Recommended Babylift Books and Films
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Mom: Notes From a Pioneer Adoptive Family by Lana Noone, with Byron, Jennie and Jason Noone (2003) GLOBAL MOM tells the story of a "pioneer" international adoptive family. In 1975, Byron and Lana Noone adopted their daughter, Heather, who tragically died, and then their daughter, Jennie, from the Vietnam Babylift. Four years later, they adopted their son, Jason, from Korea. Addressing topics that range from separation anxiety, racism and culture, to elementary school, teen, and college years, the Noone family combines faith, insight, and humor to tell their story. The book's message is one of hope. "We were a 'pioneer' adoptive family, living in suburbia. We raised our children when there were no adoption camps, few role models, and many societal challenges. We thrived, and so will you," Mrs. Noone says. The story of their journey will inspire and encourage all families ... a "must-read" for adoptive and birth families everywhere. For further information on how to order a copy, please send requests to lana@vietnambabylift.org. |
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Voices From Vietnam Click HERE to read Charlene Edwards' poignant essay, "She Shimmered In Time", about an adopted Vietnamese child whose body succumbed to illness but whose spirit lives on in the hearts of many. |
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The War Cradle by Shirley Peck Barnes "The War Cradle" is about the tens of thousands of children in Vietnam left to wander the country aimlessly. It tells of the events leading up to the last days of the Vietnam War, as well as Operation Babylift. The book contains about a dozen pages of black and white photos from Operation Babylift as well as some correspondence. The "Aftermath" section of the book contains the words and writings of several Vietnamese adoptees; featured are Huyen Friedlander Brannan, Stacy Thuy Meredith, Tuy Buckner, Tuan-Rishard F. Schneider, Jared Rehberg, Kimberly Brinker, and Joshua Woerthwein. |
 | Adoption
Nation: How The Adoption Revolution is Transforming America by Adam Pertman Adoption, once a clandestine process shrouded in shame, is rapidly metamorphosing into a radically new process that is both sweeping the nation and changing it. It is accelerating our transformation into a more multicultural and multiethnic society, even as it helps redefine our understanding of "family." Adoption is also a highly visible example of a social institution that has benefited from and been reshaped by both the Internet and the exponential growth of alternative lifestyles, from single to transracial to gay. But negative stereotypes still remain, and new problems--mostly stemming from the corrosive influence of money--are becoming pervasive. In Adoption Nation, Adam Pertman, an award-winning journalist and adoptive father, provides valuable insights into the pleasures and perils of adoption. He shows how it now affects almost all our lives, whether we realize it or not. And he lays out the ways in which policymakers should revise our laws to improve the process of adoption, stop treating members of the "adoption triad" as second-class citizens, and remove the obstacles that keep the children who most need permanent homes from getting them. Filled with up-to-the-minute information and a wealth of dramatic real-life stories, Adoption Nation is essential reading for adoptive families, for anyone contemplating adopting a child, and for the more than 80 million Americans who are touched by or curious about this extraordinary cultural transformation. If you want to comment on the book, ask questions, contact Adam to discuss an appearance or just to chat, you can email him at: adoptionnation@usa.com |
 | After
Sorrow Comes Joy by Cherie Clark "After Sorrow Comes Joy" relates the incredible story of Cherie Clark's work in Vietnam, including her part in "Opoeration Babylift" in 1975. By April 26, "we were left with no food, no milk, no money," says Clark, who still had 180 children at her Saigon orphanage. Two days earlier, the South Vietnamese government abruptly withdrew permission for them to depart. But on April 25, "they told us, if we could make it onto a U.S. military airplane, they'd look the other way." |
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This Must Be My Brother by LeAnn Thieman and Carol Dey "This Must Be My Brother" recounts LeAnn Thieman's 1975 adventure in the Vietnam Orphan Airlift when she helped rescue 300 babies in open cardboard boxes as Saigon was falling to the communists. This spellbinding book received an excellent review in Publishers Weekly and is featured in "Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul." |
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Adrift in the Storms: A Twenty Year Journey
to Peace by LeAnn Thieman "Adrift in the Storms: A Twenty Year Journey to Peace" is a true story of MaiLy, one of the 300 Vietnamese children LeAnn Thieman helped rescue during Operation Babylift in 1975. This biographical novel recounts the tale of a lonely girl whose American dream became a nightmare of drugs, abuse and mistaken love. MaiLy battled through her journey for twenty years and finally, triumphantly found her peace within. Teens and adults can appreciate the adjustment problems portrayed and will find a peaceful understanding in this story. Publishers Weekly says "...an astonishing story" |
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The Unwanted by Kien Nguyen "Kien Nguyen's 'The Unwanted' is a haunting memoir of both nightmarish agony and redemptive self-discovery destined to become a literary classic. Written by a Vietnamese immigrant storyteller whose mesmerizing prose is reminiscent of Frank McCourt and Alfred Kazin, The Unwanted is a cultural experience you won't easily forget." - Douglas Brinkley, Director of the Eisenhower Center for American Studies and Professor of History at the University of New Orleans, author of Rosa Parks (Penguin Lives), FDR and the Creation of the U.N. (with Townsend Hoopes), and the American Heritage History of the United States "Compellingly told, Kien Nguyen's story of an Amerasian boy and his mother unfolds dramatically page by page. It not only touches the heart but contributes to our understanding of the history of postwar Vietnam." - Lan Cau, author of Monkey Bridge and Everything You Need to Know About Asian American History (with Himilce Novas) "The 'unwanted' in the title refers to the American children who resulted from U.S. involvement in Vietnam from the late 1950s to 1975. Kien has blond hair and blue eyes and is only eight when Saigon falls to the communists in the spring of 1975. He is at the American embassy with his mother and other family members waiting for the last helicopters to leave Vietnam. However, one helicopter crashes and the other flees, leaving hundreds of Vietnamese stranded in hostile territory. His mother, once a wealthy banker, is left with nothing after her house is 'given' to a Communist Party member; and Kien and his brother are considered half-breeds by the conquering North Vietnamese and by their own neighbors and some relatives. Together with his mother, younger brother, grandparents, and a former servant, Kien learns to survive by trying to grow up early. When an attempted escape turns tragic, Kien becomes a prisoner in Vietnam. This is a moving memoir by someone who was forced out of childhood by war and its many disruptions. - Marlene Chamberlain "He writes with a voice of innocence that takes us into the heart and spirit of one person's undeserved and tragic childhood." - USA TODAY "A remarkable tale of survival at all costs." - Julie K. L. Dam, People "Compelling....A haunting story." - Laura Ciolkowski, Washington Post Book World "Nguyen writes with a voice of innocence that takes us into the heart and spirit of one person's undeserved and tragic childhood." - Carol Memmott, USA Today "A gripping literary memoir....Young Kien's pleasure in the smell of candy on his grandfather's breath, the texture of soursop fruit, and the blood red of a girl's blouse persuades us that he has the will and acumen to survive....So much happens that is beyond the imagination of American readers untested by war on the home front that it is best to suspend disbelief and simply listen to Kien Nguyen's bold and eloquent voice." - Cheri Register, Ruminator Review "Heart-rending....A harrowing account of what life was like for Kien Nguyen and his family in those nightmare years." - Merle Rubin, Los Angeles Times "Vivid and compelling.... A gripping, emotionally raw story....Kien's story deserves a place with the best memoirs of immigration and exile." - Richard C. Kagan, Minneapolis Star Tribune. |
 | The
Friendship Village A documentary film by Michelle Mason THE FRIENDSHIP VILLAGE is an award-winning 50-minute documentary by Canadian filmmaker Michelle Mason about an international group of veterans who are building a village in Viet Nam for children with Agent Orange-related disabilities. Built on a former rice paddy near Hanoi, the Friendship Village stands not only as a symbol of peace and reconciliation, but as a testament to the potential for all people to come to terms with the past, heal the wounds of war, and create a better world. Following the story of the village's founder, American veteran George Mizo, THE FRIENDSHIP VILLAGE takes us through his experiences of war's horror to the personal transformation that led to the birth of his remarkable village. Working alongside the Vietnamese general responsible for killing his entire platoon in 1968, George and other veterans from the USA, Vietnam, France, Germany, Japan, Great Britain and Australia are attempting to mitigate the ongoing effects of the toxic herbicide sprayed during the war. Their efforts are a powerful example of how average people can still make a profound difference in our increasingly globalized world. As such, the Vietnam Friendship Village has the potential to change not only the lives of the children who live in it and the men who build it, but all who come to understand its mission. WINNER: * Silver Hugo for Best Social/Political Documentary from the 2003 Chicago International Television Awards * Best Documentary and Best Director of a Documentary at the 2003 New York International Independent Film and Video Festival To purchase a video copy of The Friendship Village: Contact Michelle Mason Proceeds from video sales help support the Vietnam Friendship Village Project. |
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A SENSE OF DUTY: My Father, My American Journey
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| Turn My Eyes Away by Rosemary Taylor The first book Rosemary Taylor wrote. Hard bound, 173 pages, is available from: Susan Carol McDonald, 826 N. Rock Hill Road, St. Louis, MO 63119-1341 Email: Susanmcdo@aol.com $25 + $5 P&H = $30 The book was published in 1976 as a tribute to those who died in the C5A accident. It is a glimpse into the lives of those born and orphaned in Vietnam during the war there and subsequently adopted abroad. The book, filled with wonderfully descriptive, page sized photos and minimal text is now out of print. Susan has thirty-two copies available for those who first request a copy(s) and send payment. Also preference will be given to those who were born and orphaned in VN and adopted abroad as well as their parents and siblings. |
| Vietnam Adoptee Experience
from the AMNH CSPAN's TV program featuring the Vietnam Babylift Adoptee Panel, held on April 26, 2003 at the American Museum of Natural History, New York City, may be purchased via their website at: http://www.cspan.org Please access program #174127, titled "Vietnam Adoptee Experience from the AMNH" for CSPAN store ordering details. The program runs for 1 hour and 29 minutes, and features Vietnam Babylift adoptees Jason Minh Alt, Tia Keevil, Jennie Noone and Canh Oxelson discussing their life journeys. You may also phone CSPAN at (877) 662-7726 for ordering details. |
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Fourth Uncle in the Mountain Orphans of War Paperback edition. Printed in 2006. Limited copies available. For Children Cannot Wait Printed in 1980. Now out of print. Bound copies of a copy of the book available. Translated in English, French and German. Also a separate printout of the Vietnamese translation available if desired. By Sr. Susan Carol McDonald Dedication: This book is for you, the children of Vietnam who have been adopted abroad. It is to give you some understanding of the circumstances which existed in Vietnam that brought about the eventful beginnings of your lives. 25US$ (=Cost of printing) + postage Sanctuary of Phu My This is a treasure to anyone who lived at Phu My. A sanctuary for 1500 Vietnamese struggling to survive and operated by the Sisters of St. Paul de Chartres. This is a booklet written by several units at Tan Son Nhut Air Base 10$US + postage ($10=cost of printing) |