The Sorrow of War: A Novel of North Vietnam

I read this book for a graduate class on the effects of war on society. Having avoided learning about war most of my life, preferring to focus on happy thoughts, I was deeply affected by this book. I completely forgot that it is a fictional novel. The disjointed way in which it is written FELT like a rambling journal of a disturbed war veteran. The story jumps back and forth from present to past randomly, requiring great concentration and adding to the chaos of the story. This is not an EASY read, but it is definitely a POWERFUL one. If you can get past the fact that things aren't told in sequence, this is too important a novel to miss. It shows the horrors of war graphically and factually, leaving the reader to experience his or her own feelings.

Those of us who spent time 'in-country' during the conflict in Viet Nam know that American soldiers were taught, subtly if not overtly, that their enemy was something less than human. Demonizing the enemy--thinking of them as 'gooks,' 'slants,' as 'them' to our 'us'--is a standard wartime practice; it's far easier to fight those you consider less than your equal. This book is clear evidence of the magnitude of this lie. Here, we meet the enemy and--as the wise old 'possom Pogo once said--he is us.In 'The Sorrow of War,' Bao Ninh, a former NVA soldier, walks us through the life our enemy--detailing in precise, unassuming prose his daily life; his emotions, attitudes, causes, and feelings for those close to him and, of course, his enemy. It is a story that could, in many respects, have been written by a US soldier, except that it has a local feel, the rooted viewpoint of one who fights on the land where he lives. The language is poetic and the images sharp; it is a narrative full of a universal weariness, wisdom, experience and pain. This is a must-read piece of literature for anyone trying to understand the Viet Nam conflict (which the Vietnamese call the American War), or war in general, in depth. It is at times slow going, but ultimately well worth the effort.Susan O'Neill, Viet Nam veteran and author of Don't Mean Nothing: Short Stories of Viet Nam

I belong to the young generation of vietnameses who were born and grewth up in Hanoi, the city of Kien and Phuong. I read this novel in 1992 or 1993 when I was a student, it's original name was "Destiny of Love" (Than phan tinh yeu). The book was passed around by my classmates and everyone was very impressed about it. The author has successfully described the romaintic of the first love beetwen Kien and Phuong as well as the fierceness of the war. Reading this book is the good way to know more about Vietname war and about Hanoi people. I strongly recommend this novel.

When visiting Vietnam last year, a man stopped me outside the war rememberance museum in Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon. He carried a shrink wrapped stack of books three feet high and tried to sell me a knock-off copy of "The Sorrow of War". When I told him I'd read it, he broke into a bright smile. He then offered to sell me Greene's "The Quiet American". When I told him I'd read that too, his eyes sparkled, his smile stretched and he put his arm around my shoulders. He took me to meet his friends. He said something in Vietnamese to them. All of a sudden I felt like I was a rediscovered lost relative. "The Sorrow of War" is a book that's not so much read as experienced. There is no escaping the intensity and naked reality presented. The author is a survivor of the American War who fought in the North Vietnamese Army, but Bao Ninh is kind to neither the North Vietnamese Army nor the Americans and its allies. There's no romanticism in this novel, only honesty.Originally banned by the Communist government, the book proved so popular that the government reconsidered and lifted the ban. It's now a national treasure.In my next life, when I'm a teacher, I will assign this to my class to be read back-to-back with Tim O'Brien's "The Things They Carried". These books could stop a war.

I read this book with hesitation, but after the first page I was hooked. As a Marine SSgt.,I fought against this enemy in 68 and 69 and was there in Saigon when he took over in 75. I found myself feeling sorry for the soldiers of the North, and somewhat ashamed of having caused some of the sorrows he wrote about. This book is a must for all vietnam Veterans. You'll see the enemy was just like us in every way.