Dragon House

Dragon House by John Shors is a book that I can honestly say has affected me. The story focuses a lot on the street children in Vietnam and I found even when I put this book down in between reading it that I thought of these children. Even now after finishing it these children are still on my mind. This novel really tugged at my heart; it horrified me to learn what these street children live through and yet to know there are people in the world trying to help them gives hope as well. To me, this is a mark of a very good novel - a book that grabs you and doesn't let go and leaves you feeling as though you've experienced something that changes you in some way. The story begins with Iris, sitting in the hospital with her father who is dying. They are talking about the past and regrets. One thing that Iris' father regrets is not finishing the center for street children that he was building in Vietnam. Iris tells him before he passes that she will travel there and bring his dream to life; she will finish the center. Iris' father had experienced the war firsthand and suffered from it; the center was his way of giving back. As a child Iris hadn't gotten a lot of emotional support from her father although she believes he loved her. Traveling to complete the center is a way of healing for Iris as well, a way to become closer to her father even in his death. Iris leaves for Vietnam with an old childhood friend, Noah, who is an Iraqi war veteran himself and been disabled by it, losing a leg. He is bitter and angry and wondering what life could ever possibly hold for him again. Noah is living life on pain pills and booze and only going to Vietnam with Iris to please his mother. They arrive in Vietnam and Iris is surprised to find that her father had named the center after her; she had never known this. She sees all he has done and all that needs to be done but in time she really realizes his dream and believes in it for herself too. What her father wanted to do for these street children was amazing and she felt that need to do the same now. I think what I loved about this book the most was how connected I felt with the characters and the place. The way that John Shors describes Vietnam really makes you feel as though you are there on the busy streets or trying to maneuver around on the roads on a scooter. You can see vividly in your mind the bridges that street children live under or the hovels that others are surviving in and it just completely grips your heart. Yet on the other side of the coin you can also see the beauty of Vietnam and this is what struck me as well. How if you look, you can always find a small bit of beauty in something whether it be the clouds in a blue sky or a rainbow. There isn't a main character that I didn't like; Iris is a kind and caring woman; she truly cares about what happens to these children. Noah, who eventually finds a way out of his fog learns that he can still love and be loved. The street people who just take your b

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 09

When I came across this book in the Vine Newsletter, it immediately caught my attention. Even though I was completely unfamiliar with the author of this book, I decided to give it a try. I'm sure glad that I did. This book is beautiful and powerfully written. I have never been to Vietnam, but this book made you feel like you were really there. The scene was set perfectly. The reader gets a good feel for the sights and sounds of Vietnam. This book also place attention on the plight of street children. There are thousands of children who live in abject poverty all throughout the world. Even though this book is fiction, it deals with an all too real reality. Sadly, street children are not fiction. They really do exist. And I think their stories need to be told. This book gives those children a voice. Two young children Mai and Minehn are children who have known nothing about abuse, betrayal, abandonment, and poverty in their young lives. They are desperate to be loved, and so to trust. Most of the adults in their lives have given them nothing but broken promises. The two children are relentlessly pursued by a man named Loc who is a cruel opium addict and treats the children like his slaves. There is also Tam who is a young girl who is in debilitating pain, but never gives in to hopelessness or despair. At the center of the story are Iris and Noah, two Americans who have wounds of their own to deal with. Iris agreed to come to Vietnam to fulfill her father's dying wish. Noah is a Iraq War vet who bears deep physical and emotional scars. There is also Thien a young Vietnamese woman who has a radiance and purity about her. She quickly befriends Iris and draws Noah out of his self-imposed exile. All of the characters are believable and realistic. The reader comes to truly care what happens to each of them. This is one book that I simply didn't want to end. I hope there will be a sequel to this book. I am definitely going to be on the lookout for other books by this author. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is already familiar with the plight of street children. But I also think it would be a good book to give someone who is new to the subject. I think every American should read this book. It will completely change the way you view the world. Even though this book deals with some pretty heavy subject matter, it is extremely well-written and a quick read. This is one of those books you won't be able to put down until the last page is turned. I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to read this book. I highly recommend it to others.

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. Note- A portion of the funds from Dragon House will be donated to The Blue Dragon Children's Foundation which works with children in need throughout Vietnam, offering them services and support in getting back into school and breaking out of the cycle of poverty. There is already one center open in Hanoi and is widening it's reach into Ho Chi Mihn City as well. To make Dragon House more afforda

John Shors delivers us into the hearts, minds, and everyday lives of his endearing Vietnamese characters and the two Americans who come to aid the street children of Ho Chi Minh City in his third novel, Dragon House. Richly drawn with just the right amount of detail--a trademark of Shors' novels--the imagery of the lush countryside, the seedy underworld of the city, and the plight of the street children linger long after putting the book down. Dragon House is a compelling novel that reminds us that there is work to be done on the streets of the world's cities and that the work begins in our own hearts and minds.