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Dragon House
From the critically acclaimed author of Beneath a Marble Sky and Beside a Burning Sea—the new novel from “a master storyteller,”* set in contemporary Asia.
From John Shors comes an unforgettable story of redemption set in modern-day Vietnam.
Dragon House tells the tale of Iris and Noah—two Americans who, as a way of healing their own painful pasts, open a center to house and educate Vietnamese street children. In the slums of a city that has known little but war for generations, Iris and Noah befriend children who dream of nothing more than of going to school, having a home, and being loved. Learning from the poorest of the poor, the most silent of the unheard, Iris and Noah find themselves reborn. Resounding with powerful themes of suffering, sacrifice, friendship, and love, Dragon House brings together East and West, war and peace, and celebrates the resilience of the human spirit.
From John Shors comes an unforgettable story of redemption set in modern-day Vietnam.
Dragon House tells the tale of Iris and Noah—two Americans who, as a way of healing their own painful pasts, open a center to house and educate Vietnamese street children. In the slums of a city that has known little but war for generations, Iris and Noah befriend children who dream of nothing more than of going to school, having a home, and being loved. Learning from the poorest of the poor, the most silent of the unheard, Iris and Noah find themselves reborn. Resounding with powerful themes of suffering, sacrifice, friendship, and love, Dragon House brings together East and West, war and peace, and celebrates the resilience of the human spirit.
354 pages, Paperback
First published August 28, 2009
24 people are currently reading
1016 people want to read
About the author
John Shors
15 books646 followersHi, everyone. I hope this message finds people well.
I'm the bestselling author of The Demon Seekers trilogy, My Midnight Sun, Unbound, Beneath a Marble Sky, Temple of a Thousand Faces, Cross Currents, Beside a Burning Sea, Dragon House, and The Wishing Trees. My novels have won multiple awards and have been translated into twenty six languages. I have also spoken (via speakerphone) with more than 3,000 book clubs around the world.
For more information on my work, please visit www.johnshors.com or friend me on Facebook or Instagram.
Thank you for your support!
- John
I'm the bestselling author of The Demon Seekers trilogy, My Midnight Sun, Unbound, Beneath a Marble Sky, Temple of a Thousand Faces, Cross Currents, Beside a Burning Sea, Dragon House, and The Wishing Trees. My novels have won multiple awards and have been translated into twenty six languages. I have also spoken (via speakerphone) with more than 3,000 book clubs around the world.
For more information on my work, please visit www.johnshors.com or friend me on Facebook or Instagram.
Thank you for your support!
- John
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 205 reviews
August 30, 2009
How do I write a review about a book that tugged, actually, YANKED at my heart strings as much as this book did and give it the credit that is due? I am not sure but I will do my best.
The children of the streets of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon, Vietnam) are the heart and soul of "Dragon House". Tam, a child who is dying from Leukiemia, and her grandmother Qui beg on the streets just so Tam can have medicine to ease her pain. Mai and Minh held under the "protection" of Loc, an Opium addicted, cruel man.. or I would rather refer to him as a pimp, he may not sell the children's bodies for sex but he pimps them to sell their goods. Minh doesn't speak since Loc beat him for saying the wrong thing and Minh only has one hand. He plays foreigners in games of Connect 4 for money. Mai who is his voice sells fans but mostly helps Minh obtain players.
The key adult players are Iris, whose father an American veteran of the Vietnam war who wasn't around to raise her as he was battling the internal scars from the Vietnam war. When her father died, he left her the center he was building in Vietnam for street children. Noah, a childhood friend of hers who lost the lower portion of his leg in Iraq and who is battling his own scars, joins her at his mother's begging. Thien, Iris' father's assistant, a beautiful Vietnamese woman inside and out, finds beauty in each and everything she can. Then there's Sahn. He is also a survivor of the Vietnam war and has a disdain towards Americans after losing his entire family in the war but as a Police office with failing sight, he was to save the future of Vietnam.
Every single one of these people save each other in more ways then one. They find their futures, their souls, their lives, hope, family and love.
John Shors paints a vivid picture of survival, anger, cruelty, beauty and redemption throughout this entire book. He brings to life the trauma that the children who have to live and survive on the streets of Vietnam. Many of which never get another life off of the streets. Post war Vietnam is not a pretty place, don't ever expect it to be. There are horrific injuries sustained to victims of Agent Orange, street girls become prostitutes, opium addiction, and the same. There are many organizations out there trying to do what they can for the Vietnamese children, one of which is Blue Dragon Children's Children Foundation. (Here's the website: http://www.bdcf.org/)
The children of the streets of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon, Vietnam) are the heart and soul of "Dragon House". Tam, a child who is dying from Leukiemia, and her grandmother Qui beg on the streets just so Tam can have medicine to ease her pain. Mai and Minh held under the "protection" of Loc, an Opium addicted, cruel man.. or I would rather refer to him as a pimp, he may not sell the children's bodies for sex but he pimps them to sell their goods. Minh doesn't speak since Loc beat him for saying the wrong thing and Minh only has one hand. He plays foreigners in games of Connect 4 for money. Mai who is his voice sells fans but mostly helps Minh obtain players.
The key adult players are Iris, whose father an American veteran of the Vietnam war who wasn't around to raise her as he was battling the internal scars from the Vietnam war. When her father died, he left her the center he was building in Vietnam for street children. Noah, a childhood friend of hers who lost the lower portion of his leg in Iraq and who is battling his own scars, joins her at his mother's begging. Thien, Iris' father's assistant, a beautiful Vietnamese woman inside and out, finds beauty in each and everything she can. Then there's Sahn. He is also a survivor of the Vietnam war and has a disdain towards Americans after losing his entire family in the war but as a Police office with failing sight, he was to save the future of Vietnam.
Every single one of these people save each other in more ways then one. They find their futures, their souls, their lives, hope, family and love.
John Shors paints a vivid picture of survival, anger, cruelty, beauty and redemption throughout this entire book. He brings to life the trauma that the children who have to live and survive on the streets of Vietnam. Many of which never get another life off of the streets. Post war Vietnam is not a pretty place, don't ever expect it to be. There are horrific injuries sustained to victims of Agent Orange, street girls become prostitutes, opium addiction, and the same. There are many organizations out there trying to do what they can for the Vietnamese children, one of which is Blue Dragon Children's Children Foundation. (Here's the website: http://www.bdcf.org/)
September 2, 2009
Another John Shors Triumph!
John Shors continues to establish his reputation as one of this decade's more important writers, an author who understands the art of blending artistic prose with an always surprising depth of knowledge of the cultures he chooses to explore in his fascinating novels - from India in his debut BENEATH A MARBLE SKY, to war time South Pacific in BESIDE A BURNING SEA, and now to Vietnam in this absorbing novel DRAGON HOUSE. There are passages in his works that suggest the gifts of W. Somerset Maugham, Joseph Conrad, Eugene Burdick and William Lederer ('The Ugly American'), and Evelyn Waugh, and yet he maintains his own literary style, mixing observations of physical circumstances with the manner in which the world as he finds it interfaces with his well-sculpted characters.
Shors creates characters about whom we care - Iris Rhodes, a devoted daughter of a Vietnam Vet who grants her dying father's wish to create a haven for the brutally neglected street children in the country where his life and conscience changed in the Vietnam War, and Noah Woods, a severely disabled Iraqi War Vet consumed with anger and guilt who joins Iris in moving to Ho Chi Minh City (ne Saigon) in an attempt to salvage his life. Once the two arrive in Ho Chi Minh City they discover the difficulties that surround their proposed project and it is only though the growing friendship with the people of the city that they are able to make a dent in the struggle for life that surrounds them. Very slowly but with solid technique Shors introduces the various Vietnamese children who will benefit from the project. In taking his time to completely cast his novel he offers in depth details about both pre-war and post-war Vietnam - the customs, the atmosphere, the foods, the smells, the dreams, both tenuous and crushed, that have been with the people of Vietnam since the devastation of the most unpopular war in history. It all works well as Shors accompanies quietly on a journey that makes a solid statement about how each of us can heal from past injuries.
This is a novel that stands well on its own merits, a strong contender for prizes and a position on the bestseller list. But it does more. For those of us who coped with the war in Vietnam firsthand, this book offers fresh insights as we now look back on that time. Shors gives us a solid example of how Vietnam Vets can find succor and growth from an experience that paralyzed many young minds. For that Shors deserves our thanks. But even beyond that, DRAGON HOUSE restores our faith that superb storytelling with the technique of a polished literary mind is still alive and well!
Grady Harp
John Shors continues to establish his reputation as one of this decade's more important writers, an author who understands the art of blending artistic prose with an always surprising depth of knowledge of the cultures he chooses to explore in his fascinating novels - from India in his debut BENEATH A MARBLE SKY, to war time South Pacific in BESIDE A BURNING SEA, and now to Vietnam in this absorbing novel DRAGON HOUSE. There are passages in his works that suggest the gifts of W. Somerset Maugham, Joseph Conrad, Eugene Burdick and William Lederer ('The Ugly American'), and Evelyn Waugh, and yet he maintains his own literary style, mixing observations of physical circumstances with the manner in which the world as he finds it interfaces with his well-sculpted characters.
Shors creates characters about whom we care - Iris Rhodes, a devoted daughter of a Vietnam Vet who grants her dying father's wish to create a haven for the brutally neglected street children in the country where his life and conscience changed in the Vietnam War, and Noah Woods, a severely disabled Iraqi War Vet consumed with anger and guilt who joins Iris in moving to Ho Chi Minh City (ne Saigon) in an attempt to salvage his life. Once the two arrive in Ho Chi Minh City they discover the difficulties that surround their proposed project and it is only though the growing friendship with the people of the city that they are able to make a dent in the struggle for life that surrounds them. Very slowly but with solid technique Shors introduces the various Vietnamese children who will benefit from the project. In taking his time to completely cast his novel he offers in depth details about both pre-war and post-war Vietnam - the customs, the atmosphere, the foods, the smells, the dreams, both tenuous and crushed, that have been with the people of Vietnam since the devastation of the most unpopular war in history. It all works well as Shors accompanies quietly on a journey that makes a solid statement about how each of us can heal from past injuries.
This is a novel that stands well on its own merits, a strong contender for prizes and a position on the bestseller list. But it does more. For those of us who coped with the war in Vietnam firsthand, this book offers fresh insights as we now look back on that time. Shors gives us a solid example of how Vietnam Vets can find succor and growth from an experience that paralyzed many young minds. For that Shors deserves our thanks. But even beyond that, DRAGON HOUSE restores our faith that superb storytelling with the technique of a polished literary mind is still alive and well!
Grady Harp
August 20, 2009
Iris, a successful Chicago writer, feels abandoned by the father who was absent for much of her childhood. When he dies, her decision to go find out what he found so compelling about a project in Vietnam changes not only her life, but the lives of many others. She's accompanied by Noah, a veteran whose body and soul were terribly injured in Iraq and who sees no way out of his pain. In Vietnam, we discover street children Mai and Minh, abused by their opium-addicted "protector"; gentle Qui and her granddaughter Tam, whose lives of quiet sorrow are further shadowed by Tam's untreatable leukemia; Sahn, the police officer who once fought against Americans and remains suspicious of their presence in his country; and Thien, a cheerful, hardworking woman who misses her family but finds joy in singing and acknowledging her blessings. As they come together to overcome the obstacles of violence, poverty, and exploitation, a synchronicity of spirit emerges that can heal not only them, but perhaps all of Vietnam's new generation--and perhaps even reach around the world to heal many more.
I hope this beautiful, poignant story of redemption is widely read. Its vivid characters almost all grow during the course of the narrative, illustrating the power of love and service to remake the world's ugliness into something new. Every once in a while, the work turns just a little preachy as the dialogue makes explicit the themes that should instead simply emerge from the story--but that's about the only criticism I can imagine of Shors' writing. I'm enriched by the time spent imagining the world he brings to life, and encourage others to pick it up as well ... if only to be reminded that love and altruism can drive away even the world's ugliest shadows.
I hope this beautiful, poignant story of redemption is widely read. Its vivid characters almost all grow during the course of the narrative, illustrating the power of love and service to remake the world's ugliness into something new. Every once in a while, the work turns just a little preachy as the dialogue makes explicit the themes that should instead simply emerge from the story--but that's about the only criticism I can imagine of Shors' writing. I'm enriched by the time spent imagining the world he brings to life, and encourage others to pick it up as well ... if only to be reminded that love and altruism can drive away even the world's ugliest shadows.
September 9, 2009
When I first got this book I have to be honest I did not think it was going to be my kind of read. It is something I don't usually read. Wow was I wrong! I loved this book!
It has a slow buildup at the beginning but once it gets going it sucks you right in. I read it in 3 sittings with the majority of it in one sitting. I finished up the last 40 pages this morning and would've finished last night but I couldn't hold my eyes open any longer. In fact I think a nap is calling my name today. It was that good.
The characters are well thought and and written down that I could practically visualize what they look like. Iris, trying so hard to complete her dad's dream of building a center for street children in Vietnam. Noah a returning Iraq war vet fighting off some terrible demons. Thien the sweet, full of life worker at the center. Then you have the street children and other Vietnamese people. Qui and her terminally ill grand daughter Tam who just breaks your heart. Mai and Minh two young street children so tough and full of life. Loc the thug who controls them. Sahn the cop who surprises you with his love for the children of Vietnam.
The story pulled me in, broke my heart, made me cry and lifted me up all rolled into one. I can't say enough about this book. If you are on the fence go get it. It's really worth it.
It has a slow buildup at the beginning but once it gets going it sucks you right in. I read it in 3 sittings with the majority of it in one sitting. I finished up the last 40 pages this morning and would've finished last night but I couldn't hold my eyes open any longer. In fact I think a nap is calling my name today. It was that good.
The characters are well thought and and written down that I could practically visualize what they look like. Iris, trying so hard to complete her dad's dream of building a center for street children in Vietnam. Noah a returning Iraq war vet fighting off some terrible demons. Thien the sweet, full of life worker at the center. Then you have the street children and other Vietnamese people. Qui and her terminally ill grand daughter Tam who just breaks your heart. Mai and Minh two young street children so tough and full of life. Loc the thug who controls them. Sahn the cop who surprises you with his love for the children of Vietnam.
The story pulled me in, broke my heart, made me cry and lifted me up all rolled into one. I can't say enough about this book. If you are on the fence go get it. It's really worth it.
July 29, 2009
Iris Rhodes has a neat and ordered life in Chicago, but her father's death changes all of that. Her Dad was a Vietnam veteran who was so tormented by the atrocities he had seen and participated in during the war that he was often absent from Iris' life when she was growing up. His demons caused a rift in their relationship that they tried hard to mend. And he was healing himself, in a way, by working on his project. He wanted to open a center for street children in Vietnam, to help in whatever way he could to heal the country that he had fought in.
Unfortunately, he dies before he can get the center up and running. Iris promises him that she will go and finish what he started. She had planned to go alone but ends up taking along her childhood friend, Noah. He is a veteran from a more recent war, Iraq, where he lost a leg. Unable to come to terms with his new situation and the daily pain and anger he feels, it is hoped that Noah will find some way out of his misery while he is in Vietnam.
In Vietnam, there are many people who live on the streets and a large percentage of them are children. Mai, a girl, and Minh, a boy with one arm, sell small items to tourists and Minh challenges them to games of Connect Four for one dollar. Minh has a brilliant mind and usually wins but never speaks a word. They scrape small amounts of money together, which is promptly taken from them by Loc, the opium addict who threatens the two young kids into working for him and supplying his cash. They sleep together in a basket under a bridge and are lucky if they can eat once a day.
Qui carries her granddaughter on her back every day between their shack and the market where she attempts to sell old books. Her beautiful little granddaughter, Tam, has leukemia and Qui puts every penny she can towards the pain medicine that eases Tam's suffering. It breaks her heart to watch this child in agony, though Tam rarely complains. Qui spent months saving enough money to take Tam to a hospital but by the time she did, it was too late, there was nothing the doctors could do for her.
When Iris and Noah reach the center they find Thien, a young Vietnamese woman who served as Mr. Rhodes' assistant, painting and generally getting ready for the opening, which is about a month away. She proves to be an invaluable asset to the center, she knows the city and a surprising number of its people. Her warm and open spirit shines through in her understanding of the Americans hopes and fears.
As they set to work, both Noah and Iris have their own issues to overcome. Noah is filled with rage at his loss and the pain he is in, so he doses himself with pain medication and alcohol. He doesn't see any good in the world anymore and is only going through the motions of living. Iris is unsure and tentative, she doesn't speak the language and is intimidated by the noise and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City. But they will both find that the poor Vietnamese people have so much to teach and they experience profound changes within themselves.
Of course, it is a matter of opinion, but to me a great novel must have several qualities: it must pull the reader out of themselves, it must grapple with a basic human truth or moral tenet, it must resonate in the reader's own life or teach them something profound. Without these qualities, a book might be good and entertaining, but not be worthy of being called great. With Dragon House, John Shors has fulfilled all of my requirements. This is a GREAT novel, in fact it is the best I have read this year. He has taken a heart-wrenching fact of life and turned it into a moving and exciting fictional tale that serves to highlight the plight of poor children, not only in Vietnam, but around the world. He accomplishes all of this and polishes it with some excellent writing:
"Vietnam, a country that had known little but war for many generations, was strangely peaceful, as if the spirits of the slain had somehow infiltrated the prejudices of the living. Hope abounded across the land. Hope often obscured by shanties and brothels and misery but, nonetheless, the collective aspiration for a better tomorrow."
I can't praise this book highly enough, I thought that it was wonderful on so many levels. I had originally planned to review it at the end of August, just prior to its September 1 release. Then, my Mom called me and told me that she had received a copy of it in the mail and before she knew it, she had read half of it. She couldn't put it down and said that it was the best book that she had read in many years (she's quite a reader, so that is high praise). She got me so interested that I had to go and start reading it myself. So there you go, two thumbs way up for Dragon House!
Unfortunately, he dies before he can get the center up and running. Iris promises him that she will go and finish what he started. She had planned to go alone but ends up taking along her childhood friend, Noah. He is a veteran from a more recent war, Iraq, where he lost a leg. Unable to come to terms with his new situation and the daily pain and anger he feels, it is hoped that Noah will find some way out of his misery while he is in Vietnam.
In Vietnam, there are many people who live on the streets and a large percentage of them are children. Mai, a girl, and Minh, a boy with one arm, sell small items to tourists and Minh challenges them to games of Connect Four for one dollar. Minh has a brilliant mind and usually wins but never speaks a word. They scrape small amounts of money together, which is promptly taken from them by Loc, the opium addict who threatens the two young kids into working for him and supplying his cash. They sleep together in a basket under a bridge and are lucky if they can eat once a day.
Qui carries her granddaughter on her back every day between their shack and the market where she attempts to sell old books. Her beautiful little granddaughter, Tam, has leukemia and Qui puts every penny she can towards the pain medicine that eases Tam's suffering. It breaks her heart to watch this child in agony, though Tam rarely complains. Qui spent months saving enough money to take Tam to a hospital but by the time she did, it was too late, there was nothing the doctors could do for her.
When Iris and Noah reach the center they find Thien, a young Vietnamese woman who served as Mr. Rhodes' assistant, painting and generally getting ready for the opening, which is about a month away. She proves to be an invaluable asset to the center, she knows the city and a surprising number of its people. Her warm and open spirit shines through in her understanding of the Americans hopes and fears.
As they set to work, both Noah and Iris have their own issues to overcome. Noah is filled with rage at his loss and the pain he is in, so he doses himself with pain medication and alcohol. He doesn't see any good in the world anymore and is only going through the motions of living. Iris is unsure and tentative, she doesn't speak the language and is intimidated by the noise and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City. But they will both find that the poor Vietnamese people have so much to teach and they experience profound changes within themselves.
Of course, it is a matter of opinion, but to me a great novel must have several qualities: it must pull the reader out of themselves, it must grapple with a basic human truth or moral tenet, it must resonate in the reader's own life or teach them something profound. Without these qualities, a book might be good and entertaining, but not be worthy of being called great. With Dragon House, John Shors has fulfilled all of my requirements. This is a GREAT novel, in fact it is the best I have read this year. He has taken a heart-wrenching fact of life and turned it into a moving and exciting fictional tale that serves to highlight the plight of poor children, not only in Vietnam, but around the world. He accomplishes all of this and polishes it with some excellent writing:
"Vietnam, a country that had known little but war for many generations, was strangely peaceful, as if the spirits of the slain had somehow infiltrated the prejudices of the living. Hope abounded across the land. Hope often obscured by shanties and brothels and misery but, nonetheless, the collective aspiration for a better tomorrow."
I can't praise this book highly enough, I thought that it was wonderful on so many levels. I had originally planned to review it at the end of August, just prior to its September 1 release. Then, my Mom called me and told me that she had received a copy of it in the mail and before she knew it, she had read half of it. She couldn't put it down and said that it was the best book that she had read in many years (she's quite a reader, so that is high praise). She got me so interested that I had to go and start reading it myself. So there you go, two thumbs way up for Dragon House!
July 20, 2009
Iris' father, a troubled Vietnam veteran, never lives to see his dream of opening a center for Vietnamese street children fufilled. As a man haunted by the atrocities of the war, Iris' father was not able to give her much emotional and physical support throught her life. Nevertheless, after his death, Iris picks up where her father left off and travels to Vietnam. Noah, a childhood friend and Iraqi war veteran, also decides to accompany her. After losing one of his legs overseas and witnessing his own fare share of trauma, Noah has a grim outlook on the world. His life now revolves around trying to dull his pain with alchohol and pills. He travels with Iris more to appease his mother than out of any altruisitc motive of his own.
It was obvious to me that John Shors had done his research on the cultural sights, sounds and morays of Vietnam. Upon looking up his biography, I wasn't surprised to read that he has in fact traveled the world extensively --he tought English in Kyoto Japan for three years then backpacked through different countries for the next three. When I was reading Dragon House, I felt like he instantly transported me into Ho Chi Mihn City where I was able to witness everything through my own eyes firsthand. I could almost smell the spices in the air and hear the clamor of all the congestion and voices within the overcrowded and dirty streets.
From the street children Mai and Minh who live under a bridge, to Tam, with her loving grandmother, I was extremely moved by the character appeal of the street children. The adversity these children have to overcome just to surivive day to day left me reflecting on my own life, and made me realize just how trivial some of the small trials and tribulations I tend to focus on really are. The pacing of the story was fast and intriguing, and I found myself anxiously flipping pages in the hopes of finding out if everyone was going to be "ok". That sentiment extended to Iris and Noah as well. I really loved the idea of both of these troubled people coming to Vietnam and finding renewed faith in themselves and the world through their efforts with the center.
Ultimately, Dragon House is a poignant story of hope, redemption and most importantly, sheer love. I read it over a span of twenty four hours and could not put it down. This book touched me on a deep, personal level. You would think a novel about the plight of street children would leave you feeling exhausted and downtrodden, but after devouring this page turner, I was uplifted by the themes of love, friendship and the resilience of the human spirit.
It was obvious to me that John Shors had done his research on the cultural sights, sounds and morays of Vietnam. Upon looking up his biography, I wasn't surprised to read that he has in fact traveled the world extensively --he tought English in Kyoto Japan for three years then backpacked through different countries for the next three. When I was reading Dragon House, I felt like he instantly transported me into Ho Chi Mihn City where I was able to witness everything through my own eyes firsthand. I could almost smell the spices in the air and hear the clamor of all the congestion and voices within the overcrowded and dirty streets.
From the street children Mai and Minh who live under a bridge, to Tam, with her loving grandmother, I was extremely moved by the character appeal of the street children. The adversity these children have to overcome just to surivive day to day left me reflecting on my own life, and made me realize just how trivial some of the small trials and tribulations I tend to focus on really are. The pacing of the story was fast and intriguing, and I found myself anxiously flipping pages in the hopes of finding out if everyone was going to be "ok". That sentiment extended to Iris and Noah as well. I really loved the idea of both of these troubled people coming to Vietnam and finding renewed faith in themselves and the world through their efforts with the center.
Ultimately, Dragon House is a poignant story of hope, redemption and most importantly, sheer love. I read it over a span of twenty four hours and could not put it down. This book touched me on a deep, personal level. You would think a novel about the plight of street children would leave you feeling exhausted and downtrodden, but after devouring this page turner, I was uplifted by the themes of love, friendship and the resilience of the human spirit.
October 15, 2009
Sorry to say that this was the sappiest, preachiest book I've ever read. We go through various POVs as two americans (Iris & Noah) attempt to help open Iris' father's home for wayward (see: street) children in Vietnam. We follow Iris, Noah, a female helper Thien, two street children Mai & Minh, a grandmother (Qui) and her sickly granddaughter (Tam) as they all cross paths and attempt to help each other.
Between Noah spouting off (what could be the author's feelings about the U.S. initiating the Iraq war) about how he was lied to, repeatedly, and Iris & Noah wanting to help everyone and repeatedly being upset by Tam's leukemia, as well as their need to help Mai & Minh it's just an on-going sapfest with bad dialogue that I don't believe people would say outside of late 20th century badly written soap operas "Oh Noah!" exclamations and promising the other they won't let someone die when we KNOW they can't do much at this point just seems overly sentimental and slows the book down because things are repeated (the bad man who looks over Mai & Minh, Tam's leukemia, etc.). We don't get too down and dirty as it makes me think of a PG rated book that didn't want to go too far and just alludes to the worst with it being said or thought by some of the Vietnamese characters.
For me the lack of some details of the worst or life and seeing how everything happened in this sweeping "fairy tale" ending where all was a major drawback. It was too fanciful and not real enough for me.
Between Noah spouting off (what could be the author's feelings about the U.S. initiating the Iraq war) about how he was lied to, repeatedly, and Iris & Noah wanting to help everyone and repeatedly being upset by Tam's leukemia, as well as their need to help Mai & Minh it's just an on-going sapfest with bad dialogue that I don't believe people would say outside of late 20th century badly written soap operas "Oh Noah!" exclamations and promising the other they won't let someone die when we KNOW they can't do much at this point just seems overly sentimental and slows the book down because things are repeated (the bad man who looks over Mai & Minh, Tam's leukemia, etc.). We don't get too down and dirty as it makes me think of a PG rated book that didn't want to go too far and just alludes to the worst with it being said or thought by some of the Vietnamese characters.
For me the lack of some details of the worst or life and seeing how everything happened in this sweeping "fairy tale" ending where all was a major drawback. It was too fanciful and not real enough for me.
January 17, 2010
Author John Shors brings to life the street children of Vietnam in his poignant novel, "Dragon House." He introduces readers to Iris Rhodes, a young professional from Chicago and daughter of a Vietnam veteran. When Iris' father is dying from cancer, she tells him she will finish his dream of building a center for the street children in Saigon where the children will be safe and go to school. Iris is joined in her mission by Noah, an old schoolmate wounded in the Iraq War.
Shors beautifully describes the Vietnam landscape and its people. His street children characters are filled with hope and cheer. Their plight is so sad, yet they can find joy in just playing on a teeter-totter. Readers learn that young girls living on the street sell fans to earn a meager living; older girls are left with no choice but to sell themselves. A center for girls will change everything for these young Vietnamese girls.
I found "Dragon House" to be an engrossing and deeply satisfying novel. I rooted for the children in all their endeavors; I felt their pain and their joy. I highly recommend "Dragon House" to all readers.
Shors beautifully describes the Vietnam landscape and its people. His street children characters are filled with hope and cheer. Their plight is so sad, yet they can find joy in just playing on a teeter-totter. Readers learn that young girls living on the street sell fans to earn a meager living; older girls are left with no choice but to sell themselves. A center for girls will change everything for these young Vietnamese girls.
I found "Dragon House" to be an engrossing and deeply satisfying novel. I rooted for the children in all their endeavors; I felt their pain and their joy. I highly recommend "Dragon House" to all readers.
November 11, 2009
I hope this message finds everyone well. As many of you know, I’m trying to raise money for homeless children in Vietnam through my new novel, Dragon House (www.dragonhousebook.com). In eight weeks, we’ve raised enough money to buy sets of school books for 350 street children in Vietnam. And this is just the beginning.... As the holidays approach, if you’d like to help someone in desperate need, please visit www.bdcf.org. Anyone who makes a $100 donation to Blue Dragon Children’s Foundation will receive from me, a signed, personalized copy of Dragon House. This is at my expense, and 100% of every donation will go to BDCF. This money will be used to shelter and educate homeless children. Thank you so much for your time and thoughts. Best wishes, John
September 4, 2009
Iris Rhodes is a young woman, a book reviewer, trying to fulfill her departed father's wish, to open a center for Vietnamese street children. A place for them to stay and to be educated. Her father came back from the Vietnam was a shell of the man he was before, suffering from PTSD, and unable to ease his suffering once he came home to his wife and daughter. He travelled to Vietnam after the war with a dream of doing some good, and by doing so, little by little he began to heal.
As Iris makes plans to leave Chicago for Vietnam, she reluctantly agrees to take Noah Woods with her as a favor to his mother. Noah spent time in Iraq, lost his leg while serving his country, and has lost his way, along with the spirit to live. He spends time easing his pain with alcohol.
Once they arrive in Vietnam...."a country that had know little but war for many generations, was strangely peaceful, as if the spirits of the slain had somehow infiltrated the spirits of the living. Hope abound across the land. Hope often obscured by shanties and brothels and misery, but nonetheless a collective aspiration for a better tomorrow".
Iris is surprised to learn that the center her father started was named: The Iris Rhodes Center for Children. It is around the playground of this center that her father wishes to have his ashes spread. Noah begins work building a playground at the center, and at the same time he begins to find purpose and meaning to life......"Noah believed that a miracle had happened. In Baghdad, a part of him had been killed, and that part would never fully return. But in a warehouse outside Nha Trang, he had been given a chance to live".
The central characters in this story are vivid and unforgettable. They are Tam, a young girl with leukemia and her grandmother Qui. They beg for money to buy medicine to ease Tam's pain from the leukemia. We also get to know two street children, Mai and Minh, who are forced to beg, while being controlled by Loc, an opium addict, who threatens them and treats them as slaves.
Dragon House is a poignant story. Its powerful themes of suffering, sacrifice, friendship, and love, is a story that celebrates the human spirit, demonstrating once again that despite all the ugliness, pain and betrayal some individuals are forced to endure in life, the human spirit is resilient and cannot easily be beaten. Although the book is a work of fiction, the plight of the children is real. Yes, while post war Vietnam has improved, there remains: street children, prostitution, drug addiction, wounded war victims as well as Agent Orange victims, as well as other atrocities.
I really thought this book was excellent, but I found it difficult to read in one sitting. The sometimes painful subject matter, made me take this one in smaller doses. This is not said to discourge you, but I thought it was important to mention. The novel appears to be extremely well researched. The author, did an amazing job transporting the reader to Ho Chi Mihn City. The sites, smells, cruelty, and the hope and love are all easily felt by the reader. His efforts should be applauded by trying to inspire others to help make the world a better place, especially when it comes to helpless children. RECOMMENDED
The author plans to donate a portion of the sales from this book to The Blue Dragon Children's Foundation. You can read more about this here. You can also donate directly though the website.
As Iris makes plans to leave Chicago for Vietnam, she reluctantly agrees to take Noah Woods with her as a favor to his mother. Noah spent time in Iraq, lost his leg while serving his country, and has lost his way, along with the spirit to live. He spends time easing his pain with alcohol.
Once they arrive in Vietnam...."a country that had know little but war for many generations, was strangely peaceful, as if the spirits of the slain had somehow infiltrated the spirits of the living. Hope abound across the land. Hope often obscured by shanties and brothels and misery, but nonetheless a collective aspiration for a better tomorrow".
Iris is surprised to learn that the center her father started was named: The Iris Rhodes Center for Children. It is around the playground of this center that her father wishes to have his ashes spread. Noah begins work building a playground at the center, and at the same time he begins to find purpose and meaning to life......"Noah believed that a miracle had happened. In Baghdad, a part of him had been killed, and that part would never fully return. But in a warehouse outside Nha Trang, he had been given a chance to live".
The central characters in this story are vivid and unforgettable. They are Tam, a young girl with leukemia and her grandmother Qui. They beg for money to buy medicine to ease Tam's pain from the leukemia. We also get to know two street children, Mai and Minh, who are forced to beg, while being controlled by Loc, an opium addict, who threatens them and treats them as slaves.
Dragon House is a poignant story. Its powerful themes of suffering, sacrifice, friendship, and love, is a story that celebrates the human spirit, demonstrating once again that despite all the ugliness, pain and betrayal some individuals are forced to endure in life, the human spirit is resilient and cannot easily be beaten. Although the book is a work of fiction, the plight of the children is real. Yes, while post war Vietnam has improved, there remains: street children, prostitution, drug addiction, wounded war victims as well as Agent Orange victims, as well as other atrocities.
I really thought this book was excellent, but I found it difficult to read in one sitting. The sometimes painful subject matter, made me take this one in smaller doses. This is not said to discourge you, but I thought it was important to mention. The novel appears to be extremely well researched. The author, did an amazing job transporting the reader to Ho Chi Mihn City. The sites, smells, cruelty, and the hope and love are all easily felt by the reader. His efforts should be applauded by trying to inspire others to help make the world a better place, especially when it comes to helpless children. RECOMMENDED
The author plans to donate a portion of the sales from this book to The Blue Dragon Children's Foundation. You can read more about this here. You can also donate directly though the website.
October 27, 2013
"Dragon House" by John Shors is a captivating story that is poignant and heartbreaking. It takes place in Ho Chi Minh City years after the Vietnam war and follows two Americans, Iris Rhodes and Noah Woods who struggle not only to open a Centre for Children but to heal their painful pasts. It's a story that weaves together violence , corruption and depravity with elements of hope, forgiveness, sacrifice, friendship and love.
This well-written, captivating plot is filled with contrasts. The bustling congestion,the stifling smog, the dark depravity and corruption of the city are juxtaposed against the light; the love, warmth and fellowship offered at the Centre for Children . Even the cruel bondage and lies of a criminal like Loc, and indifference of many of the tourists is starkly contrasted with the love, friendship and deliverance offered by Noah, Iris and her assistant Thien. This is a narrative that intertwines the lives of Mai and Minh, bonded as sister and brother by the cruel brutality of their enslaver, Tam and her grandmother Qui, destitute and stalked by death, and an embittered policeman named Sahn.
The characters are complex, each struggling to survive the harshness of their present existence and hoping for a change. Iris struggles to move on from her father's neglect as a child, seeking answers, understanding and forgiveness in her endeavour to open his Children's Centre in Ho Chi Minh City. She's strong, determined, compassionate but fearful of failing. Noah, a strong, capable man crippled by the loss of his leg and the horrors he's seen in Iraq is drowning in despair and anger. In Vietnam he looks not only for deliverance from his demons but a spark that will ignite new purpose and passion for life. Thien, the young woman who has sacrificed a palatable lifestyle to follow Iris's father's dream is shrewd, joyful and loves unconditionally. Mina and Minh, children of the street, are resolute but fearful, the abuse stifling their trust and optimism. Tam, innocent and pure, and her grandmother the faithful, loving Qui hold fast to the acceptance and love offered. While Sahn, the tough policeman haunted and embittered by a war long past finds salvation and new direction. Even the antagonist in the story, the relentless and malicious Loc is a victim, crippled by his past, but too weak to rise above it he wallows in self-pity.
Written with passion and a strong connection to Vietnam and her people this book gives the reader a look at the stark reality of this post-war country with all its suffering, depravity, ugliness and corruption. Yet within these pages there's hope that instead of dying the human spirit will one day soar again. It is a book well-worth reading.
This well-written, captivating plot is filled with contrasts. The bustling congestion,the stifling smog, the dark depravity and corruption of the city are juxtaposed against the light; the love, warmth and fellowship offered at the Centre for Children . Even the cruel bondage and lies of a criminal like Loc, and indifference of many of the tourists is starkly contrasted with the love, friendship and deliverance offered by Noah, Iris and her assistant Thien. This is a narrative that intertwines the lives of Mai and Minh, bonded as sister and brother by the cruel brutality of their enslaver, Tam and her grandmother Qui, destitute and stalked by death, and an embittered policeman named Sahn.
The characters are complex, each struggling to survive the harshness of their present existence and hoping for a change. Iris struggles to move on from her father's neglect as a child, seeking answers, understanding and forgiveness in her endeavour to open his Children's Centre in Ho Chi Minh City. She's strong, determined, compassionate but fearful of failing. Noah, a strong, capable man crippled by the loss of his leg and the horrors he's seen in Iraq is drowning in despair and anger. In Vietnam he looks not only for deliverance from his demons but a spark that will ignite new purpose and passion for life. Thien, the young woman who has sacrificed a palatable lifestyle to follow Iris's father's dream is shrewd, joyful and loves unconditionally. Mina and Minh, children of the street, are resolute but fearful, the abuse stifling their trust and optimism. Tam, innocent and pure, and her grandmother the faithful, loving Qui hold fast to the acceptance and love offered. While Sahn, the tough policeman haunted and embittered by a war long past finds salvation and new direction. Even the antagonist in the story, the relentless and malicious Loc is a victim, crippled by his past, but too weak to rise above it he wallows in self-pity.
Written with passion and a strong connection to Vietnam and her people this book gives the reader a look at the stark reality of this post-war country with all its suffering, depravity, ugliness and corruption. Yet within these pages there's hope that instead of dying the human spirit will one day soar again. It is a book well-worth reading.
October 23, 2009
I first encountered John Shors when I read his novel Beneath a Marble Sky. This new novel, Dragon House, has stepped up John’s impressive writing skills another notch. Dragon House is a love story; the love of a daughter for her father, a sister for her brother, a grandmother for her granddaughter and soldiers for their country. And it is a story of the courage it takes to follow your heart and protect the ones you love.
The Story: After Iris’ father dies, she decides to go to Vietnam and complete his dream of opening a center for street children there even though he was absent for most of her life and she is still very angry. He was always trying to run from his demons and she felt from her. Iris’ good friend Noah is just home from Iraq and running from demons of his own and agrees to go with Iris. What follows is a painful, slow process of acclimation to a new country, to finding out whom her father really was and if this is really what Iris wants to do. In the process Iris finds Mai and Minh, a brother and sister living under a bridge that are forced to work for an opium addict, Qui and Tam, a grandmother and granddaughter living on the streets and Sahn the beat cop and Vietnam veteran who hates Americans.
My Take: John Shors description of Vietnam, of Saigon and its people brought all my senses alive while reading. I could see and touch and smell the market and the city streets. I could hear the traffic noises and all the scooters zipping past. I could feel the touch of Mai as she brushed up against me and asked if I would like to buy a fan. And my heart went out to all the street children and all the empty stomachs and honest people that try every day to help. And I cried in anger at every crooked official and opium addict and street vendor that expected a bribe. And it brought back all the memories. I have been to these countries, I have seen these children, and I have held their hands and bought their fans and laughed with them and prayed for them. And all I can say is that John Shors has written an amazing book that I highly recommend.
The Story: After Iris’ father dies, she decides to go to Vietnam and complete his dream of opening a center for street children there even though he was absent for most of her life and she is still very angry. He was always trying to run from his demons and she felt from her. Iris’ good friend Noah is just home from Iraq and running from demons of his own and agrees to go with Iris. What follows is a painful, slow process of acclimation to a new country, to finding out whom her father really was and if this is really what Iris wants to do. In the process Iris finds Mai and Minh, a brother and sister living under a bridge that are forced to work for an opium addict, Qui and Tam, a grandmother and granddaughter living on the streets and Sahn the beat cop and Vietnam veteran who hates Americans.
My Take: John Shors description of Vietnam, of Saigon and its people brought all my senses alive while reading. I could see and touch and smell the market and the city streets. I could hear the traffic noises and all the scooters zipping past. I could feel the touch of Mai as she brushed up against me and asked if I would like to buy a fan. And my heart went out to all the street children and all the empty stomachs and honest people that try every day to help. And I cried in anger at every crooked official and opium addict and street vendor that expected a bribe. And it brought back all the memories. I have been to these countries, I have seen these children, and I have held their hands and bought their fans and laughed with them and prayed for them. And all I can say is that John Shors has written an amazing book that I highly recommend.
March 26, 2010
This book, by one of my favorite authors, was not as highly rated by the 'critics' as his last two. I never let that keep me away from anything, as I rarely agree with the 'critics'...about anything. I've loved John Shors' other books and am nothing if not loyal!
I read it...and I loved it. The authors descriptions of Vietnam have completely changed my view of that country so far away. My husband was one of the Americans who fought in that wasteful, useless, destructive war, and I wanted nothing to do with it. John Shors changed my mind with his evident love of Vietnam and its people.
I fell in love with the characters, and yes, I agree that Shors didn't delve as deeply into the individual characters as I would have liked, but I didn't care. His writing touches me and stirs my emotions, as well as educating me.
The street children who are the real heroes of this book just awed me with their courage and refusal to give in to despair, though their living conditions certainly warranted it. I wanted to hug them all, and bring them to live with me.
In the back of the book, Shors describes how he came to know and love the people of Vietnam, Thailand and other Asian countries. He is a contributor to charities that are actually building a center for street children in Vietnam. I will donate, too, and I thank him for opening my mind.
I highly recommend this book, and will ask my Book Club to make it one of our monthly reads. I hope we can pool some money and send it to the Blue Dragon center.
I read it...and I loved it. The authors descriptions of Vietnam have completely changed my view of that country so far away. My husband was one of the Americans who fought in that wasteful, useless, destructive war, and I wanted nothing to do with it. John Shors changed my mind with his evident love of Vietnam and its people.
I fell in love with the characters, and yes, I agree that Shors didn't delve as deeply into the individual characters as I would have liked, but I didn't care. His writing touches me and stirs my emotions, as well as educating me.
The street children who are the real heroes of this book just awed me with their courage and refusal to give in to despair, though their living conditions certainly warranted it. I wanted to hug them all, and bring them to live with me.
In the back of the book, Shors describes how he came to know and love the people of Vietnam, Thailand and other Asian countries. He is a contributor to charities that are actually building a center for street children in Vietnam. I will donate, too, and I thank him for opening my mind.
I highly recommend this book, and will ask my Book Club to make it one of our monthly reads. I hope we can pool some money and send it to the Blue Dragon center.
August 5, 2009
My sister is a part of the Amazon "Vine" program, so I got to read this novel before it's publication date. I'm so glad that I did! What a wonderful novel. Dragon House is the story of a group of Vietnamese street children who are helped by two Americans and a Vietnamese police officer. The Americans have come to today's Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) to open a center for the street children. This center will educate, protect, and house the street children. And they need protection, because many are the pawns of Saigon's petty thieves.
I was so happily surprised by this novel. I knew almost nothing about Vietnam, but fifty pages into Dragon House, I felt like I was there--driving a scooter, smelling the spices, seeing the sights. The country and characters came to life in such a powerful and profound light. I cried and rejoiced in this book, which isn't usual for me.
I am telling everyone I know about this novel, because I feel like it's one of those rare novels that can change your life. I know that it's made me want to volunteer, to make the world a better place. I know that it's in my power to do so.
I couldn't recommend Dragon House any more strongly. I highly recommend it to book clubs and to individual readers. I'll be on the lookout for more of the author's work.
I was so happily surprised by this novel. I knew almost nothing about Vietnam, but fifty pages into Dragon House, I felt like I was there--driving a scooter, smelling the spices, seeing the sights. The country and characters came to life in such a powerful and profound light. I cried and rejoiced in this book, which isn't usual for me.
I am telling everyone I know about this novel, because I feel like it's one of those rare novels that can change your life. I know that it's made me want to volunteer, to make the world a better place. I know that it's in my power to do so.
I couldn't recommend Dragon House any more strongly. I highly recommend it to book clubs and to individual readers. I'll be on the lookout for more of the author's work.
December 19, 2009
Iris Rhodes is a successful writer in Chicago. She has been trying to heal old wounds between her father and herself, as he lies dying in a hospital. Her father is a Vietnam vet and has been trying to fight his demons by working on a very important project. He is opening up a center for street children in Vietnam. It is one way he feels he can contribute to Vietnam's healing. Right before her father dies, Iris has made the decision to go to Vietnam to see her dad's project through to completion.
Iris decides to enlist the help of her childhood friend, Noah. He is a wounded veteran of the Iraq war and his leg has been amputated. Noah is finding it difficult to come to terms with what has happened to him and others in Iraq. His stump causes him a lot of pain, especially when his artificial leg is attached. He has turned to alcohol and pain medication to
Read my full review here:
http://teddyrose.blogspot.com/2009/09...
Iris decides to enlist the help of her childhood friend, Noah. He is a wounded veteran of the Iraq war and his leg has been amputated. Noah is finding it difficult to come to terms with what has happened to him and others in Iraq. His stump causes him a lot of pain, especially when his artificial leg is attached. He has turned to alcohol and pain medication to
Read my full review here:
http://teddyrose.blogspot.com/2009/09...
September 15, 2013
In John Shors' novels, the reader is always shown the innate beauty and goodness of people. Just the same, the ugly and the bad are not disguised. They are equally presented as part of the harsh reality of our world. The good will not always triumph, the bad will always be there; but the sun will always rise, there's always a new day, there will always be a reason to hope.
Mai is my favorite character of all. She has seen so much suffering and yet she remains a child at heart. She has so much hope that she's still able to share some with her brother Minh. I love the way she speaks English; very endearing.
It's gratifying to know that this novel is contributing to the plight of street children. Much more, it's a comfort that though most will ignore them, there are individuals and organizations who care enough to take them off the streets. Their effort may just be a flicker of light in the darkness, but a flicker just the same. Step by step, a little at a time...
Mai is my favorite character of all. She has seen so much suffering and yet she remains a child at heart. She has so much hope that she's still able to share some with her brother Minh. I love the way she speaks English; very endearing.
It's gratifying to know that this novel is contributing to the plight of street children. Much more, it's a comfort that though most will ignore them, there are individuals and organizations who care enough to take them off the streets. Their effort may just be a flicker of light in the darkness, but a flicker just the same. Step by step, a little at a time...
November 19, 2009
This is the story of two Americans who travel to Vietnam to establish a center for street children in Ho Chi Minh City.
I found this book slow going. The characterizations are very thin - it's all angels or devils, honestly. Much of it reads like a travelogue of Vietnam, and the descriptions detracted from the story at times. The protagonist, Iris, remains an enigma. We know she's one of the good guys, but other than that, what motivates her? Does she really have no friends or lovers back home in Chicago? She felt extremely unreal to me.
This book felt hastily written. I hope it does generate interest in the plight of street children in Vietnam and elsewhere, but I did not enjoy it.
I found this book slow going. The characterizations are very thin - it's all angels or devils, honestly. Much of it reads like a travelogue of Vietnam, and the descriptions detracted from the story at times. The protagonist, Iris, remains an enigma. We know she's one of the good guys, but other than that, what motivates her? Does she really have no friends or lovers back home in Chicago? She felt extremely unreal to me.
This book felt hastily written. I hope it does generate interest in the plight of street children in Vietnam and elsewhere, but I did not enjoy it.
January 16, 2010
The children of Vietnam have a place to turn to instead of living on the streets. Two Americans, Iris and Noah, have created a home for these children and have taken it upon themselves to teach this group of under privileged youth. Iris is taken with these children who have also taught her a thing or two.
This is an uplifting novel that captivated me. I couldn't help but be drawn in by these characters. John is an amazing writer with endless talent.
This is an uplifting novel that captivated me. I couldn't help but be drawn in by these characters. John is an amazing writer with endless talent.
February 27, 2017
Loved, loved, loved it! Iris has had only a couple of years to begin a new relationship with her father, who was severely scarred by Vietnam PTSD. His recovery began when he returned to Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City, to begin a shelter for abandoned and abused street kids there. When he dies of cancer, she vows to go to Vietnam and finish the job for him. Old friend Noah, himself physically and mentally wounded by service in Iraq, tags along in an effort to recover who he once was.
A powerful story of suffering, sacrifice, love and redemption, and the kids they take in will melt your heart. Please read this book, you deserve it!
A powerful story of suffering, sacrifice, love and redemption, and the kids they take in will melt your heart. Please read this book, you deserve it!
December 27, 2021
I appreciate what the author was attempting to do with this novel as I discovered in the note at the end of the book. He was trying to raise awareness and provide funds from the sales of this book for street children in Vietnam. Ofcourse that is a wonderful cause. Unfortunately, Dragon House was not a very good book.
Shors tells the story of an American woman who, with the help of a male friend, open up a home for girls in Vietnam. The author’s literary skill is comparable to Nicholas Sparks. It’s perhaps sufficient for the occasional reader but greatly lacking for the avid one. Honestly, reading this story took an emotional toll on me. I am really glad it’s over.
Shors tells the story of an American woman who, with the help of a male friend, open up a home for girls in Vietnam. The author’s literary skill is comparable to Nicholas Sparks. It’s perhaps sufficient for the occasional reader but greatly lacking for the avid one. Honestly, reading this story took an emotional toll on me. I am really glad it’s over.
November 17, 2010
"Dragon House," is a novel of exceptional beauty, a love story of multi-dimension, and a healing experience for all who know the Viet Nam War.
John Shors has become one of my favorite authors of the 21st century. I believe he is the voice of our recent past, and a voice of the humanity in all of us as we struggle to keep what is good and moral against a tide of selfishness and instability in our world.
Mr. Shors is an author of exceptional capabilities with characterization conveying feelings and angst that will so touch your heart that you feel actually set within the place and time with his characters.
Having lived through the Viet Nam War as a child of the '60's, I found this book especially interesting. I have not been able to read about the War, per se. It was a time of loss and anger and confusion for me. A time I just haven't cared to scrutinize. But, this book gave me a way of "looking" that was thoughtful, caring and healing.
Through the eyes of Iris, the daughter of a Viet Nam veteran left with post traumatic stress syndrome and memories he could only heal by going back to create a home for street children; we see, hear, smell and feel the thriving, messy, whirling, beautiful, dangerous and noisy place called Ho Chi Minh City -- formerly Siagon. I found many of the things surprisingly familiar to me...through pictures that were flashed daily on the t.v. when our boys were over there, I suppose. I could see through Shors writings the brightness of colors, smell the food, hear the horn blasts, and shiver at the sufferings. John Shors didn't miss a beat.
Iris goes to Viet Nam to continue her father's dream and to help the street children, bringing with her a life-long friend...a now wounded, permanently handicapped vet. of the Iraqi War, who is suffering and suicidal. This character boldly gives the reader insight into all veterans returning with injuries of body, mind and spirit from the horrors of war. Along with an eternally hopeful Vietnamese woman, they work to complete the Center for Street Children that will become the catalyst for their own salvations.
Through their work, inspiration, and close companionships with a little group of starving, abused and critically ill children, Iris and Noah find a new place of rest for all. And, that included me.
I highly recommend this book for all and everyone. John Shors is an author who needs to be read because he will be one to make a mark in these coming years. He's an American writer of note and value.
I also recommend this book because it's good for those of us who have come through the Viet Nam War (a war not successful and not popular with the American people) and are going through the Iraqi/Afghani War...another one which may have a similar outcome. We might find some solace in the fact that we will survive. Timely and healing.... please read this book for many reasons.
Your Bookish Dame
John Shors has become one of my favorite authors of the 21st century. I believe he is the voice of our recent past, and a voice of the humanity in all of us as we struggle to keep what is good and moral against a tide of selfishness and instability in our world.
Mr. Shors is an author of exceptional capabilities with characterization conveying feelings and angst that will so touch your heart that you feel actually set within the place and time with his characters.
Having lived through the Viet Nam War as a child of the '60's, I found this book especially interesting. I have not been able to read about the War, per se. It was a time of loss and anger and confusion for me. A time I just haven't cared to scrutinize. But, this book gave me a way of "looking" that was thoughtful, caring and healing.
Through the eyes of Iris, the daughter of a Viet Nam veteran left with post traumatic stress syndrome and memories he could only heal by going back to create a home for street children; we see, hear, smell and feel the thriving, messy, whirling, beautiful, dangerous and noisy place called Ho Chi Minh City -- formerly Siagon. I found many of the things surprisingly familiar to me...through pictures that were flashed daily on the t.v. when our boys were over there, I suppose. I could see through Shors writings the brightness of colors, smell the food, hear the horn blasts, and shiver at the sufferings. John Shors didn't miss a beat.
Iris goes to Viet Nam to continue her father's dream and to help the street children, bringing with her a life-long friend...a now wounded, permanently handicapped vet. of the Iraqi War, who is suffering and suicidal. This character boldly gives the reader insight into all veterans returning with injuries of body, mind and spirit from the horrors of war. Along with an eternally hopeful Vietnamese woman, they work to complete the Center for Street Children that will become the catalyst for their own salvations.
Through their work, inspiration, and close companionships with a little group of starving, abused and critically ill children, Iris and Noah find a new place of rest for all. And, that included me.
I highly recommend this book for all and everyone. John Shors is an author who needs to be read because he will be one to make a mark in these coming years. He's an American writer of note and value.
I also recommend this book because it's good for those of us who have come through the Viet Nam War (a war not successful and not popular with the American people) and are going through the Iraqi/Afghani War...another one which may have a similar outcome. We might find some solace in the fact that we will survive. Timely and healing.... please read this book for many reasons.
Your Bookish Dame
November 3, 2014
John Shors is one of my most favorite authors and 'Dragon House' is a wonder. This book shines with love,forgiveness,hope,sorrow and beauty. The author was able to travel to Vietnam several times as in his other travels in Asia was impressed with large numbers of street children. He is donating a portion of the proceeds of Dragon House to this organization.
http://www.streetkidsinvietnam.com/
Some of his own experiences like playing Connect Four with a street chid are reflected in this book about the street children of Vietnam. John Shors built a group of characters who meet each other and become a family.
Two Americans start the story. Iris is a book reviewer, who had always jealously guarded time with her father. Her father had served in Vietnam but never talked about it. When he was dying, she vowed to him to take on his mission of helping the street children of Vietnam.
Noah had a crush on Iris that disappeared after he got back from Iraq. He lost part of his skull and right leg when his humvee hit a roadside bomb. But that wasn't all he lost.
Mai and Minh were street children under the control of an evil man who was a former street child himself but now had the children work for him to bring in money to feed his opium habit and taste for beautiful women.
Qi, was a loving grandmother sold little books on the street while watching over her little granddaughter, Tam who was very sick.
There are more characters who befriended the ones above but for those six above, the future looked very bleak and scary. This book brings hope to the reader and to the street children of Vietnam. This is a book that you will never forget.
I recommend this book strongly to all fans of John Shors and all those would care deeply about the fate of children left on the street, to sleep, find food and survive.
http://www.streetkidsinvietnam.com/
Some of his own experiences like playing Connect Four with a street chid are reflected in this book about the street children of Vietnam. John Shors built a group of characters who meet each other and become a family.
Two Americans start the story. Iris is a book reviewer, who had always jealously guarded time with her father. Her father had served in Vietnam but never talked about it. When he was dying, she vowed to him to take on his mission of helping the street children of Vietnam.
Noah had a crush on Iris that disappeared after he got back from Iraq. He lost part of his skull and right leg when his humvee hit a roadside bomb. But that wasn't all he lost.
Mai and Minh were street children under the control of an evil man who was a former street child himself but now had the children work for him to bring in money to feed his opium habit and taste for beautiful women.
Qi, was a loving grandmother sold little books on the street while watching over her little granddaughter, Tam who was very sick.
There are more characters who befriended the ones above but for those six above, the future looked very bleak and scary. This book brings hope to the reader and to the street children of Vietnam. This is a book that you will never forget.
I recommend this book strongly to all fans of John Shors and all those would care deeply about the fate of children left on the street, to sleep, find food and survive.
September 19, 2011
Maybe it is because I am going to Vietnam in a month; maybe this was just the right book at the right time, but whatever the reason, I really enjoyed this book.
Enjoyed might be the wrong term because there is some real pain in Shors' story. However, I fell into this novel and didn't want to leave. I found engaging characters, a world that I know nothing about and a good story line. Everything I want from a book.
Shors wants his reader to learn about orphans of the world. He is concerned about the plight of children who live on the streets of our world. They are everywhere even in this country. To do this well, an author needs to create people his readers would care about - John Shors succeeds in inventing people that I would love to know, especially the street children.
I would recommend this book to those who might want to know more about Vietnam; definitely to those who care about the children of the world and to anyone who wants a good story.
I am now looking forward to being in Ho Chi Minh City to see if my experience is like Shors. However, I am very concerned about those street children I will meet. I realize the problem is big and I can't make much difference. But I would like to make some difference.
Enjoyed might be the wrong term because there is some real pain in Shors' story. However, I fell into this novel and didn't want to leave. I found engaging characters, a world that I know nothing about and a good story line. Everything I want from a book.
Shors wants his reader to learn about orphans of the world. He is concerned about the plight of children who live on the streets of our world. They are everywhere even in this country. To do this well, an author needs to create people his readers would care about - John Shors succeeds in inventing people that I would love to know, especially the street children.
I would recommend this book to those who might want to know more about Vietnam; definitely to those who care about the children of the world and to anyone who wants a good story.
I am now looking forward to being in Ho Chi Minh City to see if my experience is like Shors. However, I am very concerned about those street children I will meet. I realize the problem is big and I can't make much difference. But I would like to make some difference.
October 1, 2009
Another amazingly beautiful book about the power of a person's ability to love, to hope, and to rebuild. Similar to another book I have read by this author, this book was filled with memorable characters that are realistically flawed. As they learn from each other, they able to rise above their own hurts and nightmares and emerge into something amazing.
The story follows two very different people who together find the better part of themselves trying to build and open a center for street kids in Vietnam. It is a heartbreaking story that brought tears to my eyes, as well as a joy to my heart.
An easy 5 stars to give.
The story follows two very different people who together find the better part of themselves trying to build and open a center for street kids in Vietnam. It is a heartbreaking story that brought tears to my eyes, as well as a joy to my heart.
An easy 5 stars to give.
May 4, 2012
I really liked the way this book unfolded, telling the story in a lot of detail showing the author had actually spent some time in Vietnam. It has plenty of love and laughter and action and it genuinely warms the heart at points.
My only beef is that it seems to have a bit of a deus ex machina ending with one of the characters, where in successive chapters / sections you go from No Hope At All to Everything Is All Right. It just had a feel of the author trying to fit within a particular page number quota and wrapping up that conflict too quickly.
That said, it's a beautiful story and definitely recommended.
My only beef is that it seems to have a bit of a deus ex machina ending with one of the characters, where in successive chapters / sections you go from No Hope At All to Everything Is All Right. It just had a feel of the author trying to fit within a particular page number quota and wrapping up that conflict too quickly.
That said, it's a beautiful story and definitely recommended.
July 7, 2010
This book was a great read. It brings about a lot of current issues that we usually don't think about in America. Issues that people in other parts of the world must face each day such as finding food, avoiding being beaten, making as little as a dollar extra to stay safe for a night...these issues made me angry at the extreme differences in wealth distribution. I also like that Mr. Shors is donating a portion of the proceeds from this book to a charity (his own...?) that is helping "street children" such as the ones we see in this book. Very well written, very enjoyable and heartfelt.
March 4, 2014
It's sad how little I knew (and still know) about Vietnam, but Shors does all of the little street children justice. They are really captivating characters with sad stories, and I became so invested in them from the start. Everyone in this story needs rescuing, and Shors goes about that in sort of surprising ways.
June 10, 2010
Interesting setting, poor writing. There are other books about Vietnam that are much better.
March 23, 2012
Terrible book! Don't read it...I just did because I started it. It is just bad writing.
January 10, 2011
In “Dragon House”, the “street children” are the heart and soul of the novel. A heart and soul that beats and is alive with consciousness, thought, feeling, will and moral nature!
Iris lives on the twentieth floor of a high-rise apartment in Chicago, Illinois. Her father has passed away five weeks previously from cancer. As a young child Iris was hurt and confused about her father’s frequent absences and couldn’t understand how he could love her so much but still leave her. As the years progressed and she became a teenager, her feelings of pain and confusion turned to resentment until she’d graduated from college and began to understand why her father had been gone as often as he was. He had some very deep emotional wounds leftover from the war in Vietnam. Not only from the atrocities of the war itself as one would expect, but most importantly to him, the “street children”. Prior to his death he had begun to work on a center to house 20 female street children but unfortunately passed away before ever completing his dream.
Four days prior to leaving for Saigon, Iris receives an unexpected visit from an old neighbour named Mrs. Woods’. She has come to beg Iris to take her son Noah with her to Vietnam and explains that he had returned from the war in Iraq with one leg missing and half of his forehead. Iris had known Noah growing up and was devastated to hear this horrible news regarding the extent of his injuries. However, Iris doesn’t understand what a man in Noah’s condition could possibly get out of visiting Saigon, or how it would make him happier and better able to cope with his devastating injuries, but she agrees and tells Mrs. Woods that she’ll take Noah with her.
Once in Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City, we meet Mai and Minh, street children who play a game called “Connect Four” to win ‘one’ American dollar per game and then turn the money over to a horribly cruel man named Loc. The atrocities Loc has layed upon these two children is nothing short of cruel and abhorrent and as the story progresses so does his expectations of Mai and Minh. The price for disobedience on their part is very high and totally devastating. They two children sleep under a bridge inside a traditional fishing boat that they swam out on the water to claim. The boat only contains a blanket and two extra sets of clothes each. However, it also contains a false bottom that holds $14.00 American dollars, a year of savings that Loc would beat them for if he ever discovered it. Mai and Minh hope one day to escape and leave Loc far behind but this is an extremely dangerous idea because if captured, the punishment would be severe as Minh learns later why he is missing one hand.
Qui is 51-years-old and her granddaughter Tam is 7-years-old. Tam is ill with a fatal illness and Qui spends her days selling books to tourists to make enough money to purchase the pain medication that Tam so desperately needs. Tam’s own mother abandoned her and is in Thailand. The sad thing is that Tam is dying and Qui tells Tam that one day she would: “...fall into a sleep that would magically take her into a different world, into a realm where children weren’t sick, where they swam in warm seas, where they awoke each morning nestled between their mother and father.” Tam so believed in this that Qui could never destroy this belief. Qui is beside herself with worry over Tam as she begins to have more and more bad days where her breathing is hard, she is tired, has no appetite, her head hurts and her little joints ache so, so badly. The entire story of Qui and Tam will have you weeping on bended knees.
Iris, in the meantime, has settled into her hotel room and is frightened and wondering why she had come and thinking perhaps she shouldn’t have and maybe just allowed her father’s dream of opening his center for street children to die along with him. Hesitantly, Iris and Noah set out to find the Ben Thanh Market area where the center is located and are utterly stunned and touched to find what the sign reads above the center! Inside they meet Thien, her father’s cook and assistant. Thien is a beautiful woman with a beautiful voice and the personality of an angel. She tells Iris about the “street children” who are dirty, their hair is uncombed, some are crippled, abandoned, and that the streets destroy them. They often begin to: “...steal, to sell drugs, to sell themselves. They have no choice.” She tells Iris that her father understood this and it was why he wanted so badly to open this center so these children could come in off the streets and learn and be safe. Thien asks Iris to walk through the streets with her to see first-hand what she is talking about.
Noah at this point is still self-absorbed and drinking heavily. He enjoys sleeping because his world is dark and his body cannot remind him of his painful injuries, the loss of his best friend Wes in Iraq and his anger and hatred toward those whose: “...lies cost him his friend and his leg.” When Noah is awake, he feels his world is actually dark. He is afraid for the world because he lacks the power to save himself from his thoughts, his pain and his hatred. He is spiteful of his loved ones as he is: “...envious of their happiness, their lives free of pain...” and the fact they can’t understand his own suffering. When he looks into a mirror: “...he sees a stranger.” He eventually reveals to Iris, his bitterness at government for what he saw as “lies” to the deployed soldiers, that Iraq was holding weapons of mass destruction but none were ever found. Although they did capture Saddam Hussein and helped and watched people topple statues of Saddam, his anger is due to the death of his friend Wes and others like him because the government lied about the weapons. He feels had the government not done that, they wouldn’t have been pulled from Afghanistan and sent to Iraq and all those soldiers who died needlessly would still be alive today.
We also met Sahn, a policeman who patrols Le Cong Kieu Street and takes bribes from store owners for protection and for Sahn to turn his head away from items they be selling illegally. But...we also learn an important secret about Sahn which if anyone found out about, he’d lose his job and become destitute. The only person who knows his secret is Qui!
The entire message in this novel is about the plight of street children, not only in Vietnam but around the world. The suffering, starvation and costs to their hearts and souls is inconceivable. This is a huge problem in our society today and it doesn’t get nearly the attention it should. In such a rich countries like The United States and Canada, it’s hard to believe that we too are affected by the plight and suffering of “street children”. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every city, town and village in the world had a center for street children? That is one project that I myself would love to be part of!!!!
John Shors has written a story that is of the utmost importance and needs to be read by EVERYONE! Next time you pass that kid on the street and they ask for a buck, think about Qui, Tam, Mai, Minh and others like them, I know I will. This is one story that will stay with me forever!!!
Iris lives on the twentieth floor of a high-rise apartment in Chicago, Illinois. Her father has passed away five weeks previously from cancer. As a young child Iris was hurt and confused about her father’s frequent absences and couldn’t understand how he could love her so much but still leave her. As the years progressed and she became a teenager, her feelings of pain and confusion turned to resentment until she’d graduated from college and began to understand why her father had been gone as often as he was. He had some very deep emotional wounds leftover from the war in Vietnam. Not only from the atrocities of the war itself as one would expect, but most importantly to him, the “street children”. Prior to his death he had begun to work on a center to house 20 female street children but unfortunately passed away before ever completing his dream.
Four days prior to leaving for Saigon, Iris receives an unexpected visit from an old neighbour named Mrs. Woods’. She has come to beg Iris to take her son Noah with her to Vietnam and explains that he had returned from the war in Iraq with one leg missing and half of his forehead. Iris had known Noah growing up and was devastated to hear this horrible news regarding the extent of his injuries. However, Iris doesn’t understand what a man in Noah’s condition could possibly get out of visiting Saigon, or how it would make him happier and better able to cope with his devastating injuries, but she agrees and tells Mrs. Woods that she’ll take Noah with her.
Once in Saigon or Ho Chi Minh City, we meet Mai and Minh, street children who play a game called “Connect Four” to win ‘one’ American dollar per game and then turn the money over to a horribly cruel man named Loc. The atrocities Loc has layed upon these two children is nothing short of cruel and abhorrent and as the story progresses so does his expectations of Mai and Minh. The price for disobedience on their part is very high and totally devastating. They two children sleep under a bridge inside a traditional fishing boat that they swam out on the water to claim. The boat only contains a blanket and two extra sets of clothes each. However, it also contains a false bottom that holds $14.00 American dollars, a year of savings that Loc would beat them for if he ever discovered it. Mai and Minh hope one day to escape and leave Loc far behind but this is an extremely dangerous idea because if captured, the punishment would be severe as Minh learns later why he is missing one hand.
Qui is 51-years-old and her granddaughter Tam is 7-years-old. Tam is ill with a fatal illness and Qui spends her days selling books to tourists to make enough money to purchase the pain medication that Tam so desperately needs. Tam’s own mother abandoned her and is in Thailand. The sad thing is that Tam is dying and Qui tells Tam that one day she would: “...fall into a sleep that would magically take her into a different world, into a realm where children weren’t sick, where they swam in warm seas, where they awoke each morning nestled between their mother and father.” Tam so believed in this that Qui could never destroy this belief. Qui is beside herself with worry over Tam as she begins to have more and more bad days where her breathing is hard, she is tired, has no appetite, her head hurts and her little joints ache so, so badly. The entire story of Qui and Tam will have you weeping on bended knees.
Iris, in the meantime, has settled into her hotel room and is frightened and wondering why she had come and thinking perhaps she shouldn’t have and maybe just allowed her father’s dream of opening his center for street children to die along with him. Hesitantly, Iris and Noah set out to find the Ben Thanh Market area where the center is located and are utterly stunned and touched to find what the sign reads above the center! Inside they meet Thien, her father’s cook and assistant. Thien is a beautiful woman with a beautiful voice and the personality of an angel. She tells Iris about the “street children” who are dirty, their hair is uncombed, some are crippled, abandoned, and that the streets destroy them. They often begin to: “...steal, to sell drugs, to sell themselves. They have no choice.” She tells Iris that her father understood this and it was why he wanted so badly to open this center so these children could come in off the streets and learn and be safe. Thien asks Iris to walk through the streets with her to see first-hand what she is talking about.
Noah at this point is still self-absorbed and drinking heavily. He enjoys sleeping because his world is dark and his body cannot remind him of his painful injuries, the loss of his best friend Wes in Iraq and his anger and hatred toward those whose: “...lies cost him his friend and his leg.” When Noah is awake, he feels his world is actually dark. He is afraid for the world because he lacks the power to save himself from his thoughts, his pain and his hatred. He is spiteful of his loved ones as he is: “...envious of their happiness, their lives free of pain...” and the fact they can’t understand his own suffering. When he looks into a mirror: “...he sees a stranger.” He eventually reveals to Iris, his bitterness at government for what he saw as “lies” to the deployed soldiers, that Iraq was holding weapons of mass destruction but none were ever found. Although they did capture Saddam Hussein and helped and watched people topple statues of Saddam, his anger is due to the death of his friend Wes and others like him because the government lied about the weapons. He feels had the government not done that, they wouldn’t have been pulled from Afghanistan and sent to Iraq and all those soldiers who died needlessly would still be alive today.
We also met Sahn, a policeman who patrols Le Cong Kieu Street and takes bribes from store owners for protection and for Sahn to turn his head away from items they be selling illegally. But...we also learn an important secret about Sahn which if anyone found out about, he’d lose his job and become destitute. The only person who knows his secret is Qui!
The entire message in this novel is about the plight of street children, not only in Vietnam but around the world. The suffering, starvation and costs to their hearts and souls is inconceivable. This is a huge problem in our society today and it doesn’t get nearly the attention it should. In such a rich countries like The United States and Canada, it’s hard to believe that we too are affected by the plight and suffering of “street children”. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every city, town and village in the world had a center for street children? That is one project that I myself would love to be part of!!!!
John Shors has written a story that is of the utmost importance and needs to be read by EVERYONE! Next time you pass that kid on the street and they ask for a buck, think about Qui, Tam, Mai, Minh and others like them, I know I will. This is one story that will stay with me forever!!!
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