Book Details:
The Girl in the Picture
The story of Kim Phuc, the Photograph, and the Vietnam War
Pages: 372
Pages read: 372
Cumulative pages read: 372
Words on page 50: 297 (33 x 9)
Words in book: 110, 484 (averaged)
Cumulative words read: 110,484
Well, book one for this blog is complete. It really was a great read, and I would recommend it to anyone that is interested in learning about the sufferings of war, and even about some of the more detailed aspects of what happened in Vietnam. The book also considers, not in great depth, the happenings after the Vietnam War, and the fact that the country then started warring with Cambodia. They had a tough time, the Vietnamese, none more so than Kim Phuc.
Kim, if she stayed in Vietnam, was destined to a life of poverty. Her communist government was controlling her every move, from what she would stay, to who and when interviewed about her story. She became world renowned, especially at events like world youth events, or major anniversary dates of the Vietnam War (like the 10 and 20 year anniversaries). She was not paid anything for many of the interviews, although at the time that she was living in Vietnam, she received the travel and accommodation free of charge.
Finally, she was given the opportunity to study in Cuba, where she eventually studied English. In her early years there, her quality of life was good, though it deteriorated with the demise of the economic situation in that country. Whilst in Cuba, Kim Married Toan.
Kim eventually got the opportunity to travel to Canada. While she was in Canada she took the opportunity to relocate to that country, and live in total freedom for the first time in her life. She was not controlled by a communist regime any longer. Although her and Toan continued to live in poverty, being unable to work, due to Visa delays, they were ecstatic with the move, and they had children and moved Kim's parents over from Vietnam to live with them. Toan is working two jobs to support the family, though it all seemed rosy at the end of the book.
For all of her suffering, heart ache and pain, Kim Phuc finally found happiness and a life that she longer for, for such a long time. Hers was a journey of endurance and tolerance, underpinned by strong religious beliefs and an at times strong family support network.
Key message from the book
I think there are several key messages to be taken from this book.
1. No matter what happens to you in life, there is always hope. And, there is always someone with a bigger burden to bare. Kim Phuc should have received much needed medical attention in the years following her burns. She did not receive that care until at least 10 years later, so the pain she must have endured during those long years would have been excruciating. If she can bear that burden, we can bear our trials and tribulations.
2. You must always maintain a positive outlook on life. One person that met Kim could not believed how"somebody who has met death up close can be so full of life? Smiling all the time, with everyone." A positive frame of mind with create positive outcomes, as they did for Kim.
3. Believe, and you shall receive. This is true for all aspects of your life. Believe in a greater good, and the fact that the universe provides, and it will do just that. In Kim's case, it was a belief in God that got her through. She believed that "the Napalm bomb was unknown and unexpected, and an "accident" but she came to believe that God, when he saw need, would deliver other "accidents" in her life to offset the suffering and evil wrought by the bomb; these accidents would be good people, strangers to her, wanting to do acts of goodness. How true it is - the universe provides.
Until next time, read hard.
Jimmy A
Oh, and by the way, when we were in Vietnam (today we are on our way home to Australia) we visited the place where the picture of Kim Phuc was taken. It looks different now to what it does in the picture. It was quite amazing to stand somewhere that significantly changed the worlds opinion on war.
Readability: 4 (out of 5)
Intesting Information: 4 (out of 5)
Overall book quality: 4 (out of 5)
Overall: 8 (out of 10)
Places visited: 1
People met: 0
Books given away: 1 (to Gemma, my wife)
Books purchased second hand or cheap: 1
Showing posts with label the girl in the picture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label the girl in the picture. Show all posts
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
Book 1 - Blog 1 - The Girl in the Picture
Book Details:
The Girl in the Picture
The story of Kim Phuc, the Photograph, and the Vietnam War
Pages: 372
Pages read: 266
Words on page 50: 297 (33 x 9)
Words in book: 110, 484 (averaged)
ISBN 0-14-028021-9
Author: Denise CHong
Published: 1999 by Simon and Schuster Australia
Comments:
Well, this book is an amazing read. Kim (or Phuc, as they call her in the book) has had a terrible life since she was burnt by a Napalm bomb (dropped by South Vietnamese fighter planes) on their own civilians on June 8, 1972. She as photographed by a Vietnamese journalist as she ran away from the blast, still on fire, with burns to a high percentage of her body. Her face was not burnt, thankfully, and she notes "thank God my face was not burned. Even if my character was as good as an angel, if my face were ugly, it would be better that I had died".
That might have been one of the things that ensured Kim maintained a strong positive attitude both during her recovery, and into her life as a recovered burns victim. She was burnt at the age of nine, and after the Vietnam war ended in her area, the Vietnam - Cambodia war started, so Kim and her family lived in constant fear for many years.
She came from a strong Caodai (religious denomination) background, and she was thankful to Caodai that she was alive and was able to live a somewhat normal life. She lived in pain constantly, though, and her mother and father were there for her always. That is, until later in life (early in her twenties) that she adopted Catholicism. That was against her parents wishes, and although they did not disown her, they stopped supporting her when she needed it most.
Communism came to Vietnam, and where her family were previously wealthy restaurant owners, they were now stripped of their ability to earn a living by a communist government. Kim tried to study medicine (to follow her passion to help people - that she developed in the hospital during her recovery). She told her parents that they gave her life, but the doctors and nurses kept her alive. This drove her to enrol in Medicine.
It was about ten years after her burns, that things started going horribly wrong for her. Her mum (who had all of the families lives taken responsibility for supporting everyone, including all of her children and her husband) cut off her support, due to her Christianity. Kim was forbidden by the state from continuing to study medicine, then she started to become an international celebrity, as the face of the Vietnam war. She was the girl in the picture.
As she was 'forced' by Vietnam to take interviews, both domestically and internationally, she was forced to lie about her position in life, which was one of poverty and near starvation. She enjoyed the overseas 'adventures', though life for her in Vietnam was unchanged, and she returned each time to poverty. It was not until she befriended the then president of Vietnam that her situation changed.
Feelings
Kim Phuc is a very resilient woman. She is struggling in life (at age 23 - currently as far as I have read).
It was amazing that after she turned to Catholicism, and was baptised in that faith, things started changing for the better in her life. She asked the Lord for very specific things, and he delivered each time, further strengthening her beliefs.
Although I am a catholic, in my mind, it is more a case of the universe provides. What you want and need in life, will be yours, if you are committed and do what it takes to make it happen. Kim is an example of how to do that.
I can't wait to finish the book, and give you some more insights into her life.
The Girl in the Picture
The story of Kim Phuc, the Photograph, and the Vietnam War
Pages: 372
Pages read: 266
Words on page 50: 297 (33 x 9)
Words in book: 110, 484 (averaged)
ISBN 0-14-028021-9
Author: Denise CHong
Published: 1999 by Simon and Schuster Australia
Comments:
Well, this book is an amazing read. Kim (or Phuc, as they call her in the book) has had a terrible life since she was burnt by a Napalm bomb (dropped by South Vietnamese fighter planes) on their own civilians on June 8, 1972. She as photographed by a Vietnamese journalist as she ran away from the blast, still on fire, with burns to a high percentage of her body. Her face was not burnt, thankfully, and she notes "thank God my face was not burned. Even if my character was as good as an angel, if my face were ugly, it would be better that I had died".
That might have been one of the things that ensured Kim maintained a strong positive attitude both during her recovery, and into her life as a recovered burns victim. She was burnt at the age of nine, and after the Vietnam war ended in her area, the Vietnam - Cambodia war started, so Kim and her family lived in constant fear for many years.
She came from a strong Caodai (religious denomination) background, and she was thankful to Caodai that she was alive and was able to live a somewhat normal life. She lived in pain constantly, though, and her mother and father were there for her always. That is, until later in life (early in her twenties) that she adopted Catholicism. That was against her parents wishes, and although they did not disown her, they stopped supporting her when she needed it most.
Communism came to Vietnam, and where her family were previously wealthy restaurant owners, they were now stripped of their ability to earn a living by a communist government. Kim tried to study medicine (to follow her passion to help people - that she developed in the hospital during her recovery). She told her parents that they gave her life, but the doctors and nurses kept her alive. This drove her to enrol in Medicine.
It was about ten years after her burns, that things started going horribly wrong for her. Her mum (who had all of the families lives taken responsibility for supporting everyone, including all of her children and her husband) cut off her support, due to her Christianity. Kim was forbidden by the state from continuing to study medicine, then she started to become an international celebrity, as the face of the Vietnam war. She was the girl in the picture.
As she was 'forced' by Vietnam to take interviews, both domestically and internationally, she was forced to lie about her position in life, which was one of poverty and near starvation. She enjoyed the overseas 'adventures', though life for her in Vietnam was unchanged, and she returned each time to poverty. It was not until she befriended the then president of Vietnam that her situation changed.
Feelings
Kim Phuc is a very resilient woman. She is struggling in life (at age 23 - currently as far as I have read).
It was amazing that after she turned to Catholicism, and was baptised in that faith, things started changing for the better in her life. She asked the Lord for very specific things, and he delivered each time, further strengthening her beliefs.
Although I am a catholic, in my mind, it is more a case of the universe provides. What you want and need in life, will be yours, if you are committed and do what it takes to make it happen. Kim is an example of how to do that.
I can't wait to finish the book, and give you some more insights into her life.
Friday, January 1, 2010
The reading effort has started
Well, it is now five minutes since I wrote the first post, so it is time to let you know what the first book of the 52 book reading challenge will be.
The book that I am going to read first is titled:
The Girl in the Picture
The story of Kim Phuc, the Photograph, and the Vietnam War
The book is about (in essence) a photo that was taken during the Vietnam War. A bombing of South Vietnamese fighters (on South Vietnam civilians - go figure) went wrong and innocent people were killed and injured by Napalm bombs. One of the injured was Kim Phuc, who was nine at the time. As she was running away from the bomb, and with serious burns injuries, she was photographed, and the photo became (apparently) a very important image of the war.
Given that I am still in Vietnam, finishing a holiday with my family, and that this book was bought for $90,000 Vietnam Dong (about $6US, or a little bit more in Aussie Dollars), it really was a bargain. That is the first of the bargain books to be read this year.
What happened was, this little old lady on the streets of Saigon wanted to sell me this book, but I didn't want to buy anything at the time. She, like most people with something to sell in Vietnam, was extremely persistent and she followed me and Gemma (my wife - who cannot cook really well (unlike the Julie in the movie that has inspired this blog - but she is a great wife, anyway) and our two boys Ged and Jeremy, about two blocks shoving this book in my face. I even put it at her feet and walked away, and she chased me again. Finally, I parted with the money, though she was disappointed with the price. Hey, I did not really want the book, but I was meant to have it, I think. Strangely enough, the next day we did a tour to the exact place where the photo that the book was written about, was taken. That is fate.
Anyway, it is proving to be a great read, and very enlightening.
I will tell you more soon.
Until next time, read hard.
Jimmy A
The book that I am going to read first is titled:
The Girl in the Picture
The story of Kim Phuc, the Photograph, and the Vietnam War
The book is about (in essence) a photo that was taken during the Vietnam War. A bombing of South Vietnamese fighters (on South Vietnam civilians - go figure) went wrong and innocent people were killed and injured by Napalm bombs. One of the injured was Kim Phuc, who was nine at the time. As she was running away from the bomb, and with serious burns injuries, she was photographed, and the photo became (apparently) a very important image of the war.
Given that I am still in Vietnam, finishing a holiday with my family, and that this book was bought for $90,000 Vietnam Dong (about $6US, or a little bit more in Aussie Dollars), it really was a bargain. That is the first of the bargain books to be read this year.
What happened was, this little old lady on the streets of Saigon wanted to sell me this book, but I didn't want to buy anything at the time. She, like most people with something to sell in Vietnam, was extremely persistent and she followed me and Gemma (my wife - who cannot cook really well (unlike the Julie in the movie that has inspired this blog - but she is a great wife, anyway) and our two boys Ged and Jeremy, about two blocks shoving this book in my face. I even put it at her feet and walked away, and she chased me again. Finally, I parted with the money, though she was disappointed with the price. Hey, I did not really want the book, but I was meant to have it, I think. Strangely enough, the next day we did a tour to the exact place where the photo that the book was written about, was taken. That is fate.
Anyway, it is proving to be a great read, and very enlightening.
I will tell you more soon.
Until next time, read hard.
Jimmy A
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