Such a Lovely Little War: Saigon 1961-63 - Softcover

Truong, Marcelino

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1551526476 ISBN 13: 9781551526478

Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press, 2016

Synopsis

This riveting, beautifully produced graphic memoir tells the story of the early years of the Vietnam war as seen through the eyes of a young boy named Marco, the son of a Vietnamese diplomat and his French wife. The book opens in America, where the boy's father works for the South Vietnam embassy; there the boy is made to feel self-conscious about his otherness thanks to schoolmates who play war games against the so-called "Commies." The family is called back to Saigon in 1961, where the father becomes Prime Minister Ngo Dinh Diem's personal interpreter; as the growing conflict between North and South intensifies, so does turmoil within Marco's family, as his mother struggles to grapple with bipolar disorder.

Visually powerful and emotionally potent, Such a Lovely Little War is both a large-scale and intimate study of the Vietnam war as seen through the eyes of the Vietnamese: a turbulent national history interwined with an equally traumatic familial one.

Marcelino Truong is an illustrator, painter, and author. Born the son of a Vietnamese diplomat in 1957 in the Philippines, he and his family moved to America (where his father worked for the embassy) and then to Vietnam at the outset of the war. He earned degrees in law at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, and English literature at the Sorbonne. He lives in Paris, France.

About this title

About the Author

Marcelino Truong: Marcelino Truong is an illustrator, painter, and author. Born the son of a Vietnamese diplomat in 1957 in the Philippines, he and his family moved to America (where his father worked for the embassy) and then to Vietnam at the outset of the war. He earned degrees in law at the Paris Institute of Political Studies, and English literature at the Sorbonne. He has authored many French-language books for all ages, and exhibited his paintings in galleries around the world.
David Homel: David Homel was born and raised in Chicago in 1952. He has been a journalist, editor, literary translator, and teacher, and has won numerous awards for translation, including the Governor General’s Award for Literature, Canada’s highest literary honor.

Review

"Truong shows his command of both text and visuals, as his boyhood provides a compelling perspective on the beginnings of a war that would have such devastating impacts on Southeast Asia and America alike ... A first-rate work of graphic memoir dealing with a pivotal period in modern American history." ―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"What holds the book together is Truong's artwork: confident, contoured brush strokes with watercolor washes, alternating between full color and monochromatic tints. He shows us that what was happening in Vietnam was a nightmare, but also that his youthful perspective made it seem, at the time, like an adventure." —New York Times

"A gorgeous graphic memoir ... This story of one family during a horrible war is powerful, managing to be both broad and intensely intimate at the same time." ―Book Riot

"Truong forcefully recreates his saga, using a bold, blocky visual style and a muted color palette that deftly renders his family members and vividly captures crowded Saigon cityscapes and besieged countryside." ―Booklist

"A terrific graphic novel ... [Given] American film representations of Vietnam (from Apocalypse Now and Platoon to Full Metal Jacket and Hamburger Hill) have become the de facto popular truth of that war, Truong’s nuanced account offers an absorbing counter-narrative." —Macleans


"Truong shows his command of both text and visuals, as his boyhood provides a compelling perspective on the beginnings of a war that would have such devastating impacts on Southeast Asia and America alike ... A first-rate work of graphic memoir dealing with a pivotal period in modern American history." Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"What holds the book together is Truong's artwork: confident, contoured brush strokes with watercolor washes, alternating between full color and monochromatic tints. He shows us that what was happening in Vietnam was a nightmare, but also that his youthful perspective made it seem, at the time, like an adventure." —New York Times

"A gorgeous graphic memoir ... This story of one family during a horrible war is powerful, managing to be both broad and intensely intimate at the same time." Book Riot

"Truong forcefully recreates his saga, using a bold, blocky visual style and a muted color palette that deftly renders his family members and vividly captures crowded Saigon cityscapes and besieged countryside." Booklist

"A terrific graphic novel [Given] American film representations of Vietnam (from Apocalypse Now and Platoon to Full Metal Jacket and Hamburger Hill) have become the de facto popular truth of that war, Truong’s nuanced account offers an absorbing counter-narrative." —Macleans

Edition details

• Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1551526476
• ISBN 13: 9781551526478
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 272