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Fourth Uncle in the Mountain: The Remarkable Legacy of a Buddhist Itinerant Doctor in Vietnam
Fourth Uncle in the Mountain is an odyssey of a single-father folk hero and his foundling son in a land ravaged by the atrocities of war. It is a classic story complete with humor, tragedy, and insight, from a country where ghosts and magic are real.
Set during the French and American wars in South Vietnam, Fourth Uncle in the Mountain is the true story of an orphan, Quang Van Nguyen, adopted by a sixty-four-year-old monk, Thau Van Nguyen
Thau carries great responsibility for his people as a barefoot doctor. Wanted by the French regime, he must occasionally must flee in to the jungle, where he is perfectly at home living among the animals. As wise and resourceful as Thau is, he meets his match in his mischievous son. Quang is more interested in learning Cambodian sorcery and martial arts than in developing his skills and wisdom according to his father's plan.
Nevertheless, Thau manages against all odds to raise his son to follow in his footsteps and in doing so saves him, as well as a part of Vietnam's esoteric knowledge, from the Vietnam holocaust.
Set during the French and American wars in South Vietnam, Fourth Uncle in the Mountain is the true story of an orphan, Quang Van Nguyen, adopted by a sixty-four-year-old monk, Thau Van Nguyen
Thau carries great responsibility for his people as a barefoot doctor. Wanted by the French regime, he must occasionally must flee in to the jungle, where he is perfectly at home living among the animals. As wise and resourceful as Thau is, he meets his match in his mischievous son. Quang is more interested in learning Cambodian sorcery and martial arts than in developing his skills and wisdom according to his father's plan.
Nevertheless, Thau manages against all odds to raise his son to follow in his footsteps and in doing so saves him, as well as a part of Vietnam's esoteric knowledge, from the Vietnam holocaust.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
August 7, 2016
This book is filled with ghosts, souls, spirits, magic, incantations, charms, sorcerers, sorcery. That's both its strength and its weakness. I mean am I supposed to believe some of this nonsense? Once I start doubting, I start questioning the rest of the story.
It is the story of the orphan boy Quang Van Nguyen who is adopted by a 64 year old Buddhist monk. He experiences the war with the French and then the Americans. Although he is pretty much an observer. He will flee Communist rule in Vietnam in 1987 and come to the US where he now lives in New Hampshire.
The Vietnamese loved a fermented fish sauce known as nuoc mam. I could never get past the idea that it was fermented fish when I tried it over there. It seemed awful to me, but I could never find anyone who was Vietnamese who felt the same way. Here's how it was made by the inventor. He put a lot of fish in a barrel and topped it off with salt. After a few months it turned into sauce and bones. Yummy!
The story of Chinh Co. He took a gun from some Vietnamese soldiers, shot himself in the hand, nothing happened. He told them to shoot him. They resisted. He encouraged. A few brave ones fired at his feet and missed. He told them to fire at his heart. Soon they all did. Nothing happened to him. Someone suggested next time they use a grenade. This story reminds me of the firing squad that tried to execute the Bab in the Bahai religion.
Vietnamese love poetry. You are supposed to compose them on the spot.
Quang discusses doing tricks at parties. Isn't the whole book one long magic trick?
In one battle, the VC warn the villagers of Tam Buu Tu from their underground tunnels that they are about to attack the Vietnamese soldiers. So they all hide. After several days of fighting, they come back and clean up the body parts.
He is told to throw a chicken into a bush which then eats the bird. They started by feeding the small bush eggs until it could eat full grown chickens.
He cures one girl by getting the ghost out of her body and letting her soul get back in.
The villagers resent the tiger patch on soldiers' shirts. The tiger is known as Tuan Quan and represents peace not war.
He describes a Khmer Rouge slaughter where all in the village are raped and killed.
They flee in the 1980s. The Communists take over their businesses to redistribute wealth. All want to leave. People caught escaping were sent to reeducation camps. Pirates and storms kill others. It took great courage to leave and years of waiting in refugee camps to find safety.
It is the story of the orphan boy Quang Van Nguyen who is adopted by a 64 year old Buddhist monk. He experiences the war with the French and then the Americans. Although he is pretty much an observer. He will flee Communist rule in Vietnam in 1987 and come to the US where he now lives in New Hampshire.
The Vietnamese loved a fermented fish sauce known as nuoc mam. I could never get past the idea that it was fermented fish when I tried it over there. It seemed awful to me, but I could never find anyone who was Vietnamese who felt the same way. Here's how it was made by the inventor. He put a lot of fish in a barrel and topped it off with salt. After a few months it turned into sauce and bones. Yummy!
The story of Chinh Co. He took a gun from some Vietnamese soldiers, shot himself in the hand, nothing happened. He told them to shoot him. They resisted. He encouraged. A few brave ones fired at his feet and missed. He told them to fire at his heart. Soon they all did. Nothing happened to him. Someone suggested next time they use a grenade. This story reminds me of the firing squad that tried to execute the Bab in the Bahai religion.
Vietnamese love poetry. You are supposed to compose them on the spot.
Quang discusses doing tricks at parties. Isn't the whole book one long magic trick?
In one battle, the VC warn the villagers of Tam Buu Tu from their underground tunnels that they are about to attack the Vietnamese soldiers. So they all hide. After several days of fighting, they come back and clean up the body parts.
He is told to throw a chicken into a bush which then eats the bird. They started by feeding the small bush eggs until it could eat full grown chickens.
He cures one girl by getting the ghost out of her body and letting her soul get back in.
The villagers resent the tiger patch on soldiers' shirts. The tiger is known as Tuan Quan and represents peace not war.
He describes a Khmer Rouge slaughter where all in the village are raped and killed.
They flee in the 1980s. The Communists take over their businesses to redistribute wealth. All want to leave. People caught escaping were sent to reeducation camps. Pirates and storms kill others. It took great courage to leave and years of waiting in refugee camps to find safety.
December 2, 2013
I can only recall one other book that reached out and grabbed my soul to the same extent as Fourth Uncle, and that book is The Grapes of Wrath. That is not to say there are similarities in the writing style or the story line; only that there is such depth of humanity. It begins during the French occupation of South Vietnam and carries through to the end of the Vietnam war and the fall to the Communist North. As an autobiography of the son of a well-respected monk and itinerant Chinese herbal medicine doctor, the story takes you through an amazing account of not only the ravages of war on civilian populations, but is also an introduction to a culture steeped in mysticism and the possibilities of human consciousness. It depicts the death of that culture, under the restrictive Communist rule; but also revealed to me the extent to which the immigration of the Vietnamese people further increased Western awareness of Eastern religions and homeopathic medicine, both of which have caused a major shift in religious and, to some extent, medical practices in Western countries.
Finally, as a teenager in the sixties, many close friends and relatives fought in the Vietnam war. My own boyfriend enlisted and did two tours. In his letters, he downplayed what was happening and I was only too happy to go along with it; the reality was too horrible to contemplate. It was not until many years later that I allowed myself to comprehend the horrors of that war and all wars. To then be taken through the events from the perspective of the Vietnamese people and the devastation and violence they suffered, I can only say there has to be another way to resolve conflicts at this point in human evolution.
Finally, as a teenager in the sixties, many close friends and relatives fought in the Vietnam war. My own boyfriend enlisted and did two tours. In his letters, he downplayed what was happening and I was only too happy to go along with it; the reality was too horrible to contemplate. It was not until many years later that I allowed myself to comprehend the horrors of that war and all wars. To then be taken through the events from the perspective of the Vietnamese people and the devastation and violence they suffered, I can only say there has to be another way to resolve conflicts at this point in human evolution.
February 11, 2009
Ah yes a mystical book indeed. This memoir has many things I like woven into the drama of the conflicts in Vietnam. The picture painted of vietnamese culture is full of magic, superstition, martial arts, tradition and some pretty funky sounding fish sauce. Following the author from the day he was discovered abandoned in a busy market through many strange journeys and encounters. His father, a powerful traditional healer, acting as a guiding hand throughout.
All in all a great book that gives you a glimpse into a very foreign way of life, full of traditions (refreshing for an American) and wise monks from far off temples.
The only problem with this book is the somewhat sporadic writing style and the high level of typos (not surprising considering the circumstances)
I still liked the book though and swept through it swiftly.
All in all a great book that gives you a glimpse into a very foreign way of life, full of traditions (refreshing for an American) and wise monks from far off temples.
The only problem with this book is the somewhat sporadic writing style and the high level of typos (not surprising considering the circumstances)
I still liked the book though and swept through it swiftly.
December 16, 2010
Fourth Uncle In The Mountain ( The Remarkable Legacy of a Buddhist Itinerant Doctor in Vietnam) co-authored by Quang Van Nguyen and Marjory Pilar is a richly remembered and beautifully told life in which tradition survives the ravages of war. The writing is superbly present: "The jungle air wrapped around me and welcomed me back. There was a hum, a melody, and a fragrance. I remembered the sounds had ears, and would hush in an instant at the firing of a gun." Quang Van Nguyen saved the life of the co-author's son--perhaps this is why the book feels like a devotion.
November 29, 2011
This is another book that I've read twice. It has helped me realize that my view of reality and the West's view of medicine is far from complete. I was amazed the the medical applications mentioned in the book and liked learning about the Viet Nam War from the perspective of the South Vietnamese. How lucky I have been not to live where I'm a tool in someone else's political war!
January 21, 2008
A memoir, a history, a book of secrets, sorcerers, and spirituality.
This is the story of Nguyen Van Quang from his birth in Vietnam in 1950 until his immigration to the US. Woven through the account of one wise man attempting to teach his mischievous son to follow in his footsteps as a widely respected and beloved barefoot doctor, there is rich, magical lore and the complex worlds of traumatized souls and ghosts; cloud snakes; the realms of cac dan (little people), various demons, and spirits from the Forbidden Mountain. We receive directions for drinking urine for its medicinal qualities (put Tiger Balm on the rim of the cup) and read how to identify the gender of drowning victims (men float face-down, women face-up).
The story is packed with detail. The writing, a collaboration between Quang and Margorie Pivar, a Vermont Shiatsu therapist, is a generosity of effort and spirit. Possibly because of the inherent difficulty of transmitting the experience of one culture to another very different culture, the pacing feels off to me.
Fourth Uncle is a holy man and Quang’s most revered teacher. Quang’s grandfather found the Fourth Uncle meditating in a cave on Forbidden Mountain, in the Mekong Delta region of South Vietnam. In 1860. No typo. Eighteen sixty. He became Quang’s most revered teacher, and Quang apprenticed with him in the caves for 4 years.
And ultimately this is what the book is about: father and son barefoot doctors practicing esoteric arts, acupuncture, herbal pharmacology and energetic diagnosis and healing. It’s about their service and responsibility to the villages, treating routine medical needs and then the carnage that resulted from atrocities that were visited upon their land. It’s a detailed, amazing account of a life and a lineage through an era known in the US as the Vietnam war.
January 23, 2019
The barefoot doctor of the title is a remarkable man with an intriguing life story. He was found abandoned in a basket at a market in South Vietnam in 1950 and adopted by a 64 year old monk, Thau Van Nguyen, a healer dedicated to his people. Quang's early years were spent with his aunt Gioi who treated him with love, indulgence and tenderness. When he was 9 his Dad came for him to begin his training as a healer. Initially he is rebellious, pretty much a brat and interested more in martial arts and sorcery than in true healing. His journey to maturation is fascinating and humbling. Quang's story is told through an American woman with respect and clarity. The style of the book is episodic and linear. I was left with the sense of events being understated in terms of the dangers and risks he took. The book offered me a glimpse of Vietnam culture, the tremendous power of people to survive in times of war and a deepening respect for gifted, dedicated healers.
August 18, 2012
Loved it. Nice mix of history, spirituality, mysticism and superstition. A tale of a true healer. I have had a fascination with faith healing and studied it in Madagascar so I devoured this book.
Want to read
April 15, 2022My Brother-in-law's doctor.
February 28, 2008
Nate.
I still think U should call the Aliens to come and get u instead of investigating shamanism : ) (Once you start investigating They Will Come And Get You Anyway! ; ) !!) But if your still interested in that stuff, Maybe you should check this one out? Not for the writing(!) but to see some of the cross over in (???) approaches taken in other cultures. Kind of goes in line with some of the stuff Vizenor talks about. May seem a bit sensational to lot's of folks unless they've been exposed to "weird shit" themselves and of course some of it probably is over the top? ... then again who am i to say?
I would have liked to have met the author though,Think he was teaching acupuncture for a while here in the states if my memory serves correctly.He reminds me of older folks that used to be in my life, lot of similarities to some of the cambodian customs. Was given a copy of this when it was first printed and it was an enjoyable QUICK read. Going to reread it and see what i see now then, if you like, will send it your way?
I still think U should call the Aliens to come and get u instead of investigating shamanism : ) (Once you start investigating They Will Come And Get You Anyway! ; ) !!) But if your still interested in that stuff, Maybe you should check this one out? Not for the writing(!) but to see some of the cross over in (???) approaches taken in other cultures. Kind of goes in line with some of the stuff Vizenor talks about. May seem a bit sensational to lot's of folks unless they've been exposed to "weird shit" themselves and of course some of it probably is over the top? ... then again who am i to say?
I would have liked to have met the author though,Think he was teaching acupuncture for a while here in the states if my memory serves correctly.He reminds me of older folks that used to be in my life, lot of similarities to some of the cambodian customs. Was given a copy of this when it was first printed and it was an enjoyable QUICK read. Going to reread it and see what i see now then, if you like, will send it your way?
December 15, 2015
The Vietnam War is practically immortalized in pop culture, but we rarely get to see what life was like for the noncombatants trying desperately to go about their normal lives.
Earth Uncle in the Mountain is a captivating growing up tale in which violence hovers on the fringes of young Quang's life. However this book isn't just a memoir. Told with a charming simplicity, Quang weaves the magic, ghosts, sorcery, and other supernatural elements that shaped his life as the son of traditional doctor. It's sometimes so fantastic it's hard to believe, but so wonderful at every step of his journey I want to. If nothing else, it's a unique window into daily life and culture of the people of rural Vietnam.
Earth Uncle in the Mountain is a captivating growing up tale in which violence hovers on the fringes of young Quang's life. However this book isn't just a memoir. Told with a charming simplicity, Quang weaves the magic, ghosts, sorcery, and other supernatural elements that shaped his life as the son of traditional doctor. It's sometimes so fantastic it's hard to believe, but so wonderful at every step of his journey I want to. If nothing else, it's a unique window into daily life and culture of the people of rural Vietnam.
August 30, 2010
What a memoir! Growing up in war torn Vietnam, learning Chinese herbal medicine from rare masters in the field, getting caught up in dark magic and exorcisms, sitting in meditation in a cave for 4 straight years, fleeing the homeland only to find one's self in a Thai refugee camp, and ending up in New England (?!) is a recipe for one fascinating individual! To me, the writing style was among the most interesting parts of this book and managed to convey a stream of consciousness-like quality from a Vietnamese thought process into an English context. I'm grateful the western co-author was so light with her edits of Quang's beautiful narrative.
January 20, 2011
I tried to get through this book twice and couldn't do it. Perhaps I'm not ready for it yet. It's not that it's a bad book, it just doesn't speak to me enough to keep me turning the pages past the 150 page point. When the protagonist reaches adolescence the book changes tone and becomes less magical. It seems almost like the editors of the book chose the wrong passages for Quan's life during this part.
Perhaps i will give it another shot down the line. For now though, it will go back on the shelf to be read later.
Perhaps i will give it another shot down the line. For now though, it will go back on the shelf to be read later.
August 11, 2018
Interesting book. Somebody online in a thread on one of the forum I frequent recommended this book so I tossed it on my to-read shelf on a whim. This book is completely outside my normal reading zone. Vietnam culture from French Colonial times to roughly a decade after the end of the Vietnam War. All from the viewpoint of citizens, mostly traditional Vietnamese doctors, monks and spiritual people. Traditional Chinese medicine, meditation towards enlightenment, a real mixed bag. I found it refreshing and a quick way to reset myself from my normal reading themes. I enjoyed it.
February 3, 2010
THis is an incredibly interesting book, covering Vietnam during the war and also a recent history of the medicine in this region of the world. As a student of Chinese medicine, I find Quang Nguyen's life as a healer to be very inspirational. The story behind his training is amazing in that there are still people in this world who are capable of such extraordinary meditation as he has practiced. I will recommend this book to anyone I know who is interested in meditation or medicine.
March 31, 2011
Loved it. This was my second time reading it. The main character is a friend of a professor of mine and my professor dittos everything the author says about Quang. After having completed a weekend Qigong seminar with breathing exercises that allowed me to hold my breath for two full minutes, I am not at all skeptical of what the fourth uncle in the mountain could do after years of breathing exercises.
April 28, 2011
This is a thoroughly enjoyable book that tells the fascinating (and literally fantastic) story of a traditional Vietnamese healer. It is a story of spiritual journey and personal growth that weaves in the cultural and family history of an herbalist in Viet Nam. The story is well written and kept me engaged throughout the book. I recommend this book to anyone interested in the cultural history of Viet Nam or in traditional herbal medicine.
April 8, 2016
This book was captivating because the plot is based on a boy who was born while the Vietnam War was occurring. Since he was an orphan, he had a rough childhood. Because of his near death incident with disease, he is inspired to study medicine. Despite the obstacles he faces, he manages to become a successful doctor through his hard work and motivation. Overall, the moral of the story truly inspires the audience; it teaches them that we can achieve whatever we put our mind to
April 9, 2016
This is a beautiful, intimate coming of age book dealing with medicine, spirituality, magic and war. Marjorie Privar does an excellent job of staying out of the way as she helps him relate his detailed memories that are really quite incredible. This book is a very special historical document sharing Vietnamese culture, one mans journey into monkhood and medicine and ultimately, the impacts of war.
January 17, 2019
Totally enjoyed this first person account of a very different culture: different climate, flora, fauna, religion, economic opportunity, Family and social connections. loved the mystical. Of course plants Can have powerful effects on the human body. Loved the kindness toward everything by the father, and his patience with a son that I frequently became impatient with. The study with the Fourth Uncle in the mountain motivates and enriches my own meditation practice.
December 27, 2008
An unexpected delight. I found this in a box outside on the pavement and took it home as a freebie, not expecting that I would enjoy it so much. It is full of insights into the culture and beliefs of village Vietnam pre and during the war, through the voice of an aspiring--and plenty mischevious-- folk-doctor.
January 31, 2014
The book couldn't decide if it wanted to be a memoir of a traditional medicine doctor during the time of the Vietnam Wars or a story of mythic fantasy. Documented events, such as the Ba Chuc Massacre, are mixed with fantastical exploits, communing with a 168-year-old monk and talking with tigers in the jungle, resulting in neither a coherent cultural history or a fact-based memoir.
February 5, 2016
Very interesting story about the life of a Vietnamese foot doctor; his upbringing, training and practice. Because of the hugely different culture, some of what I read seemed unbelievable to me, but much of their healing practices are based on a deep belief system. I enjoyed reading about this culture.
November 24, 2015
Marjorie Pivar has done a great job putting together the memoir of Quang Van Nguyen, a man trained in Asian medicine who had the misfortune of growing up during the war years in Viet Nam. His story is of one of heroism and perseverance, wisdom and integrity--skillfully and beautifully written. "The Fouth Uncle" is truly a remarkable story.
I loved it.
I loved it.
March 31, 2021
Fourth Uncle in the Mountain is the most extraordinary memoir I've ever read--one young man's growing up in rural Vietnam and his traditional medical education given to him by his father and other teachers--a story marked by magic, mystery, and the tragedy of war, and told in rich, vivid detail. This book blew my mind.
November 23, 2008
So much promise in the first chapter, but the writing went downhill sharply from there. Despite this, it is still an entertaining read and gives a great historical account of rural Vietnam in the 60's.
August 2, 2010
It was an interesting book, but I had to get by my own disbelief in magic, ghosts, etcetera. The writing was simple which sometimes made it hard for me to get caught up in the book, but overall it was an incredibly interesting story.
June 21, 2011
Simple, captivating narrative introduces readers to Vietnamese history, culture, Buddhist practices, animal spirits, and herbal medicine. Highly recommended for Carlos Castaneda fans and others who gravitate to lifelong, self-discovery journeys.
May 22, 2012
Splendid read. I find myself not being able to stop thinking about how good this book is. It is certainly not the best written piece out there but the story is so compelling from a historic perspective as well as medical. It's really amazing.
February 12, 2014
Beautiful story, detailing the growing up of a boy during the Vietnam War. I really loved it. Saw the review for this book a few years ago in the Utne Reader - a great review - and decided to read the book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews