Children of the Enemy: Oral Histories of Vietnamese Amerasians and Their Mothers

by Steven DeBonis

Overview

When U.S. troops withdrew from Vietnam, they left behind thousands of young children fathered by American soldiers. The new regime regarded the Amerasians as children of the enemy and ostracized them from Vietnamese society.

The U.S. government passed the Homecoming Act of 1988, finally facilitating immigration of Amerasians to the United States. Most who have emigrated faced difficulty adjusting to a new culture and only about 2 percent have been reunited with their fathers. Revealing and often poignant, the 38 interviews here give voice to the struggle that Amerasians and their mothers faced in their homeland.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476605296
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date:	05/12/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	309
File size:	6 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Steven DeBonis, spent 12 years teaching in refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines.
Steven DeBonis, spent 12 years teaching in refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines.

Editorial Reviews

The 38 oral histories, transcribed from interviews conducted at the Philippine Refugee Processing Center, are divided into three sections. In the first section, the narrators are Amerasians. In the second, they are Amerasians and their mothers. In the third section, the narrators are mothers of Amerasians. Some of the accounts are brief sketches, other more lengthy. The accounts deal with loss of husbands, of parents, of family, of freedom, of country. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

a welcome introduction to one group of Indochinese refugees that hitherto have not received the attention they deserved”—Choice; “compelling...important for gaining an understanding of the backgrounds of Amerasions and their mothers”—MultiCultural Review; “the author...conducted over a hundred interviews with Amerasians and their mothers in 1991 and 1992”—Asian and Pacific Migration Journal.

From the Publisher

"the author...conducted over a hundred interviews with Amerasians and their mothers in 1991 and 1992"

Asian and Pacific Migration Journal

compelling...important for gaining an understanding of the backgrounds of Amerasions and their mothers

MultiCultural Review

a welcome introduction to one group of Indochinese refugees that hitherto have not received the attention they deserved

Choice