnamese side. Someone who didn't wish to fight on either side of what was essentially a civil war once the French withdrew, someone who saw the corruption and hypocrisy in both the North and South Vietnamese regimes.

This memoir (of sorts ... it is actually about the author's father's experiences, but is written from his point of view as if he is actually telling the story) really drills into the heart of the Vietnamese-American conflict, stripping away the larger context of global communism, containment, and the domino theory to look at the motivations of the Vietnamese. In one sense, it is a typical war-time memoir -- our subject wants nothing more than to be left at peace with his wife and family, but is swept into the greater drama, despite his best efforts to avoid it. I suspect that in this sense, all civil wars must be like this, to some degree.

And yet at the same time, it is a perspective on Vietnam and American's involvement in its war that one rarely sees, at least here in the United States. Indeed, American participation in the conflict is seemingly almost incidental, coming when it does, from the view of someone that grew up under French and then Japanese occupation, only to see the Communists come to power in the north as one of the factions vying with the French and Western powers for political control of Vietnam.

My only issue with this book is that it is told in a linear fashion, for the most part, with little context given to the events taking place beyond the narrator's immediate frame of reference. This becomes less of an issue as the book moves along and the narrator/subject becomes an adult. But early on, I found myself having to re-read certain parts and consult outside sources to gain a better historical context. Granted, part of the problem is part of my own ignorance of the history of Vietnam prior to 1968, but I'm guessing this would be a problem for many other Western readers (except, mayhap, the French).

But this drawback is minor at best, and learning about history is always a good thing. Like his previous work, Catfish and Mandala, Eaves of Heaven is very well written -- it boggles my mind that Pham's background is engineering. Taking this into account, his prose is truly exceptional Trust me -- I've edited many an editorial piece in my day written by engineers, and as one would expect, command of the written word is not often one of their strong points (and this is only natural -- not a knock on engineers; I'd be lost in short order if I had to do what they do for a living).

[Histteach24 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book for my Vietnam Era class. It gives the perspective of someone who defected from North to South. It also takes the reader through the important history of Vietnam from WWII to the Fall of Saigon. It can definitely be used as an educational tool. The only issue I had was that since the book moved back and forth between time periods, the reader needed to pay close attention to character names (and there were many) and the time period. Read the chapter titles for help as you can get easily lost. It was also difficult to read the book over time as you needed to remember what time period you last left off. It did give a rich understanding not only of history but also the cutural beliefs and social classes in Vietnam throughout the decades.
It was a unique story since the main character could sympathize both as a northerner and a southerner.
Drives home the point that one minute you are cheering on the Viet Minh-the next you are killing their bi-product before they kill you. A wonderful portrayal of brother pitted against brother in the the civil war they call "The American War".
I would do a little research on Vietnam from WWII-1975, especially politically, in order to better understand what is going on historically before reading the book. The reader will get more out of the storyline by doing so.

[Andrew]

From Andrew X. Pham, whose Catfish and Mandala is the delightful anti-Eat Pray Love of Southeast Asian travelogues, and a story about how when you try to find yourself by cycling around Vietnam, you might get nearly kicked to death. Twice.

Similarly, this is absolute light years beyond the typical "one man's struggle in tough times" type memoirs of the sort frequently assigned to high school students (y'know, the kind that usually start with memories of a charming, intellectual father and end in the Land of the Free), largely because it's more of a weird lyrical essay about the absolute chaos of mid-century Vietnam than anything else. The charming, intellectual father is here, but he smokes hella opium and shacks up with a junkie hooker. Instead of waxing on about how good life was before the communists came, the narrator points out that his family did a wonderful job of providing lowlife French soldiers with a steady supply of booze and pussy. But above all else, it is a love letter to a country, and if you've ever been to Vietnam -- climbed a rocky islet in Ha Long Bay, or sat on a Hanoi side street with a glass of 10 cent bia hoi and a delicious bowl of clams on a beautiful fall evening -- that amplifies the experience by an order of magnitude.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book goes back to about my parents age, from the Vietnam perspective. This book satisfied both my historical and cultural curiosity, and the other side's perspective. Straight history and war facts are boring to me. This was a beautiful story, not a fact after fact description account.

It goes back and forth between the years, so it never allows you to get tired of it. Not dry reading, reads like a good novel. It's a good engaging story. It has characters you care about, and want to know what happens to them. You still come away with history lesson. Knowing more about a country and it's culture. A more personified history. Through this man's family history. You can imagine what it might have been like to be there, just a little more empathetically. Not just the part where we were officially publically involved and was on the news when I was younger, but much farther back. The back story that led up to it. Which my country was also involved in. A thought provoking read and a page turner.

[Ming · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a gripping tale of the author's father. The language and imagery are beautiful or bittersweet. And at times, the writing is utterly poetic and read like a fiction in terms of pacing and rhythm. I learned a lot about about Vietnamese history during the French colonial period, Japanese occupation during WWII and the Vietnam War.

I can't say this story was optimistic--it was bracing certainly. It is about survival and the anguish of a people trying to shake the shackles of colonialism and the aftermath of being a pawn. The author's father is likely portrayed as too faultless and too humble at varying times but that is the rightful privilege of an elder recounting his memories.

I do think that adding how the family left Vietnam would have completed the book in a better way, perhaps in an afterward. Having read Catfish and Mandala, I vaguely recall that the author did write about their leaving Vietnam and also about how he and his father had a distant or fractured relationship (and certainly we see how that was partly intergenerational).

[Kkraemer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a somewhat fictionalized biography of the author's father, a man born to the "manor" and challenged by not 1 but 3 wars that resulted in not only a change of status but a change of country and unimaginable horrors.

First, there were the French, who both propped up the Vietnamese elite and sent raiders into the countryside to ferret out those who might disagree with their colonial rule. The family was, indeed, "elite," and clearly were in the favor of the French, but they were also proud countrymen. Surreptitiously, they supported both sides in order to keep their family together.

Then, there were the Japanese, who came during World War II, looking not for elites but for anything/everything they could use in the war effort: food, people, laborers, etc. Again, a challenge for the family.

After the end of the war, they moved from Hanoi to Saigon and continued their balancing act between the many opposing forces and their own survival. They were pressed into service and later persecuted for having served.

This is a boring and general overview of an absolutely amazing book. Pham is such a good writer, able to paint scenes not only of what happened around his family but what happened inside each person as they struggled to make sense of the world.

One of the best scenes is a political rally, where young men were recruited to interrupted an opposing group's demonstration. Chants were repeated. Yelling occurred. Signs were used as clubs. Stones, shoes, and slugs were launched. For awhile, it was invigorating, and it almost didn't matter that the groups were so mixed up that no one could tell who they were hitting, who was bleeding, who was hitting them.

Then a bomb went off. People died. People ran, and police caught, shot, and attacked the men as they ran.

The description of that single incident, both outside (who was being hit with what) and inside (how it all felt, how exciting/terrifying/sickening it was) sums up Vietnam, I think, through 3 wars.

If you're interested in understanding what happened in Vietnam, this is a book to read. You'll understand so much, and it will live in your soul forever.

[Trevor Kew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, this was great. Nothing I've read about the Vietnam War has ever given me such a sense of what the country was for its own citizens through the turmoils of the 2oth century. The narrator's family is fascinating in and of itself. A book about their lives before the wars would have been interesting enough, but then the wars come and it all becomes desperately, horrifyingly fascinating.

Having been born in the decade following the Vietnam War, what struck me about this book were some of the parallels between this war and the recent war in Iraq. The insurgents in the countryside, the failure of a large military power (the same country, of course...) to "win" a war in a poor third-world country, the fratricidal pain of civil war, the determination of insurgencies and rebels...it was familiar and yet, of course, not.

As the Vietnam War recedes a bit into the historical rearview mirror, it can be tempting to forget the scale and importance of the conflict. It is also too easy to see it only from the American point of view. Even Vietnamese casualties tend to be seen this way...with more focus on "how could the Americans do such terrible things" than on the complex political and personal situations affecting ordinary Vietnamese people.

Highly recommended. Definitely read this book.

[Bookmarks Magazine]

All critics agreed that The Eaves of Heaven, written in short, eloquent vignettes that move back and forth in time, is one of the best memoirs of this period in Vietnam's history written from the Vietnamese point of view. Indeed, it offers a much-needed perspective in the United States, which often thinks of "Vietnam" as a painful episode in its own history rather than another nation's. But some reviewers, impressed by Pham's ability to write in his father's voice without sentimentality, went even further. They called The Eaves of Heaven a classic among memoirs and compared it with classic texts that address the timeless themes of violence and war. The Eaves of Heaven is a book that will greatly appeal to a wide variety of readers.

This is an excerpt from a review published in Bookmarks magazine.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was written so compellingly in the first person that at first I did not realize that Pham was writing about his father's experience rather than his own. The narrative jumps around from childhood to young adulthood to the teenage years and back again and the location of the story also changes frequently, but the date and location are always clearly stated so that the narrative is not confusing. What I did wish for was a map, which my copy of the book didn't have. I found this a very insightful book about a time and a country that I am sadly ignorant about.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hopping between three different times in his father's life and told from his father's perspective, Pham brilliantly tells the life story full of joys and hardships suffered in war-torn Vietnam from the 40s through the 70s. The whole book, I was dying to know more - more about what happened next, more about what happened behind the scenes, but mostly more about the history of the country.

[Kelsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was phenomenal. Recounting the author, Andrew Pham’s, father’s experience as a displaced young man throughout the Vietnamese colonial period through the end of the Vietnam War, this book painted a beautiful and heart wrenching picture of a country entrenched in seemingly never-ending conflict.

The life and voice that Pham gave to his father’s story is impeccable, as I felt that I couldn’t tear my eyes away. I loved how the biography kept shifting between his adult and more modern life and his life as a youth, showing how the lessons that he learned and the events he experienced continued to be entangled throughout time.

I also think that this piece is extremely important for anyone interested in the Vietnam War, as it shows a perspective that is not often shown, especially in American literature and history books. This book showed a North Vietnamese man who came from a noble background, who ultimately fled to the South and was unwillingly conscripted into the ARVN. Thong Van Pham is simply a man who loves his country, but wants to do anything he can to protect his family. He finds himself in Saigon for landmark events such as the Tet Offensive and the city’s fall in 1975. Thong’s experiences brought these events to life in a way that I never had the privilege to read before and I’m so glad that I stumbled upon this book.

5 out of 5 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Sue Flynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be very enlightening, especially with the Ken Burn series on Vietnam currently on PBS. What is interesting in that one gets a different view of what life was like for the people of Vietnam and how difficult it was to exist in a constant changing environment of occupation and war. I would recommend this book to anyone who is becoming more aware of what was happening in the world during this time.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

With this memoir the author uses his father's life to tell his story of growing up in Vietnam and surviving French colonialism, Japanese invasions, and finally the Vietnam wars ( which describe several wrong moves by the Americans/CIA).

Very well done.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finely crafted biography of Thong Van Pham’s life. From the French occupation of Indochina to the end of the Vietnam war.

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 3 out of 5]

GOOD ENOUGH.

[Kathy Mcconkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read before and during a trip to VietNam. Very compelling writing telling the story of the author's family (mostly his dad) as they went through 3 wars: against the French, the Chinese, and the Americans. Excellent way to get a better understanding of what we Americans call the Viet Nam War.

[Deon · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Eaves of Heaven by Andrew X. Pham is heartbreakingly beautiful.   Catfish and Mandala, his memoir of cycling the West Coast of the US and Vietnam proved he could write, but it did not prepare me for this moving portrait of his father’s Vietnam.  The Eaves of Heaven is a haunting story of a lost way of life.  It astonishes me that Pham can write such utterly lovely prose about such terrible times. Thong Van Pham’s family lived for many generations on the same estate, ruling a North Vietnamese rural village.  The family prospered with their holdings encompassing thousands of acres, a mansion, and a second home in Hanoi. It was accepted the eldest son would be a magistrate, ruling fairly on disputes, judging criminal acts, and keeping peace in their district through wisdom and good judgment.   This was their world from generation to generation, the responsibility and wealth passed on to the eldest son. War destroyed it all. The Pham’s flourished during French rule, they lived on rich farm land with many servants, abundant food, and great wealth. WWII brought the country to its knees. Japanese eager to defeat the Chinese overran the land, taking all of the food for their army.  Peasants walked the road falling dead from starvation. Vietnam rejoiced when the Chinese routed the Japanese, believing they would be free to rule themselves. But a deal was cut with the French and an unwilling nation returned to the yoke of French colonial rule.  Resistance was inevitable. The struggle for freedom fell heavily on the people. During the day the French used brutal mercenaries to torture and kill any villager thought to cooperate with the rebels. At night the resistance fighters demanded food and money. Deny either side and death was the reward.  Pham’s family experienced the brutality of the communist freedom fighters, when the French left Vietnam they fled to the south.  Instead of relief, they found more war. America came to the rescue of the ARVN forces trying to route the Viet Cong. In a short generation the culture and lifestyle enjoyed for many generations was eradicated. Thong Van Pham’s life was overshadowed by war. It tore apart his family, destroyed the way of life his ancestor’s had lived for many generations, and left him a refugee. Andrew Pham gives his father’s story life on the pages of this lovely book. This is a very different look at Vietnam. My words of description cannot begin to adequately describe this moving, beautifully written memoir.

[Bree · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fabulous book and I highly recommend it to anybody. It's a biography written in the first person by Andrew Pham of his father's life. It is beautifully written, poignant and sad while also being remarkably instructive in the genesis of the Vietnam War, the rise of the Viet Cong, French colonialism and American incompetence. The book really conveys a sense of just how awful everybody involved in the war was, but also how helpless Vietnamese civilans were in the face of the tides of nationalism, communism, colonialism, etc and how much so many millions of people suffered to simply survive. The subtitle of the book really sums up the tragedy that was Vietnam in the 20th century. The main character and his family do their best to survive first among the French, then between the Communists and the Nationalist, then between the Communists and the French, then between the puppet government of South Vietnam, propped up by the Americans and the Communists and then simply to survive the Communists. All sides demand complete loyalty to their side with no forgiveness or understanding or compassion for civilians who just tried to survive.

[William Graney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been reading a lot about Vietnam lately but this is the first one I've read that covered the periods of the French and Japanese occupations. The last century in this country as been tragic, fascinating and full of the kind of experiences that lead to classic narratives on the struggles of war and the efforts to maintain a culture though decades of foreign control.
The Eaves of Heaven is one of the best books I've ever read and Andrew X. Pham is a very talented writer. I will definitely pick up Catfish and Mandala.
I think if you want an accurate understanding of Vietnam it would be a good idea to read this and Sorrows of War. Most of what I thought about the country, and in particular what went on during America's involvement in the 1960's and 70's, was way off base.

[Wendy Feltham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an incredible story of survival, loyalty, and betrayal over decades in Vietnam. Andrew X. Pham tells the life of his father, a brilliant and gentle teacher who is caught up in the series of wars/resistance against the Japanese, the French, and the Americans, as well as the country's internal massacres. Thong Van Pham's political naiveté and bad luck bring about a shocking series of terrors that helped me make sense of the 20th Century in Vietnam. I enjoyed reading about Thong's almost idyllic childhood growing up wealthy in the countryside, and his description of the towns and cities where he lived in Vietnam, and how his family and the whole country changed over time. I would have changed the structure of this book. Although I often enjoy non-linear stories, in this case I was confused by the order of the chapters, which relate events going back and forth in time. Having a timeline of Vietnamese history beside me would have helped, as well as a map of Vietnam.

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Eaves of Heaven: A Life in Three Wars is a stunning and reflective piece capturing the horror, hope, and beauty of life in Vietnam during the First and Second Indochina Wars (otherwise known as the French War and the American/Vietnam War respectively). Author Andrew X. Pham employs his gift for engaging details and captivating narrative work in the same fashion he established in his brilliantly devised first book, Catfish and Mandala. The Eaves of Heaven uniquely seeks to tell its story from the point of view of Andrew's father, Thong Van Pham, who lived the events first-hand. Though this may be a tricky notion for some since the book is written in the first person, Pham executes his intent with perfection. From the simplicity of childhood afternoons in the country to escaping Saigon during it's fall to the North, this book takes you by the hand through a lifetime you will never forget.

[Chelsea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost gave this a 4 but in the end went with the 3. The book was well written but I think I would have enjoyed it more in chronological order. It was often difficult for me to follow where he was at what time as it flipped flop from his childhood, young adulthood, early marriage and his "later" years. Perhaps if my life was a little less chaotic while I was reading it, it would have been easier for me to follow (looking for a new place and moving). Sadly, my understanding of the Vietnam war is very limited so this book was an eye opener in a lot of ways. Hands down my favorite part of the book is when he finally comes to realize the depth of his fathers love (I believe it was the end of chapter 30--I've returned to book to the library so I'm not positive)--it was one of the most moving scenes I've read.

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the 1940's, 50's, and 70's, this book follows the author's life as the eldest child of a wealthy well-educated land owning family. But instead of inheriting this place of power and honor, the family must flee due to the ongoing war. Very interesting and heart-wrenching. I would have liked it better had the story been chronological instead of the chapters skipping decades/time periods. Not knowing much about Vietnam or the ongoing war, it was hard for me to keep everything straight and at times I got bogged down in history that confused me. But, still, a story well worth reading and it makes me very curious how he could mentally survive. Recommend this plus his first book, Catfish & Mandala.

[Laura K · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Eves of Heaven is an autobiography/memoir of Mr. Pham's life in Vietnam during the French occupation, WWII, and the Vietnam War. The hardships endured by the people in the book made it difficult to read. Several times I had to put it away for a few days, due to the disturbing nature of the events. It was worth reading. I had never really understood the changing political affiliations and various events that took place from the early 1900's through 1975. I admire Mr. Pham and his wife and family greatly for their courage and determination. I did use internet resources while reading the book (such as a timeline of events for the armed conflicts mentioned), in order to help me understand because the chapters of the book alternate back and forth in time as the narrative is told.

[Judi Paradis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful and haunting memoir of the author's father describing his life in Vietnam from his childhood in the north as a privileged member of the elite in the 1940s and 50s to his time in prison following the "American War" in the 1970s. The book switches between time periods and this works well to gradually reveal how life unraveled as the country was passed from the French to the Japanese back to the French and on to the Americans, while the Vietnamese resistance is a constant presence. Description of this beautiful county, family structure and culture, and food! are all woven through beautifully. Highly recommend.

[Lindsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt like this was a very thought provoking book. As I thought about the experiences this boy was having I realized that I am very blessed because I have not experienced war first hand. Throughout my life our country has been engaged in war several times, the most prominant is right now with the Iraq war, but it has never been on home turf. His experiences really struck a cord with me. I couldn't believe some of the experiences he had nor could I understand the fear that he lived with. I am very blessed to live in the US.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eaves of Heaven is a memoir of living through three decades of conflict in Vietnam through the eyes of Andrew Pham's father. Beginning during the Viet Minh's war of independence with the French and ending with the frantic last days of April, 1975, the book chronicles the path of the Van Pham family from their ancestral palaces in North Vietnam to their flight to the south after the Communists take over Hanoi. What makes this book fascinating to read was the combination of sweeping historical events and intimate vivid details of daily life in Vietnam.