lives were upended. A review in The Washington Post wrote that, "to Americans, almost always, the peasants of Vietnam were part of the scenery of the war, no more." The book was also praised for its message about the horrors of war. A review by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer David K. Shipler for The New York Times wrote "If Hollywood has the courage to turn this book into a movie, then we Americans might finally have a chance to come to terms with the tragedy in Vietnam." The Washington Post reviewer wrote: "It should not be missed by anyone -- especially anyone who still thinks there is anything noble or glorious about war." Publication history The memoir was first published in April 1989, with a tie-in edition to accompany the release of the film Heaven & Earth in 1993. Film adaptation Oliver Stone read her memoir when it was published in 1989 and felt that his look at the Vietnam War was incomplete without telling the story from the perspective of the Vietnamese. He optioned the book and the film was released in 1993. The film version was also based in part on Hayslip's second book, Child of War, Woman of Peace, about her adaptation to life in the United States. References Vietnamese PEN Club Autobiographical novels 1989 non-fiction books Asian-American literature Vietnam War books Literature by Asian-American women Doubleday (publisher) books