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Reviewed by Keith Mbuya for Readers' Favorite
It is 1962, two years since eleven-year-old Piper Lewis lost her mother. The phone call that changes her life comes through at her home in Arlington, Virginia. Her father, Neil Lewis, a career officer with USAID, had been posted to Bangkok, and he was moving with the whole family: Piper and her stepmother. Six years later, and without her parents’ knowledge, Piper and her friend Krissy attend a party hosted by a Swiss musician. However, she has no idea that she is about to lose her best friend tragically, and on the same night, meet Jack Gallagher, a nineteen-year-old private in Bangkok on R&R. But that’s not all. The tragedy at this event might just be the first of the hard blows fate has in store for her in Thailand. Find out how it all goes down in Sawadika American Girl by Daria Sommers.
If you are looking for a young adult coming-of-age novel laced with history, drama, suspense, and a poignant tale of love, Sawadika American Girl by Daria Sommers is a must-read. With intimate, reflective prose, Sommers transports readers back in time to 1960s Thailand and the American suburbs. The vivid imagery captured both the beauty of the temples, their architectural wonder, and the stark contrast between the residences of the wealthy and the poor in Bangkok. I got a glimpse into the culture and lifestyle of the Thai people during that era. Piper displays the privileges and struggles that the children of diplomats stationed in the East were exposed to during the Vietnam War. Piper’s father and his circle of friends highlight how detached diplomats were from the harsh realities of the war. Just like the stories of most veterans, this one makes you wonder: was the sacrifice of the soldiers for nothing?
