Red Clay Ashes: A Novel

by Julie Tulba

"When a woman comes to Vietnam to cover the war, she's called a 'girl reporter.' When a man comes here, he's just called a reporter."

Present-day: Who was Hazel Cerny? That’s the question her daughter Bee asks herself after her mother’s death upon discovering that Hazel was not the long-time recluse Bee had always thought her to be but actually an award-winning Vietnam War journalist. And that Bee’s earliest years were completely different from what she had believed them to be.

1967: Hazel Cerny has always wanted more in life, more than what her small Pennsylvania town and societal norms of 1960s America were willing to offer her. Following her graduation from college, she decides to throw caution to the wind and travels to Vietnam, determined to pursue her journalistic aspirations. Through grit and luck she becomes a war reporter, making her mark in a field predominantly male, breaking down the psychological barriers and mindsets that for too long had said, “you don’t belong here.” From the chaotic streets of Saigon, to the tunnels of Cu Chi, to the Tet Offensive, Hazel covers it all. She becomes the type of journalist most people only dream about becoming. And encounters a love that most people only dream about finding. But with love comes loss and everything else that war often brings.

Genres: Historical Fiction

345 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 1, 2022

About the author

It was series like Dear America, Little House on the Prairie, and American Girl books that instilled in Julie at a young age her lifelong love and fascination with history. And a childhood spent growing up in Philadelphia, colonial America's foremost metropolis, further cemented this love affair.

An ardent bibliophile (she can remember as a teenager carrying around a copy of young adult historical fiction author Ann Rinaldi's gripping Civil War tale, The Last Silk Dress, and reading it between rides at Disney World because she didn't want to wait until she got back to her hotel room to finish it) it came as a surprise to no one when she became a librarian. Julie currently works as an academic librarian in the Pittsburgh area.

Besides history, travel is Julie's other great love in life, especially when there's a food tour (or two) involved; she's taken more than 20 in 13 countries around the world. Nothing brings the past more alive than being, in the words of Lin-Manuel Miranda's Hamilton, right in "The Room Where it Happened."

Julie published her first book, The Tears of Yesteryear, in 2019, followed by The Dead Are Resting in 2021, and Red Clay Ashes in 2022. Her newest book- Last Call, Cairo- comes out this fall. She lives in the Pittsburgh area, passport always at the ready for her next international adventure, but also brainstorming ideas for her next novel.

Reviews

[Debbi Marquette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the 2nd historical fiction book that I read from Julie Tulba. It was a fantastic book. I could not put it down. I was a child when Viet Nam happened but the extent of research into the book is phenomenal. Great book!

[Ruth A Whealdon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Startling!!

This was a book I could not put down. It hit very close to my heart. The facts I lived through here in America. Thanks for the ending. Who would ever think???

[rendezvous_with_reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was born during a war I knew little about until I read this novel of the Vietnam war. In my senior year of high school, I remember asking my teacher when we were going to cover the Vietnam War (and the Korean War) and being disappointed when I was told they weren't part of our syllabus. Interestingly, this author had the same experience despite being almost 20 years younger than me. Vietnam has always been the war or conflict no one wants to talk about because it did not end well.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about this history through the eyes of Hazel Cerny, a young woman determined to become a war journalist after her brother dies in Vietnam. Hazel takes a leap of faith with a big dose of determination and leaves behind her small town life for Saigon. She insinuates herself with the soldiers to get a front line view of what they are up against in fighting the Viet Cong.

Though the bulk of the novel takes place during the war, there are chapters set in modern day with Hazel's daughter Bee. After Hazel's death, Bee finds photos and articles that change everything she thought she knew about her birth and early years. Bee's search for answers uncovers a life her mother never shared with her and a father she never knew.

This is my second novel by this author, and I really appreciate her devotion to historical detail that transports you to another time and place. Hazel is a likeable protagonist and through her I learned so much such as why speaking French was helpful in Vietnam, what was a "short-timer", how tunnels were used, and how Walter Cronkite upended the American perception of the war, and so much more. At the heart of the novel though, is a love story that softens the gritty edges of the war. If you're looking for a novel set in a seldom covered period of history, I highly recommend this one.

[Roberta Stoneback · Rating 5 out of 5]

Red Clay Ashes is a propulsive, plot-driven novel of a female correspondent in Vietnam during the "American War." Hazel Cerny is faced with withering sexism and doubts from all corners about her ability to perform her work in a professional manner. Driven by her own brother's death in combat to pursue the truth about the American military's role in the conflict, she faces each obstacle in her path and pushes on, determined to give her readers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and her hometown of Butler, Pennsylvania (north of Pittsburgh) a clearer picture of the devastating effects of the war on the country and its citizens. Oh, and there is a terrific love story besides.

The book is obviously well researched and provides plenty of examples of the trauma of war. But at heart it is the story of Hazel who finds the love of her life in Vince, a fellow journalist. Their lives, set against the backdrop of a long and brutal war, are the focus of the story. I cared so much for these characters and the numerous supporting ones surrounding them. Some parts are joyous, some are wrenching, but all are compelling.

Red Clay Ashes is recommended for anyone interested in the human condition during a period many today know little about.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Red Clay Ashes incorporated the history and heartbreak of the men and women who served in various capacities during the Vietnam war era. We remember the headlines and the difficulties in hearing the deaths reported each night. Julie Tulsa’s writing reminds us of these dark days. But she also causes us to realize that life continues and moving forward is an important option in the midst of loss and trauma.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read centered on a female journalist who goes to Vietnam

[Tami Tritch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mars friends, highly recommend this book. The main characters live in Butler, PA and went to Pitt. Also, the author calls Pittsburgh, home. Enjoy!

[Thomas Tulba · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three quick disclaimer/points I want to make before beginning this review. One, I am the father of the author. More importantly, two, I am a lifelong devotee and avid reader of historical fiction. Three, I am an avid reader of well done historical fiction. This book is definitely that.
Historical fiction is a tricky genre to do well. The author has to place the reader in a certain time period and make the reader believe they are there, feeling, experiencing the same things the characters are. The author has to do this without burying the reader under a minutiae of dry researched facts. It is a fine line to walk and this book does that.
The research is definitely here in this book. It has superbly constructed the stage upon which this story is told. And what a dramatic story this is. That is the most important part of any work of fiction. Does the author make you care about the characters? Does the author make you want to continue reading, to get to the conclusion to find out what has happened to these characters? "Red Clay Ashes" does. In my mind that is the highest praise for any work of fiction.
In a final note, you will think of the song "White Christmas" in a different way after reading this book. What do I mean by that? Well, you will just have to read "Red Clay Ashes" to find the answer to that question.

[Joyce Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book should be read by everyone, especially, the people of the Vietnam War age! Julie, is able to tell a beautiful, but sad love story, in the throes of Vietnam during the war. Hazel, a young woman of 22, who comes from a small town north of Pittsburgh, PA, called Butler. I came to Butler in my late 30s. All of the things/places, she writes about are 100% true! So that part of the story was a very easy read. When she takes Hazel to Pitt, then to Vietnam, the story even became more interesting. Once Hazel was in Vietnam, her life became so different from the young woman from Butler. Hazel, knew exactly what she wanted to write about, and to make sure these stories were read back in the States. Its too bad, in hindsight, we didn't get to read these stories, and believe them! She met the love of her life there, Vince, who was older, but the minute he saw Hazel, he knew she was his soul mate. Again, tho, the war comes thundering thru their lives, and everything changes. This book, should be on everyone's to read list! Some how, this book needs to be made into a movie, and should be on all the major book lists!

[Kathleen Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book! Julie Tulba has crafted a marvelous tale that takes you to a place you may not have given much thought to before, Viet Nam. It’s the story of a young woman who travels to Viet Nam during the Viet Nam War to cover it as a journalist. What a journey!
And please know, you don’t need an in-depth knowledge of that war. Just keep Google nearby for the times you’ll need it.
Ms. Tulba’s gift for telling a story and her superior writing skills make this reading a pleasure! Great for the beach, on a plane, in your comfy chair…anywhere!
Read this book and you’ll rush to read her first two books!

[Bryan Benedict · Rating 2 out of 5]

Woman reporter goes to Vietnam, falls in love. Loses love. Otherwise a somewhat boring history of the Vietnam War which is better covered elsewhere.

[nicole hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great story...until the end.

Great story, well written...until the end. Vince should have died, period. A great story based on facts ruined by a "fantasy" ending.