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Such a Lovely Little War #1
Such a Lovely Little War: Saigon 1961-63
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 Vietnamese diplomat and his French wife. The book opens in America, where the boy's father works for the South Vietnam 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 Prime Minister 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.
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.
272 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
18 people are currently reading
838 people want to read
About the author
Marcelino Truong
99 books19 followersMarcelino Truong is an illustrator, painter, and author. Born the son of a Vietnamese diplomat in 1957 in the Philippines, he and his family moved to America (where his father worked for the embassy) and then to Vietnam at the outset of the war. He attended the French Lycee in London, then moved to Paris where he earned degrees in law at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, and English literature at the Sorbonne.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 152 reviews
December 21, 2016
I was drafted in 1972, but Nixon did me the favor of ending the draft on the very day I was supposed to head out to basic training, and after several hours of anxious confusion, I was informed I did not have to go, and I never served. I was a campus Vietnam war protestor and (later) draft resistor (it's a long story, but I was granted Conscientious Objector status. I was 15 in 1968 as the war escalated and as long as I can recall I was opposed to it, as much as I understood about it. I have read much about it through fiction (Tim O'Brien has been a regular source) non-fiction, and I've seen all the usual films. But like many Americans, I had not seen or heard much from the Vietnamese perspective. I read translated Vietnamese poetry already in the seventies, but only saw films from the Vietnamese perspective in recent years, and this memoir is one of the few I have read from that perspective.
Troung, now in his late fifties, is French-Vietnamese, a writer and activist, and this is the first volume in a multi-volume series, the second already out in Paris, where he lives: Give Peace a Chance: 1963-1975. The first volume focuses on his family and the move back to Vietnam from Paris with them, when Troung was very young, after his diplomat father had to relocate there, as the war was just beginning to ramp up. He had to do some archival research to focus on what was happening there then, of course. He isn't ideological neutral; he is angry, as I am still, about such issues as the escalation, the Domino Theory, the destruction of one of the most beautiful countries in the world, the continuing devastation of Agent Orange.
See the documentary Hearts and Minds sometime. This film and maybe the Madison, WI-based The War at Home would be good to see as background, linked to Troung's perspective. This is a fascinating and important work for those interested in war history, colonial ideology, but of Vietnam in particular, of course. I think it's in many ways first-rate. I will reread it as I read the next volume, as soon as it is translated.
Troung, now in his late fifties, is French-Vietnamese, a writer and activist, and this is the first volume in a multi-volume series, the second already out in Paris, where he lives: Give Peace a Chance: 1963-1975. The first volume focuses on his family and the move back to Vietnam from Paris with them, when Troung was very young, after his diplomat father had to relocate there, as the war was just beginning to ramp up. He had to do some archival research to focus on what was happening there then, of course. He isn't ideological neutral; he is angry, as I am still, about such issues as the escalation, the Domino Theory, the destruction of one of the most beautiful countries in the world, the continuing devastation of Agent Orange.
See the documentary Hearts and Minds sometime. This film and maybe the Madison, WI-based The War at Home would be good to see as background, linked to Troung's perspective. This is a fascinating and important work for those interested in war history, colonial ideology, but of Vietnam in particular, of course. I think it's in many ways first-rate. I will reread it as I read the next volume, as soon as it is translated.
January 22, 2018
I didn't have even the slightest idea about the history of the Vietnam war. Through this graphic novel of Marceline Truong, I have learnt a lot on what really happened during that time.
As this was written from a Vietnamese perspective and from whom that had relatives who were in the government then, I reckon that the accounts of what happened were quite detailed and fact-based.
As this was written from a Vietnamese perspective and from whom that had relatives who were in the government then, I reckon that the accounts of what happened were quite detailed and fact-based.
September 20, 2017
An upper-class Vietnamese family views the onset of the Vietnam War from a privileged perspective in this frustrating muddle of domestic drama and military history. I wish the author had devoted more time to his parents and been more open about their personal relationships with each other. As it is, his Vietnamese father is practically a cipher and his French mother, who he briefly mentions may have been bipolar, mostly comes off as a hateful shrew. I would have loved to learn how they came together and how they apparently sustained their marriage for decades after leaving Vietnam. Or alternatively, I wish the creator could have dug deeper into the lives before and after the war of the servants and lower class people who came into contact with the family. As it is, tales of him playing juvenile games with his brother in proximity to a war zone mix poorly with a pedestrian history of the political and military maneuvers going on at the time.
September 25, 2022
Fresh and surprisingly beautiful take on the early days (1961-63) of the Vietnam War, as told through the eyes of a young biracial child, (Marcelino Truong is the son of a Vietnamese diplomat and his mentally unstable French wife, who would only much later be diagnosed as bipolar). Returning to Saigon after a brief stint in Washington DC, Troung combines both the increasing sense of looming geopolitical disaster with the wonders of growing up in a vibrant Asian environment, calling to (at least my) mind J.G. Ballard's classic Empire of the Sun.
Unlike so many graphic novels, which are basically "Classics Illustrated" versions of already-famous books (I'm looking at you, The Subtle Knife: The Graphic Novel), Lovely Little War is a perfect blend of image and words, neither of which would have succeeded on their own.
Troung's deceptively simple style is also ideal for this story, with most of the book printed in red/black or blue/black 2-color combinations - although there are a small number of full color illustrations scattered throughout. MOST highly recommended.
Unlike so many graphic novels, which are basically "Classics Illustrated" versions of already-famous books (I'm looking at you, The Subtle Knife: The Graphic Novel), Lovely Little War is a perfect blend of image and words, neither of which would have succeeded on their own.
Troung's deceptively simple style is also ideal for this story, with most of the book printed in red/black or blue/black 2-color combinations - although there are a small number of full color illustrations scattered throughout. MOST highly recommended.
January 27, 2021
An enlightening graphic memoir of Marco and his family of their two years in Saigon from 1961 to 1963. Marco; his brother, Domi; and his sister, Mireille; are the children of a Vietnamese diplomat father, Khānh, and Yvette, their French mother, living the middle-class suburban life in Chevy Chase, Maryland. In June 1961 when his father is transferred home to Saigon, Vietnam, their life drastically changes.
The following will be a spoiler for those who do not know about the initial history of the Vietnam conflict. However, I found it extremely helpful.
It was in these circumstances that Marco and his family arrived in Saigon in July 1961. His father became the interpreter for Diêm. Two years of Marco’s childhood while swimming, playing, and attending school are vividly portrayed against a backdrop of unrest, air raids, chemical warfare, an influx of American civilians and military advisors, his mother’s mental health, and the birth of his sister. Written around 50 years after the events, this book is based on the author’s, his father’s and family’s memories; his mother’s letters to her parents; and his historical investigations. This is well researched and meticulously written. I highly recommend if you want insight from a young child’s remembrance of South Vietnam in the early 1960s.
The following will be a spoiler for those who do not know about the initial history of the Vietnam conflict. However, I found it extremely helpful.
It was in these circumstances that Marco and his family arrived in Saigon in July 1961. His father became the interpreter for Diêm. Two years of Marco’s childhood while swimming, playing, and attending school are vividly portrayed against a backdrop of unrest, air raids, chemical warfare, an influx of American civilians and military advisors, his mother’s mental health, and the birth of his sister. Written around 50 years after the events, this book is based on the author’s, his father’s and family’s memories; his mother’s letters to her parents; and his historical investigations. This is well researched and meticulously written. I highly recommend if you want insight from a young child’s remembrance of South Vietnam in the early 1960s.
November 6, 2016
Fascinating, fascinating book. Truong's father worked as a translator for Prime Minister Diem up until shortly before the coup in 1963 that put the army in charge of South Vietnam. Growing up in the USA during the 70's and 80's, this is a slice of history that I was never exposed to, or at least it was covered so briefly that I never noticed. Between research, his own memories, and questioning his family, Marcelino Truong has put together a compelling portrait of a city and country on the brink of change, moving ever closer to war. Added to the mix is his mother's growing struggle with bipolar disorder, which ultimately leads to his father taking a post in London barely months before a military coup would have rendered such a transfer exponentially more problematic. The personal aspects of the story bring the history to life. I found this book wonderfully engrossing and highly enjoyable. Definitely recommended!
November 22, 2021
Really well done. This was a random find for me, a pop-up in the library catalog when I was trying to find Lovely War to read with Gillie. I thought the art was excellent (the author even includes a photograph of his family at the end, and you realize how well he has captured these people you've been looking at in drawing form for 300 pages), and I've never had such a clear picture of the Vietnam War. Especially from a Vietnamese perspective, rather than an American-heavy take that is all helicopters and jungle footage. I'd say for fans of Maus, but that makes it sound like a ripoff of Maus, which would be unfair--maybe better for anyone looking to learn about Vietnam in an accessible, artistic way.
April 6, 2024
I thought that this was a really well done child’s-eye-view memoir of the early years of the Vietnam war, told through a privileged and one-of-a-kind perspective of the son of a highly ranked diplomat.
Marcel and his siblings merrily jaunt through their childhood, blithely unaware of how fear and militarism is seeping into their play and everyday lives, while the world is going to dingleberries around them, along with their mother’s mental health. She is freaking out, and who can blame her.
Educationally, the book is also a good primer on the twisty genesis of this war that killed so many, and has interesting theories on why it lasted so long.
Well-executed with a light-hearted kid’s voice and memories, with imaginatively inked sketches and washes.
Marcel and his siblings merrily jaunt through their childhood, blithely unaware of how fear and militarism is seeping into their play and everyday lives, while the world is going to dingleberries around them, along with their mother’s mental health. She is freaking out, and who can blame her.
Educationally, the book is also a good primer on the twisty genesis of this war that killed so many, and has interesting theories on why it lasted so long.
Well-executed with a light-hearted kid’s voice and memories, with imaginatively inked sketches and washes.
November 21, 2016
Interesting read from an era of the Vietnam War that isn't covered as often. Truong mixes history and memoir quite seemlessly. I especially liked learning more about the militant women (this lovely cover is hidden beneath the jacket!) and Madame Nhu--I added Finding the Dragon Lady to my TBR years ago and now have renewed interest in reading it!
ReadHarder: Southeast Asian author
ReadHarder: Southeast Asian author
August 15, 2022
A child's eye view of the beginning of one of the defining wars of the last century. Really interesting to see the south Vietnamese perspective on the war as well as the ensuing history to the present day.
Also it's wild that the apartment which he lived in as a kid is now a popular tourist attraction in Central Saigon. I think I may have eaten a donut while literally sitting in his living room.
Also it's wild that the apartment which he lived in as a kid is now a popular tourist attraction in Central Saigon. I think I may have eaten a donut while literally sitting in his living room.
October 30, 2021
BD instructive, explications simples et concises des rouages de la guerre du Vietnam. À lire.
February 18, 2014
An excellent reading experience. I really enjoyed and admired the manner in which Marcelino Truong strove for an authorial perspective that delicately balanced both form and content throughout the book.
What I found particularly impressive is the level of fairness and distance he achieves in laying out the political and historical contexts that shaped the Vietnam that he was able to experience in 1961-1963. In this respect, I quite liked how he jumps back and forth in Time during certain moments in the book to depict conversations that he shared with his father about the events of their past. Also, the incorporation of excerpts of his mother's letters to her parents at the time, as well as his own childhood drawings from that era, really underline the personal experiences that are being recounted from a critical yet empathetic vantage point.
The artwork is quite beautiful in its quasi-ligne claire brush strokes, and there are moments where the illustrations, especially the beautiful double-page colour spreads, reminded me of the comics work of Jacques de Loustal. The calligraphy is also quite attractive and helps to appreciate the decision to have characters speak their native tongues with translations in the footnotes. Very nice to see so much of the Vietnamese alphabet in this book.
Une Si Jolie Petite Guerre works wonderfully as an autobiography that walks a fine tightrope deftly weaving childhood nostalgia, family memory, ex-pat travel experiences of the everyday, and political and historical reportage. Of course, what touches me the most is that it is also the story of a son coming to terms with his parents as adults in a relationship that endured the stresses and vicissitudes of History.
What I found particularly impressive is the level of fairness and distance he achieves in laying out the political and historical contexts that shaped the Vietnam that he was able to experience in 1961-1963. In this respect, I quite liked how he jumps back and forth in Time during certain moments in the book to depict conversations that he shared with his father about the events of their past. Also, the incorporation of excerpts of his mother's letters to her parents at the time, as well as his own childhood drawings from that era, really underline the personal experiences that are being recounted from a critical yet empathetic vantage point.
The artwork is quite beautiful in its quasi-ligne claire brush strokes, and there are moments where the illustrations, especially the beautiful double-page colour spreads, reminded me of the comics work of Jacques de Loustal. The calligraphy is also quite attractive and helps to appreciate the decision to have characters speak their native tongues with translations in the footnotes. Very nice to see so much of the Vietnamese alphabet in this book.
Une Si Jolie Petite Guerre works wonderfully as an autobiography that walks a fine tightrope deftly weaving childhood nostalgia, family memory, ex-pat travel experiences of the everyday, and political and historical reportage. Of course, what touches me the most is that it is also the story of a son coming to terms with his parents as adults in a relationship that endured the stresses and vicissitudes of History.
May 6, 2018
A beautifully illustrated graphic memoir of a young French-Vietnamese boy living in Vietnam with his family during the 1960s.
Marcelino Truong’s father worked as a translator for Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem in the 1960s. The family moves from the US, where they had been living for the past three years, to Vietnam. I’m not sure how old the three kids are but they look between the ages of 6 to 12. Their mother is French and their father Vietnamese.
It’s fascinating seeing the Vietnam war through the eyes of this young boy, upper-class, who lives in a nice apartment with servants to help his mother do housework and drive them around
And more unusual for that time, whether in Vietnam or the US, a biracial family.
I may be from Southeast Asia (Singapore), but we never learnt anything much about the Vietnam War in school. I’ve since then read some books about it but I’ve learnt from this graphic memoir too, especially about Madame Nhu, the de facto First Lady at the time (the Prime Minister was a lifelong bachelor and she was his sister-in-law). She pushed for “morality laws” like banning divorce, abortions, dance halls, boxing matches.
Truong has a beautiful illustration style. The images look a little like woodcuts.
He occasionally includes drawings from his childhood, letters from his mother to his grandparents in France.
Originally posted at https://reallifereading.com/2018/05/0...
Marcelino Truong’s father worked as a translator for Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem in the 1960s. The family moves from the US, where they had been living for the past three years, to Vietnam. I’m not sure how old the three kids are but they look between the ages of 6 to 12. Their mother is French and their father Vietnamese.
It’s fascinating seeing the Vietnam war through the eyes of this young boy, upper-class, who lives in a nice apartment with servants to help his mother do housework and drive them around
And more unusual for that time, whether in Vietnam or the US, a biracial family.
I may be from Southeast Asia (Singapore), but we never learnt anything much about the Vietnam War in school. I’ve since then read some books about it but I’ve learnt from this graphic memoir too, especially about Madame Nhu, the de facto First Lady at the time (the Prime Minister was a lifelong bachelor and she was his sister-in-law). She pushed for “morality laws” like banning divorce, abortions, dance halls, boxing matches.
Truong has a beautiful illustration style. The images look a little like woodcuts.
He occasionally includes drawings from his childhood, letters from his mother to his grandparents in France.
Originally posted at https://reallifereading.com/2018/05/0...
November 23, 2018
Fascinating for the perspective. Truong's mother was French and his father a Vietnamese diplomat who was posted to Saigon near the beginning of the Vietnam War. As such, Truong's perspective is one that I haven't heard much of in terms of the war: Vietnamese, but removed from the action of the war by both privilege and age.
Age is something of a disadvantage terms of the retelling, because Truong was so young at the time that much of the context was beyond him at the time and has clearly been filled in by much later research. This isn't a problem in and of itself (The Best We Could Do also relies heavily on research, and I loved how that was done), but in this case it slowed down the story quite a bit for me—more of a disconnect between Truong's family's story and the broader political story. Still really interesting but less compelling a read than I'd hoped.
Age is something of a disadvantage terms of the retelling, because Truong was so young at the time that much of the context was beyond him at the time and has clearly been filled in by much later research. This isn't a problem in and of itself (The Best We Could Do also relies heavily on research, and I loved how that was done), but in this case it slowed down the story quite a bit for me—more of a disconnect between Truong's family's story and the broader political story. Still really interesting but less compelling a read than I'd hoped.
November 7, 2023
A very interesting read. The narrative was well-done and the various languages and fonts didn't bother me like they did for some of the other reviewers here. I enjoyed seeing the Vietnamese language paired with the translations, since I lived in Vietnam for a short time myself. A lot of the details rang true to me. I will say the historical and political interpretations found here are vastly different from, say, the ones at the War Museum in Ho Chi Min City. I think it would be fascinating to read this (privileged, biracial) perspective of the son of a diplomat along with that of a Vietnamese person in Vietnam who at the time had a different perspective and class experience. I suspect the truth may be somewhere in between.
June 15, 2019
I love stories of major historical events from people who lived through them. This book powerfully recounts his personal and family story as the events of the Vietnam War on fold. The author and his family are both an outsiders and insiders, which offers an insightful viewpoint to look at this important history.
The book is a hybrid graphic novel as there are a lot of written passages with illustrations more so than just consistent graphic, linear storytelling. I found this was an effective way to relate information about important historical events rather than glaze over them.
Overall, an engaging family story with a backdrop of historical events of global consequence.
The book is a hybrid graphic novel as there are a lot of written passages with illustrations more so than just consistent graphic, linear storytelling. I found this was an effective way to relate information about important historical events rather than glaze over them.
Overall, an engaging family story with a backdrop of historical events of global consequence.
July 26, 2019
Quyển hồi ký dưới dạng truyện tranh kể về cuộc sống thường ngày của ông Trương (bé Marco) và gia đình tại Sài Gòn trong những năm 1961-1963. Ba của ông Trương là thông dịch viên của Tổng thống Ngô Đình Diệm, còn mẹ là người Pháp ở nhà làm nội trợ và bị mắc bệnh trầm cảm rối loạn thần kinh. Bên cạnh việc ghi lại những hoạt động thường ngày của gia đình dựa trên những bức thư của mẹ mình gửi cho ông bà ngoại ở Pháp, quyển sách còn phản ánh một phần đời sống của dân Sài Gòn những năm 60s và chính sách của VNCH lúc bấy giờ.
January 3, 2015
For most Americans, the Vietnam war means the late 60s/early 70s, so it was interesting to see this period. The mother's deterioration along with the escalation of tensions was heartbreaking.
August 25, 2018
This is the first person biographical account of the eldest son of a French mother and the south Vietnamese ambassador to France, primarily covering the family’s life in wartime Saigon.
It provides a casual easy to grasp coming of age story set in a country that now only exists in memory. It's also a useful if not essential view point of the "other" Vietnam that like the United States, France and China, lost the Vietnam war. It provides excellent insights to the Deim regime but also gives some crucial details about how exactly events happened. The author's father was in a particularly good position to understand some events that have not been accurately portrayed. While this book pulls no punches in his story, neither does it dwell on the utter sheer folly and tragedy of the time. There are enough light moments that make this a accurate realistic account of the Vietnam war that won't suck all the joy out of your life..
Very much not the comic book style of storytelling and a decent read as well.
It provides a casual easy to grasp coming of age story set in a country that now only exists in memory. It's also a useful if not essential view point of the "other" Vietnam that like the United States, France and China, lost the Vietnam war. It provides excellent insights to the Deim regime but also gives some crucial details about how exactly events happened. The author's father was in a particularly good position to understand some events that have not been accurately portrayed. While this book pulls no punches in his story, neither does it dwell on the utter sheer folly and tragedy of the time. There are enough light moments that make this a accurate realistic account of the Vietnam war that won't suck all the joy out of your life..
Very much not the comic book style of storytelling and a decent read as well.
October 9, 2022
had to read this for a history assignment.
i enjoyed the bits about their personal lives as opposed to the actual historical parts. everyone always talks about the war itself and all the politics behind it but no one really delves into the daily lives of citizens.
also i think their mom is a bitch. yes i understand that she was like going through it or whatever, but the way she treated vietnamese culture and how she had a demeaning attitude was embarrassing. also, she was privileged enough to experience the war in a protected apartment building (which now modern day serves as a cool area for boutiques, cafes, and bars. one of my fav bars is in there).
honestly kinda annoyed at the mom and how the kids were so privileged as to be able to just up and leave vietnam when shit really hit the fan but i understand it’s none of the kids faults. also not their fault their dads a diplomat and they were able to get special privileges like that, but the mom just really pissed me off.
i enjoyed the bits about their personal lives as opposed to the actual historical parts. everyone always talks about the war itself and all the politics behind it but no one really delves into the daily lives of citizens.
also i think their mom is a bitch. yes i understand that she was like going through it or whatever, but the way she treated vietnamese culture and how she had a demeaning attitude was embarrassing. also, she was privileged enough to experience the war in a protected apartment building (which now modern day serves as a cool area for boutiques, cafes, and bars. one of my fav bars is in there).
honestly kinda annoyed at the mom and how the kids were so privileged as to be able to just up and leave vietnam when shit really hit the fan but i understand it’s none of the kids faults. also not their fault their dads a diplomat and they were able to get special privileges like that, but the mom just really pissed me off.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 1, 2018
It took me a while to get into this book, but when I did I found it an interesting snapshot of a few years in the early days of the Vietnam War as told by a young Vietnamese boy whose father worked directly for Ngo Dinh Diem. These were days of which I have some recollection, but I was a child at the time, so the book gave me a deeper understanding.
October 19, 2025
beautiful artwork and an incredible premise. interesting look into a part of the war that I had very little exposure too - of the Diem loyalists in Saigon. a bit of a struggle to weave his mother's life into it.
August 20, 2025
Read around the world challenge: Vietnam
A really interesting book about a well known war from both an adult and child perspective.
A really interesting book about a well known war from both an adult and child perspective.
February 10, 2022
I had a hard time getting into this book. Between the multiple fonts, footnotes, jumbled word bubbles, and small print, this just wasn't a book that was easy to physically read. I also wish Truong had chosen a lane. This book is a mix of history and memoir, and I feel like both elements get in each others way. There just wasn't much connection between the cultural context from Truong's memories and the larger Historical context. Neither is flushed out fully, and mixed as they are, the pacing of the narrative suffers greatly. The cultural context often seems superfluous when in the same panel as the historical context. Meanwhile, the historical context got in the way of my forming any real connection with Truang's experiences. A decent graphic non-fiction book but not the strongest graphic memoir ever written.
September 11, 2018
Very much liked the artwork with bold lines. I especially liked the designs of the siblings. The translation is a little wonky. Some sentence start in disorienting places. This is like a diary or dispatches with some additional research done in the present day. There isn’t much of a through line other than war time is a hard place to raise your kids.
Propaganda is a theme. Children’s war games abound as a theme. Interesting horse shoe crab death that makes the violence and chaos seem more real for the main character.
What I learned: the napalm girl lives in Canada now. Communists did stir up the Buddhist protests. There was an air attack on the president’s palace and the pilots were treated lightly because everyone knew everyone in Saigon.
Propaganda is a theme. Children’s war games abound as a theme. Interesting horse shoe crab death that makes the violence and chaos seem more real for the main character.
What I learned: the napalm girl lives in Canada now. Communists did stir up the Buddhist protests. There was an air attack on the president’s palace and the pilots were treated lightly because everyone knew everyone in Saigon.
October 17, 2017
After seeing Burns's documentary, it was fascinating to be able to read a personal story like this and have a broader context for it than before. I hadn't realized that, relatively speaking Saigon survived relatively unscathed in the early years of the US involvement in the war. Looking forward to reading part 2!
January 28, 2017
I picked up this graphic novel at random at a bookstore because I've recently been more interested in the Vietnam War and where my family came from. It was poignant, funny, and at times heartbreaking.
July 25, 2021
I liked it, maybe almost 4 stars. But it didn't draw me in as deeply as it "should have" - as other memoirs have and usually do. But I did like it. I learned some history and a bit of culture, and I was entertained.
January 14, 2022
As I walked through the library Marcelino Truong’s graphic novel Such A Lovely Little War: Saigon 1961-1963, struck my interest. What an excellent title, I had to pick it up. Not to well versed in the media of graphic I wasn’t sure what to expect. Truoung’s recounts his childhood experience of moving from Washington D.C. to Saigon with his Vietnamese diplomat father, French mother, brother and sister. They arrive in Vietnam as the conflict between communist North Vietnam and Republican South Vietnam begins to heighten.
Truong explores several themes through recollection of his childhood. While in D.C. he deals with overt racism facing Asian Americans, with his neighborhood kids relegating him to play as Chinese or Korean communists. Even with the racism; the suburban life of D.C. provided the Truong family with some stability compared turbulent city of Saigon. The children struggled to adapt to the culture of their father, with little knowledge of the language and culture of Vietnam, but with their childish wonder they soldiered on. It is their mother who struggles the most, fearing for her families safety as war rages in the countryside, occasionally making its present felt in the city. The stress launches her into a manic depressive state, with her demanding her children violently clean the apartment some days, and other days she is unable to get out of bed.
Such A Lovely Little War, recounts some of the key events of the Vietnam war that I was not aware of. The Truong family has a front seat view to some with the father being the translator for the President. Such dramatic things as an attempted assassination of the President, a movie theater bombing and the self immolation of a Buddhist Priest. Troung also highlights some of the early skirmishes and battles between the Viet Cong and the U.S. backed Republican troops. The carnage on the army and civilians is illustrated in vivid detail.
Overall Such A Lovely Little War was a riveting read. I really enjoyed looking at Truong’s stylized illustrations, depicting the crowded streets of Saigon. The tale of this family witnessing the turbulence of the beginning days of the Vietnam war was compelling. I certainly felt for the fearing mother. The historical references as made for an informative read. However I found the media of the graphic novel chaotic, often finding myself confused on where the translations of Vietnamese dialog were. Also Troung would divert to some seemingly unrelated event, damaging the cohesion of the story. With those minor faults I still would recommend Such A Lovely Little War.
Truong explores several themes through recollection of his childhood. While in D.C. he deals with overt racism facing Asian Americans, with his neighborhood kids relegating him to play as Chinese or Korean communists. Even with the racism; the suburban life of D.C. provided the Truong family with some stability compared turbulent city of Saigon. The children struggled to adapt to the culture of their father, with little knowledge of the language and culture of Vietnam, but with their childish wonder they soldiered on. It is their mother who struggles the most, fearing for her families safety as war rages in the countryside, occasionally making its present felt in the city. The stress launches her into a manic depressive state, with her demanding her children violently clean the apartment some days, and other days she is unable to get out of bed.
Such A Lovely Little War, recounts some of the key events of the Vietnam war that I was not aware of. The Truong family has a front seat view to some with the father being the translator for the President. Such dramatic things as an attempted assassination of the President, a movie theater bombing and the self immolation of a Buddhist Priest. Troung also highlights some of the early skirmishes and battles between the Viet Cong and the U.S. backed Republican troops. The carnage on the army and civilians is illustrated in vivid detail.
Overall Such A Lovely Little War was a riveting read. I really enjoyed looking at Truong’s stylized illustrations, depicting the crowded streets of Saigon. The tale of this family witnessing the turbulence of the beginning days of the Vietnam war was compelling. I certainly felt for the fearing mother. The historical references as made for an informative read. However I found the media of the graphic novel chaotic, often finding myself confused on where the translations of Vietnamese dialog were. Also Troung would divert to some seemingly unrelated event, damaging the cohesion of the story. With those minor faults I still would recommend Such A Lovely Little War.
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