Blossoms on the Wind

by Juliet Lac

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0806531142
• ISBN13: 9780806531144
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: Citadel Press
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.3" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Compelling and Thought-Provoking

Blossoms On The Wind are the memoirs of Juliet Lac, a woman who was born in Vietnam during the war in 1967. Her father, a soldier in the South Vietnamese army, perished in the war, leaving Juliet, her mother, and her younger sister alone. After the war, Juliet's sister falls ill, and dies, leaving only her and her mother to survive in what remains of Vietnam. Through sheer courage and determination, Juliet's mother manages to secure passage on a fishing boat for the both of them to take them to ...? So, in the middle of the night, with 300+ other people on the boat that should only hold less than 100, they escape Vietnam and head towards something, anything that has to be better than where they've been. The story that follows is at times remarkable, unbelievable, gut-wrenching, and will leave one with the wonderment of how these women survive. Moving to a new place is always a challenge. But moving from a third-world country to America? To a place where you know you are despised? Where you don't speak the language, where the culture is foreign, the food is unknown? Walking into a schoolroom, and knowing nothing? These things can seem unsurmountable. Reading this woman's story fills one with a sense of faith in the human spirit, and truly gives one inspiration. Now, I do have to admit to being a little biased here. I live in Southern California, and specifically in Orange County, where we have the largest population of Vietnamese outside of Vietnam. And I am old enough to remember the influx of Vietnamese refugees during the 70s and 80s. I have friends and co-workers who were "boat people" and lived in refugee camps - similar experiences to Juliet Lac's - and their stories have always amazed me. Their courage and determination have been an inspiration to me. That's why I'm so glad this women has written this book, and has done such a wonderful job with it. Her stories, and others like hers, should be told. They offer so much to others. Juliet Lac does go through some very tough times, and she does suffer through depression and make some very bad choices. Yet, she also demonstrates how the will to survive and the human spirit can overcome, and healing can become a possibility. This is one of the few truly inspirational books I've had the honor to read.

An Honest, Straightforward Memoir

This is truly an interesting read. I especially enjoyed reading about Juliet's life in Vietnam. I thought her and her mother were very brave. After the death of her dad and her sister, Juliet and her mom manage to put their war torn lives together again, however imperfectly and amazingly, these two women, alone, without any male aide, get on a ship to escape the communists. The ship sinks and they end up in Malaysia living as refugees for seven months under far from pleasant circumstances. From there, they go to the United States and face much struggle and change as immigrants. This is a terrific look at what life is like in war and how it feels to be in a new place with new people following new rules and speaking a new language. Juliet is also very honest about the fact that she is far from perfect. She admits to failing as a mother (with her first son) and making mistakes in judgement and life decisions. The only thing keeping me from giving this 5 stars is the insinuations that most Americans or westerners do not have or experience similar problems. Thousands of westerners and Americans everyday have financial problems, post partum depression, discover they have a disease, send a loved one off to war, and make bad marriages. This book at times gave me the impression that everytime something went wrong in Juliet's life, she fell into depression. Often, it comes off as a pity party, but nevertheless, is still a good read.