Fallout from War: Connecting Former US Soldiers with Their Offspring in Vietnam

One of the books I've re-read recently is Ru by Kim Thuy, a Vietnam-Québécoise, who tells in a most poetic way a story of "boat people" who ended up here. 

Told in very short sections, she circles around her own family's story while giving glimpses of war and exile and immigration have done to people.  At one point she writes about the sad case of a young woman whose mother was Vietnamese and whose father was an African American GI.

There was some mention of this section when the book discussion group at the Pierrefonds libraray met last week to discuss the book.  None of us were sure what were the regulations governing relationships between Americans and Vietnamese.  Obviously it was no easy to maintain one, and probably 90 per cent ended, like the backstory to Madame Butterfly, when the guy shipped back Stateside.

But obviously some of these men have long felt remorse over what happened.  Here's a link to a story in The New York Times about how some--now past middle age and closing in on their end of their lives--have gone looking for their children.  Quite interesting.

Here's a clip from the London cast of Miss Saigon, BTW.  Apparently there will be a new film version out next year.