Red Blood, Yellow Skin

A Young Girl's Survival in War-Torn Vietnam

Non-Fiction - Memoir
342 Pages
Reviewed on 07/27/2017
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite

I love memoirs, and when I find one that is focused, with a distinctive and compelling voice like Red Blood, Yellow Skin: A Young Girl's Survival in War-Torn Vietnam by Linda L.T. Baer, I can’t put it down. The author was born in Tao Xa, Thai Binh Province, North Vietnam in 1947, and she experiences the trauma of war at a very early age. She is just four when her father is killed during a Viet Minh raid on the village. Linda is left alone with her mother and they soon know hardships and difficulties.

To escape poverty, her mother marries a heartless, domineering and controlling freak of a rich man who makes life difficult for his stepdaughter. At thirteen, after relocating to South Vietnam, Linda runs off to Saigon to start fending for herself, fleeing from the cruelty of her stepfather. Follow her as she grows up, gets introduced to bars, nightclubs, and Saigon Tea. Learn about her heartaches and betrayals and how she finally finds true love with a US Air Force Officer and her journey towards redemption, healing, and life in the US. Now she is a successful businesswoman, but how did she get there?

There is a lot to enjoy in this story and a lot to learn from Linda L.T. Baer’s life. The author offers a compelling personal and intimate account of what it felt like to grow up in a war-torn country, with powerful images of what war can do to a country. The memoir explores captivating and relevant themes, including war, romance, hardship, family, culture, and a lot more. It is impossible not to feel drawn to the memoirist as she struggles to find her path in a merciless world. Wonderfully written, Linda L.T. Baer’s Red Blood, Yellow Skin will unveil a Vietnam that readers hardly know, with powerful and compelling characters, great conflict, and arresting images.