Books by Ben Thieu Long

This is a memoir addressing the emotional and ethical effects of war. The format folds a soldier's stories of actual experiences in Vietnam 'between the lines' of letters sent home to his new wife. The stark contrast between those experiences and the content of his letters home reveals a tension between openness and self-censorship. The soldier's focus is to protect their love relationship, but he struggles with his own behavior in an environment of moral challenges. As he encounters social and emotional violence, his own actions trigger inner turmoil and weaken his spiritual well-being. This book is the second in a series, organized by the thirteen months of his tour of duty. Read 2nd Moon: Temptation and follow a soldier's drift into situations that challenge his moral convictions. These encounters begin his metamorphosis from faithful innocence toward detachment, as an internal battle rages for his heart and soul.

13 Moons over Vietnam - 1st Moon: Innocence Why another memoir on Vietnam? There are already hundreds of publications on the Vietnam War. 13 Moons over Vietnam captures a unique perspective of a soldier's experience of war, juxtaposing more than 150 stories 'between the lines' of 280 uncensored letters to his wife, who is pregnant with their first child. These stories, describing actual experiences, are conveyed with raw emotions of anxiety and fear, refuting the nonchalant tone of his correspondence home. The effect is a stark and unsettling contrast between what is written home and what actually happens. 13 Moons over Vietnam is organized as a series segmented by lunar cycles that symbolize the author's struggles with identity and faith as he confronts progressive incidents of social and emotional violence. Begin with the 1st Moon: Innocence, and witness a metamorphosis that spirals through a moral and spiritual minefield.