"Good Afternoon Vietnam" Review Raves About Civilian's New Memoir

Title: Good Afternoon Vietnam

Subtitle: A Civilian in the Vietnam War

Author: Gary L. Wilhelm

Author's Website: http://frugal-engineer.com/

Genre or Category: History, memoir, war, humor

ISBN-10: 0692999906

ISBN-13: 978-0692999905

Purchase on Amazon

Reviewer's rating: Five stars

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Reviewed by Theodore Jerome Cohen originally for Amazon

Gary Wilhelm hits it out of the park with his first-hand account of his work in RVN during the war.

Even though he was a civilian, parts of this story sound like they came directly from the television series M*A*S*H (which, of course, hearkens back to the Korean Police Action of the early 1950s). Wilhelm's trials and tribulations in performing his job (having to leave the country just to communicate with his company in the States? What was that about???!), much less the effort it took to perform the things we take for granted as we go about our daily lives (e.g., shopping), would have been enough to drive most people mad.

My hat's off to you, Gary; thank you for your service! What a great read. Anyone interested in what really went on behind the scenes during the war in RVN will not want to miss this book. It's a fast--and very enjoyable--read!

Five stars, all the way.

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 The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of the multi award-winning HowToDoItFrugally series of books for writers. Of particular interest to readers of this blog is her most recent How to Get Great Book Reviews Frugally and Ethically (http://bit.ly/GreatBkReviews ) that covers 325 jam-packed pages covering everithing from Amazon vine to writing reviews for profit and promotion. Reviewers will have a special interest in the chapter on how to make reviewing pay, either as way to market their own books or as a career path--ethically!

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Free (and True!) Story Offered

Olga - A Daughter's Tale
By Marie-Thérèse Browne
Website: www.lulu.com/mariecampbell
Family saga
ISBN: 978-1-84753-047-9
Publisher: Lulu


Reviewed by Marie Campbell



Based on a true story a fascinating and moving book about an inspirational personal life, which has an epic feel about it from Jamaica to England amidst World War II. Olga - A Daughter's Tale is story of one woman's inspirational life.

Marie-Thérèse Browne, the author, realized as her mother lay seriously ill in hospital in Brighton, England in 1994 that had she died so too would Marie's chance of finding out about her mother's past, her family in Jamaica and, of particular importance to Marie, who her father was. All information her mother had resolutely refused to share with her. So she resolved to find out for herself.

Marie discovered her mother's real name was Olga Browney, born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica - one of eleven children from a close-knit, coloured Catholic family. A kind, naïve and gentle girl, Olga arrived in London in 1939 to stay with a malevolent, alcoholic aunt and intending to remain for only six months. However, world events, personal tragedy and malicious intent all combined to prevent her from returning home to Kingston .

Olga – A Daughter's Tale is about cruelty, revenge and jealousy inflicted on an innocent young woman and about her moral courage, dignity, resilience and, in particular, love. It is the story of a remarkable woman who, because of circumstances, made a choice, which resulted in her losing contact with her beloved family in Jamaica. That is, until nearly half a century later, when her past caught up her.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Marie-Thérèse Browne was born in London in 1943. At the age of five she was sent to a Catholic boarding school in Dartford, Kent. From there she moved to a Catholic day convent in Brighton where she lived on and off for the next fifty years, until she emigrated to Australia. Her book Olga – A Daughter's Tale was written as a tribute to her mother after Marie discovered the truth about her mother's past, and also as a record for future generations of her family. Olga – A Daughter's Tale is her first book and is available to buy on www.lulu.com/mariecampbell


For a limited time a PDF copy can be downloaded free from www.olga-a-daughters-tale.com


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The New Book Review is blogged by Carolyn Howard-Johnson, founder of Authors' Coalition (www.authorscoalitionandredenginepress.com). It is a free service offered to those who want to encourage the reading of books they love. That includes authors who want to share their favorite reviews and reviewers who'd like to see their reviews get more exposure and readers who want to shout out praise of books they've loved. Please see submission guidelines on the left of this page.

Ever Felt You Were Dreaming the Truth?

When She Sleeps
By Leora Krygier
Published by Toby Press
Author's Website

Excerpted from the Library Journal

“This novel... uses the dualities of light and dark, dreaming and waking, and East and West to remarkable ends. The horror and disruption of war, never discussed directly, are instead made evident in the actions and interactions of the characters. A good literary look at the Vietnam War, this brings together the Vietnamese and the American perspective through the lens of divided families.”
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Library Journal reviews