Book Group met outdoors
Posted Wednesday 21 July 2010 ~ 8:26pm
A balmy summer evening, a book, glass of wine ...... its a tough scene sometimes
The famous photograph of the girl with napalm burns
We started our discussion in the Rectory garden (still warm at 7.30) being offered wine and strawberries (dipped in chocolate, by Maurice himself!) Inevitably, rain stopped play after about half an hour and we retired our usual seats in the Rectory.
Our latest read was The Girl in the Picture, by Denise Chong. The title refers to the iconic, horrifying and mesmerising photo of the little girl seen running down a road in Vietnam, following a mistaken napalm attack on a South Vietnamese village, which left her stripped naked and badly burned by the force of the bomb. Anyone reading a newspaper or watching the news at that time cannot have failed to have been moved at the photo, as we were at this book.
The story is one of the courage and fortitude of that girl, Kim Phuc, who was left to die in hospital, until she was rescued by a reporter covering the war. After many months of painful hospital treatment she returned to her village. The image in the photo was transmitted worldwide and it became a propaganda weapon for the North Vietnamese. It is considered by many to have altered the course of the war.
After the end of the war, Kim herself was used by the Vietnamese as a propaganda tool and her life, though she was often racked by the pain of her injuries, became, in many ways, controlled by the Vietnamese government. There were however some positive elements to this control, such as the opportunity to study, both in Vietnam and Cuba, where she married a fellow Vietnamese. However, Kim found the control, exercised at the highest level, stultifying and eventually she took the opportunity to escape to Canada, where she has made a life for herself, her Vietnamese husband and her parents.
It is also the story of Kim’s path from the faith of her family, the Cao Dao faith, to that of Christianity, which becomes a great strength, aiding her in her struggle to be normal. About 8% of Vietnamese are currently Christians, the majority being Roman Catholics. The Cao Dao faith is one of the 20th century origin, and is a syncretist Vietnamese religious movement with a strongly nationalist political character, particularly prevalent in the Tay Ninh area in which she lived. ( Cao Dai draws upon ethical precepts from Confucianism, occult practices from Taoism, theories of karma and rebirth from Buddhism, and a hierarchical organization (including a pope) from Roman Catholicism. Its pantheon of saints includes such diverse figures as the Buddha, Confucius, Jesus Christ, Muhammad, Pericles, Julius Caesar, Joan of Arc, Victor Hugo, and Sun Yat-sen)
This book is not just about the very human story of Kim, it is also about life during the war, when the people of South Vietnam were forced, by both the Southern forces and those of the Vietcong, to support whichever side was putting the most pressure on them, putting themselves in danger from the opposing side and their means of reconciling themselves to this fact.
Elements of the book relate some of the political aspects of the war, while also informing the reader of the closeness and support of family life in Vietnam, which gave the book group some pause for thought over the loss of much of this in Western Europe.
For me, this book was of particular interest as we visited Vietnam four years ago and although we were in the middle and the north of Vietnam, I recognised some of the descriptions of life and particularly that of the very hard working and devoted mother of Kim Phuc, who worked, with great determination, hours that most Western women would find unsustainable, in order to support an extended and growing family. Vietnamese women have always been good small traders, while the male has often been prepared to sit back and enjoy the benefits.
One of the sadnesses of this book is Kim’s feeling that she will never be able to live a normal life, to fade into the background and just be herself. She is a UNESCO goodwill ambassador, but to Kim, herself, she will always be ‘The girl in the picture’, sought out from time to time, whenever a journalist or other organisation, wishes to revive the story of the Vietnam war and thus destroying any sense of anonymity she may have found.
In our discussions, we reflected on the fact that Kim was only one of the myriad of victims of the war, and of wars that continue to this day. Many of these victims do not have the ‘luck’ of Kim, in finding medical treatment and rehabilitation. We wondered what her life would have been like if she had not been ‘The girl in the picture’. There was very little reflection in the book on what the reality of her situation would have been in such a case.
We agreed that it had been an interesting book to read and we were pleased that it had been suggested to us.
This is a friendly, convivial group and people do not always read/finish the nominated book, but still are able to take part in the ensuing discussion, which normally ends with Maurice and Anne producing wine/coffee/biscuits and time for a general chat. A book is read every 6 to 8 weeks ( so not very demanding!) Do join us if you enjoy a good read.
Caroline Green
Categories: Groups, Book Group