Late Blossom

The tragic irony of America's military adventure in Viet Nam lies in the fact that the two countires were fighting different wars. The Americans were fighting to sever the head of a communist monster they saw as intent on world domination and enslavement to the State. The Vietnamese, in contrast, were fighting to reclaim their right to self-determination and self-rule — a war of independence. "Late Blossom" is a moving true story set during the Viet Nam War about how ordinary people cope with extraordinary circumstances, and how a few, in spite of unimaginable horror and constant fear, somehow manage to reach deep within themselves and survive the despair and dark of night to embrace the hope and light of day. In these pages we are taken into a world where personal insecurity, sudden ruin and the real possibility of torture and violent death are as perfunctorily taken for granted as tomorrow's sunrise. We are introduced to a cast of real-life characters caught up in and struggling against the sweeping tides of history. And through the eyes of a most remarkable woman, we come to better understand a most remarkable people and their long fight for freedom. "Late Blossom" is, quite simply, a beautifully told story of life, loss and love in a war-torn Viet Nam.

By Laura Lam