A memoir by Kieu Chinh, one of the most, if not the most, celebrated and beloved Vietnamese American movie actresses. She survived three wars: World War II, the Indochina war [1945-1954], and the civil war between North and South Vietnam [1954-1975]. After 1975, she has made her home in the United States, and played a multiple of roles in numerous TV shows and Hollywood films, most notably, the TV show M.A.S.H., the movie The Joy Luck Club, amongst many others. The book spans more than seven decades from her childhood in Hanoi until the recent times in the US, it vividly depicts her experiences not only as a movie actress, but also in many other facets of life, as a living witness and part of so many tragic situations, in war and peace, in tragedy and happiness, in bitter failures and glorious achievements. But at the end, it is the human spirit, inside this extraordinary woman, that prevails. A must-read book for anyone, who is interested in the history of Vietnam and especially the Vietnamese movie history.
