Dust Child
Ananya Chowdhry, fintech sales professional, Bandra

My college roommate visited Vietnam and got me Nguyen Phan Que Mai’s book. While the USA-Vietnam War is often touted as one of the greatest successes (or failures, depending on who you talk to) in military strategy, the novel talks about the cost borne by the soldiers, the Vietnamese women and the children of these unions. We go through the stories of four children as they navigate life after the war. War wreaks havoc on all families involved, and this book is worth reading to see that it’s not all Presidents and Generals, but the foot soldiers and the farmer’s daughters that find comfort in each other in the Hollywood bar in Saigon who are caught in the crossfire.