Books

Paradise of the Blind by Duong Thu Huong
This book is about a Vietnamese woman reminiscing about her childhood on a long trip through Russia. It explores the ramifications of communism upon a culture and examines the pride and pain of the ordinary people as they try to survive. I would recommend this book for the beautiful prose and vivid portrayal of both peasant life and city life in Vietnam and also of life in communist Russia.

The book describes exotic food, rich Vietnamese culture, and the difficult and often ludicrous implementation of communism. The book explores the classes in society and the difficulty in redistributing wealth. There are no easy solutions, but this book is banned in Vietnam because it illustrates the wrong thinking of the Northern Government back in the 80s.