Select Books

Finally, the first book shipment for Singapore has arrived from India. I apologize to those of you who have been waiting due to the long delay.

Late Blossom is now available at Select Books, 19 Tanglin Road #03-15, Singapore.
To contact the bookstore:

Tel: (65) 6732 -1515
Fax: (65) 6736- 0855
Emails: orders@selectbooks.com.sg
info@selectbooks.com.sg

Asian American Press

With thanks and appreciation to Tom La Venture, News and Managing Editor, and his staff for their time and effort to create an article for Late Blossom.

I am very impressed with the Press and the wide range of coverage of issues and events affecting the Asian community, both in the Twin Cities and nationally. I feel proud to be included.

"The Vietnam War through the eyes of a young woman" published by www.aapress.com Friday, 19 October, 2007.

The American Library in Paris

It's an honor for me to be invited to the Library for the evening of November 28th. This cocktails/signature event is part of the "Evenings With An Author" series, sponsored by the Annenberg Foundation. Charles Trueheart, the director, will introduce me and the book. After an overview of the content of Late Blossom, I will be available for discussion and answering questions from the audience. Please join me from 7:30pm.

The American Library in Paris
10 rue du General Camou, 75007 Paris.
Tel: 01 - 5359 - 1260
www.americanlibraryinparis.org

WH Smith's book event

My thanks to the seventy guests who had come to my book event last Tuesday. I deeply appreciate your presence and support. For those of you who couldn't wait for signature, I will be happy to come back to WH Smith next Tuesday. I can also arrange to see you at your clubs or associations to sign the book.

Laura: Your help with the promotion is tremendous and I will remain grateful to you. You have given Late Blossom a great start. I have received several nice emails from the guests since yesterday. All said they had had an enjoyable evening, and they will recommend the book to relatives and friends.

Hannah: I thank you in return for your hard work getting people to come to the evening. There was a great turnout because of it. I'm glad you heard back from some guests, and that they had a good time. I too was happy about the evening, as were my colleagues who were very moved by your speech and comments from Soonu and Badia.

Have you done the interview with Radio France Inter? One guest on Tuesday wanted to get in touch with you to talk to you in depth about Viet Nam today. If you'd like to contact her, here is her email address: ...........

I wish you all the best in the future and we'll be in touch with Nathalie for reorders, since I'm sure the book will sell well.

One last thing, I completely forgot to ask you to sign a book for my great Aunt Marian who's going to Viet Nam in March. I told her about your book, and she really wants to read it before she goes on holiday. It's her birthday next week, so I'd like to send her a signed copy, but I don't know how to proceed since I forgot to ask you Tuesday night.

Laura: I plan to be in Paris next Tuesday, so I will stop by to see you. About Radio France Inter, they will telephone me for the interview.

Soiree 18 Septembre

Je presente mes excuses a Radio France International pour ne pas avoir ete disponible durant cet evenement. J'etais dans un cafe avec Mme Kochar et Mme Hadj-Nasser et quand je suis revenu a WH Smith beaucoup d'invites commencaient a arriver. La femme chargee du marketing sentait que l'interview a la radio ne serait pas possible vu que la situation etait plutot complique. Je vous promets que les choses seront mieux prevus la prochain fois.

Je voudrais remercier tous les invites francais pour avoir assiste a cet evenement. J'espere que vous allez apprecie le livre en anglais. La version francaise de "Late Blossom" sera aussi bientot disponible.

Soirée Dédicace
Late Blossom:
Memories of life, loss and love in Viet Nam
par Laura Lâm
mardi 18 septembre - 19h30
WH SMITH 248 rue de Rivoli 75001 Paris Metro Concord

Cliquer ici pour réserver.

Je présenterai et dédicacerai mon oeuvre, suivi par une discussion sur les effets de la guerre et les similarités entre la guerre du Vietnam et la guerre en Iraq.

Invités d'honneur : Mme Soonu Kochar, ancienne Ambassadrice Indienne en France, et Mme Badia Hadj-Nasser, psychoanalyste et ecrivain.

Les discours de Madame Kochar et Laura ne sont pas sous formes ecrites. Ci-dessous se trouve le discour de Madame Hajd-Nasser:

Roman de guerre? Roman de temoignage d'une romanciere vietnamienne sur son pays? Roman d'amour?

Pour moi c'est une histoire d'amour. Une jeune femme. Une rencontre. Elle devient sa compagne. Plusieurs rebondissements s'ensuivent qui nous tiennent en haleine. Late Blossom est un livre que je me suis tout de suite approprie. Un livre bien ecrit.

Pour moi un livre doit laisser une trace. Late Blossom est une lecture qui ne laisse pas une mais des traces. Un livre dont j'ai du mal a me separer . Ce que j'appelle une lecture accompagnement. Un livre qu'on lit une premiere fois d'un trait et que l'on pose sur sa table de chevet pour le lire et le relire. Un livre qu'on lit comme quand on est adolescent et plus tard quand on n'est plus adolescent mais qu'on l'est toujours au fond de soi. Une lecture exceptionelle. Parce que dans Late Blossom la beaute de l'oevre litteraire le temoignage sur la guerre USA/Viet Nam sans l'occulter.

Le livre est une fresque a dimension epique. Les tourments de l'amour et la force de l'amour qui reunissent les deux heros nous font oublier les dechirements des combats guerriers. Pour donner une idee du roman Late Blossom de Laura Lam je convoquerai les Thibaults de Roger Martin du Gard et Autant en emporte le vent de Margaret Mitchell. Il y a la guerre, les privations, les bombardements et des destins qui s'entrecroisent. On est passionne par les personnages du roman. Differents les uns des autres et tous aussi attachants. On partage les illusions et les desillusions de l'heroine. Face a face USA et Viet Nam. Une guerre feroce. La confrontation terrible de la guerre et de deux etres que l'amour reunit.

Laura Lam excelle dans ce jeu du miroir. Les passages ou heroine croque la vie sont magnifiquement rendus. Le Viet Nam est tres present. Tout de suite on est pris par le destin des deux amants. L'histoire est-elle personnelle? Il appartiendra a Laura Lam de nous dire. Ce que je peux dire pour ma part c'est que Late Blossom donne a lire ce que l'on connait peu ou pas du tout. Comment fait-on pour s'aimer quand la guerre fait rage? Comment fait-on pour s'aimer parallelement a cette horreur? Comment fait-on pour vivre quotidiennement? Necessaire hygiene de la vie? La vie malgre tout? Entre dans le livre c'est y repondre, chacun pour soi.

La lecture que je fais de Late Blossom est celle d'un livre sur l'amour. Un tres beau texte ou les moments d'emotions sont tres present alors que la guerre tonne. La force, la puissance de Late Blossom repose sur deux points qui ne peuvent pas laisser indifferents, car ils sont un temoignage precieux a mes yeux : les hommes et les femmes s'aiment au milieu des luttes et quand la guerre fait rage. Le deuxieme point fait tout la force et la nouveaute du livre de Laura Lam : pour la premiere fois a ma connaissance une femme vietnamienne parle du Viet Nam, seule une vietnamienne peut le faire.

C'est un temoignage du dedans. Late Blossom laisse a la lectrice, au lecteur la possibilite de faire son choix. Roman de guerre? Temoignage precieux d'une romanciere vietnamienne sur son pays? Roman d' amour? Les trois lectures sont possibles. C'est ce qui fait la densite de ce roman. Late Blossom est un livre dont on va beaucoup parler.

Professor Anderson's endorsement

"A haunting account of a young, indomitable Vietnamese woman' s life and love that describes the two intertwining wars coexisting in Viet Nam -- the American war against Communism and the Civil war between those supporting the Americans and the authoritarian South Vietnamese regime and the 'nationalists' who supported Ho Chi Minh's struggle to regain independence and freedom for Viet Nam.

Ms Lam emphasizes the profoundly negative impact of the 'strategic hamlet' program and the US bombing that stirred fierce opposition to the American-backed regime and empowered the 'nationalists'. Late Blossom also provides extraordinary descriptions of the great events at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the 'Tet offensive' in 1968, and the fall of the Sai Gon regime in 1975, illuminating insights into the reactions of ordinary South Vietnamese."

Desaix Anderson. Charge d'Affaires, 1995-1997, US Embassy in Ha Noi.

WH Smith Author Signing

The marketing coordinator of WH Smith, Hannah Robin, has kindly offered to host a book signing for me on 18th September. You are invited to join me at 7:30pm. There will be two guest speakers :

Soonu Kochar, former Indian ambassador to France, and she teaches international relations at Nyenrode University.

Badia Hadj-Nasser, psychoanalyst and author of several novels, including the popular "Le voile mis a nu" (The veil lifted).

Please RSVP to books@whsmith.fr
or 01 44 77 88 99
WH SMITH 248 rue de Rivoli 75001 Paris Metro Concord

Princeton's new course on Viet Nam

With my grateful thanks to Professor Desaix Anderson for having Late Blossom on the reading list for his new graduate course "America and Vietnam at War: Origins, Implications, and Consequences" in the Princeton Global Seminar Program. I hope the students will enjoy reading the book.

Desaix: I have read Late Blossom with great interest and fascination. Congratulation on a fine work. I have composed some words for your use, if you wish.

Laura: With your knowledge, experience, and cultural sensitivity, your words are highly significant.

Desaix: Thanks. I hope it helps. It is an excellent book.

Bookshop

Many thanks to Sue and Judy of Reelbooks and to everyone who came to my book reading at L'Aigle Noir Hotel. I was so thrilled that all of you were interested in reading the book. Here are some photos of the event:





Book Reading and Tea Room at Aigle Noir Hotel




Display at Reelbooks


Recent photo in my flower garden

Book Reading on 2 May

Sue and Judy of Reelbooks have invited me to present my book at L'Aigle Noir Hotel on Wednesday, 2 May at 4 pm. Please come and join us for coffee, tea and sweets. I will make a Vietnamese cake!

L'Aigle Noir Hotel
27 Place Napoleon Bonaparte
Fontainebleau

See you there!

To Late Blossom's readers

Many thanks to Crossroads' members who had come to my book presentation at Maison des Associations on 3 April. I am especially grateful to all of you who had purchased the book at the meeting. And I am so thrilled that members of the Candle Light Book Club had chosen Late Blossom for April reading. While reading, you have probably noticed at least a few mistakes in the text. There was also a discrepancy on the Vietnamese death toll during the American war (it was three millions, not half a million as stated in the Q&A). With my apology. These will be corrected in the second printing in May.

Just Published

As of April 2, 2007, Late Blossom was released. The book is available through Amazon.com. This is a memoir of growing up in Viet Nam during the French war and the American war.

I always felt that the extent of war destruction in my country had never been fully revealed to outsiders from the Vietnamese point of view. To share with the Western world their suffering and struggle to free themselves from foreign domination was my reason for writing this memoir.

All royalties I myself receive from this book will be donated to my home village in the Mekong Delta. Thirty-two years after the war, it has not recovered. The village has no hospital or medical clinic. There is one elementary school and nothing else for the children. The people are still badly affected by the damages from intensive bombing, chemical defoliants, and Agent Orange.