The Sympathizer

               One book that I have not gotten around to reading, or rather finishing, is The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen. I started this book right before the school year started, but was forced to stop within the first few chapters when I realized I had summer reading to do (whoops). I really enjoyed the little bit of it that I was able to read, and will most likely pick it back up once I have some spare time on my hands (basically whenever the college application process is over). Nguyen's novel is about the Vietnam War, a time in history which I don't know that much about and would love to learn more. What makes it so interesting though is that it's told from the perspective of the Vietnamese, unlike most pieces of literature which only address the war from the perspective of how tragic it is from the United States' point of view. I don't know too much else about the novel, as I only read the first dozen pages, but I'm already looking forward to finishing it.

Comments

  1. BenjaminNovember 11, 2017 at 6:04 AM

    Colin,
    It'll be interesting to hear what you will think of Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried after reading The Sympathizer. O'Brien certainly has an unconventional perspective, and not a supportive one, of the Vietnam War, but as we discussed a couple times in class, he doesn't really address the Vietcong themselves very often. Instead, it always seemed like he projected his own identity onto the Vietnamese or that they represented some unknown enemy, lurking in the shadows with an almost mystic quality. I hope you finish it!

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  2. Camille WhiteNovember 11, 2017 at 6:07 AM

    Colin, I agree with you that this book is very special because it is told in the perspective of the Vietnamese. I think most Americans do not know how brutal and unjustified the Vietnam War really was. Even in APUSH last year we did not really learn much about the Vietnam War and spent around 10 minutes of class time discussing, which to me is really just sad. Today, Americans learn about this war for 10 minutes because in American history it does not match up to any of the World Wars, but in Vietnam, they had to live through it and they had to fix their country back up after we left. Of course, now we have a better understanding after reading The Things They Carried and reflecting on it as a class. Ever since I visited Vietnam I have been thinking a lot about the Vietnam War. After we read The Things They Carried, I watched some of the PBS episodes on the Vietnam War with Ken Burns, and watched the Deer Hunter. I definitely would like to read this book to learn more about the war especially since the perspective is so unique.

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  3. UnknownNovember 11, 2017 at 12:24 PM

    Hey Colin,

    I am so happy you want to read The Sympathizer, as it is one of the best books I've read. Up until finishing the novel, I was kinda neutral on the whole Vietnam War argument. After reading the book however I know believe that the brutality from American soldiers alone towards the Vietnamese was enough to sway my opinion about the war. You will love the book!!!!!! Can't wait ti hear what you think about it after you finish.

    - Addy

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  4. AnonymousNovember 11, 2017 at 7:58 PM

    Colin,
    I agree with Addy!! I read The Sympathizer right after it won the Pulitzer and it is an amazing book! It brings such a multifaceted and interesting perspective to the literary conversation about the Vietnam War. Also, I TOTALLY agree with Camille. We basically did not learn about the Vietnam War in APUSH, probably because it reflects really poorly on us when you really study it. I watched a couple of the Ken Burns episodes and I am about to start episode three right after I finish this comment!

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