Review of My Enemy in Vietnam
Posted: 19 May 2022, 15:10
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "My Enemy in Vietnam" by Billy Springer.]
My Enemy in Vietnam is a memoir about a US soldier’s experience in the Vietnam war. It’s a story about the time he realized that his actual enemies were not the ones he was fighting against but those who wore the same uniform as he did.
The story begins with the writer recalling certain events from the war. During that time, he realized that his troop was not on his side, because of the color of his skin. He would be bullied, harassed, and offered as bait frequently during his stay in Vietnam, so much so that he had to resort to sleeping with a gun nearby. However, because he had familiarised himself with the local language, he became friends with some of the local Vietnamese people. They considered him as their own since they shared the same skin tone. They also asked valid questions regarding the rampant racism in the United States and how he could fight in favor of such a country. He also recalls how the riots in the US, which were allegedly started by black people, led to the mistreatment of the black folk in the army. But it wasn’t the Vietnamese who ill-treated the blacks. Instead, the white folk abused the colored folk from their own troop. All in all, it's a book about friendship, enmity and how one may get confused between the two. The story teaches a valuable lesson that your enemy may not be who you think he is.
Billy Springer did a tremendous job of packing his entire experience in just 60 pages. The writing style is so conversational and smooth that it’s quite easy to overlook the punctuation errors in the text. The monochrome illustrations are spot on and give a more historical vibe to the book. They also accurately capture the emotions of the author. I loved the wittiness of the Vietnamese people who were quick to point out the racism that the author’s own country was subjecting him to. They were also able to look past the political differences between the people of the two nations and accepted Billy as their ‘soul brother’.
While it was an enjoyable read, I did feel that the story had an abrupt ending. I expected some closure or even a cliffhanger, which involved the author’s first step towards defying racism in his community. Apart from the grammatical and spelling errors, I found some pages with misaligned text. This negatively impacted the flow of reading. I found some remarks about the Vietnamese women mildly offensive. For example, while talking about their beauty, the author repeatedly called them ‘thin and awesome’. Lastly, since this book has numerous references to the events that took place during the Vietnam war, it would be better to add a side-note describing those events. This may improve the reader’s understanding of the text.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. While I wanted to give a perfect rating, the grammatical errors prevented me from doing so. However, I do feel that this story has the potential of making an even stronger impact with the right editing. The title and cover aptly depict the theme of the story and grab the reader’s attention from the get-go.
War veterans would surely relate to this memoir. The book has some harsh language and subtle derogatory remarks. Hence, I would suggest that kids read it under adult supervision. Those who have been curious about the Vietnam war would get a peek into the era, which many may find fascinating. Because of numerous references to the events that transpired during the war, readers may have to consult the internet for more clarity on some topics. This includes the case of Brown v. Board of Education, which has been mentioned in the book.
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My Enemy in Vietnam
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
My Enemy in Vietnam is a memoir about a US soldier’s experience in the Vietnam war. It’s a story about the time he realized that his actual enemies were not the ones he was fighting against but those who wore the same uniform as he did.
The story begins with the writer recalling certain events from the war. During that time, he realized that his troop was not on his side, because of the color of his skin. He would be bullied, harassed, and offered as bait frequently during his stay in Vietnam, so much so that he had to resort to sleeping with a gun nearby. However, because he had familiarised himself with the local language, he became friends with some of the local Vietnamese people. They considered him as their own since they shared the same skin tone. They also asked valid questions regarding the rampant racism in the United States and how he could fight in favor of such a country. He also recalls how the riots in the US, which were allegedly started by black people, led to the mistreatment of the black folk in the army. But it wasn’t the Vietnamese who ill-treated the blacks. Instead, the white folk abused the colored folk from their own troop. All in all, it's a book about friendship, enmity and how one may get confused between the two. The story teaches a valuable lesson that your enemy may not be who you think he is.
Billy Springer did a tremendous job of packing his entire experience in just 60 pages. The writing style is so conversational and smooth that it’s quite easy to overlook the punctuation errors in the text. The monochrome illustrations are spot on and give a more historical vibe to the book. They also accurately capture the emotions of the author. I loved the wittiness of the Vietnamese people who were quick to point out the racism that the author’s own country was subjecting him to. They were also able to look past the political differences between the people of the two nations and accepted Billy as their ‘soul brother’.
While it was an enjoyable read, I did feel that the story had an abrupt ending. I expected some closure or even a cliffhanger, which involved the author’s first step towards defying racism in his community. Apart from the grammatical and spelling errors, I found some pages with misaligned text. This negatively impacted the flow of reading. I found some remarks about the Vietnamese women mildly offensive. For example, while talking about their beauty, the author repeatedly called them ‘thin and awesome’. Lastly, since this book has numerous references to the events that took place during the Vietnam war, it would be better to add a side-note describing those events. This may improve the reader’s understanding of the text.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. While I wanted to give a perfect rating, the grammatical errors prevented me from doing so. However, I do feel that this story has the potential of making an even stronger impact with the right editing. The title and cover aptly depict the theme of the story and grab the reader’s attention from the get-go.
War veterans would surely relate to this memoir. The book has some harsh language and subtle derogatory remarks. Hence, I would suggest that kids read it under adult supervision. Those who have been curious about the Vietnam war would get a peek into the era, which many may find fascinating. Because of numerous references to the events that transpired during the war, readers may have to consult the internet for more clarity on some topics. This includes the case of Brown v. Board of Education, which has been mentioned in the book.
******
My Enemy in Vietnam
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon