Dust Child by Nguyen Phan Que Mai

June 11, 2025

Dust Child by Nguyen Phan Que Mai

Forty years after the Viet Nam war ended, the country is still feeling the after-effects of a senseless war. The story follows three characters: Dan, an American veteran suffering from PTSD who fathered a child with a Vietnamese bar girl, and returns to Vietnam about 40 years later with his wife to try to find the woman and their child; two Vietnamese sisters, Trang and Quynh, who became bar girls during the war to support their family; and Phong, a mixed race man who is a “dust child” fathered by a Black GI, who desperately wants to find his father so he can move his family to the United States. 

A look at the aftermath of the Viet Nam war from a different perspective, that of those left behind to deal with the consequences, told from three different POVs. The Viet Nam war is the background here. A dust child is a mixed race child, the illegitimate child of a Vietnamese woman and an American soldier. Thousands of American GIs left behind these dust children, who were often discriminated against and denied basic human rights. Many of these children were abandoned or given away by their mothers, who feared retaliation from the Viet Cong for associating with American soldiers (which thankfully did not happen). While the children of white GIs suffered, children of Black GIs were treated far worse. I found the character of Dan, the American veteran, to be the least appealing. Themes and triggers include PTSD, exploitation of women, sexual abuse, poverty, and racial discrimination. Recommended for readers who want an alternate perspective on a controversial war.

Ho Chi Minh City, formerly Saigon, in the 21st century

Complicit by Winnie M. Li

August 11, 2022

Complicit by Winnie M. Li

Sarah Lai has adored movies since she was a child. When the opportunity to work for a fledgling production company comes her way, she jumps at the chance. Chafing at doing grunt work, Sarah longs for a chance to be more involved in the film company. She gets her break when a script from a new director needs tweaking. She edits and improves the script, then is promoted to Associate Producer to work on the director's second film - in Hollywood. As an Asian American, Sarah feels like an outsider in the industry and works hard to prove that she deserves to be there. But she is unprepared for the drugs, alcohol and party lifestyle that pervade the Los Angeles film industry.

Winnie M. Li gives us a story pulled from current headlines. While you may feel that you know the story, unless you work in the industry, you don't know about the sordid underside of movie making. Li's main character Sarah is right in the thick of everything and gives a great picture of the "glamorous" film industry. Wonderful writing, will keep you turning the pages.

The red carpet, the ultimate goal of any filmmaker

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC.