Seeking Quan Am: A Dual Memoir of War and Vietnam - Softcover

Dixon, Susan R; Smith, Mark M

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1733489606 ISBN 13: 9781733489607

Publisher: Ariadne's Thread, Inc., 2019

Synopsis

"Seeking Quan Am will take you back, break your heart, and make you laugh and cry. I recommend it highly, especially for veterans and civilians who continue to suffer from the physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds of war."This book is about memory, time, war, coming of age and coming of age again. It is a rare collaboration of a veteran and a civilian."Seeking Quan Am opens passageways between different worlds. It connects the lives of war veterans and civilians, Americans and Vietnamese, past and present."Mark Smith and Susan Dixon were high school classmates but took different roads after graduation. Mark served two tours in Vietnam in the First Air Cavalry. Susan learned about the war by watching the evening news on television. Decades later they learned to listen to one another's story and to return to the memories and to the country that had shaped their lives.

About this title

About the Author:

As a writer and editor, museum curator and teacher, Susan R. Dixon has studied the effects of haunting memory, the consequences of suppressed secrets, and the healing power of storytelling. She leads a writing workshop for civilians reflecting on war and maintains a blog at www.susanrdixon.com. She lives in Ithaca, New York, the heart of the Finger Lakes Region.

After serving two tours in Vietnam and working as North and South Carolina Coordinator for Vietnam Veterans Against the War, Mark M. Smith pursued a career in journalism. In the 1970s, while living in Chapel Hill and Boston, he began writing about the war. He has lived among the mountains of Juneau, Alaska, the desert of Las Vegas and Pahrump, Nevada, and now in Sparta, North Carolina.

Review:

I was in Vietnam twice. The first time was in 1967-1968 participating in combat operations with Mark. The second time, by reading Susan's and Mark's story, I was transported to Vietnam as part of their group. In spirit, I was there again.
Captain Robert Alekna, US Army

Seeking Quan Am opens passageways between different worlds. It connects the lives of war veterans and civilians, Americans and Vietnamese, past and present.
Kevin Basl, Iraq War veteran and co-editor, Warrior Writers: A Collection of Writing and Artwork by Veterans

Unlike many works that reflect on the war experience, Susan Dixon and Mark Smith have created a unique dialogue between peace advocate and war veteran that expands our sensibilities about the complex personal issues involved.
Kate Dahlstedt, MA; Founder, Soldier's Heart

[This] book will take you back, break your heart, and make you laugh and cry. I recommend it highly, especially for veterans and civilians who continue to suffer from the physical, emotional, and spiritual wounds of war.
Fred A. Wilcox, author of Waiting for an Army to Die: The Tragedy of Agent Orange and Scorched Earth: Legacies of Chemical Warfare in Vietnam

About this edition

• Publisher: Ariadne's Thread, Inc.
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1733489606
• ISBN 13: 9781733489607
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 332