AfinalistforthePulitzerPrize,DuongVanMaiElliott’sTheSacredWillowilluminatesrecentVietnamesehistorybyweavingtogetherthestoriesofthelivesoffourgenerationsofherfamily.Beginningwithhergreat-grandfather,whorosefromruralpovertytobecomeaninfluentiallandowner,andcontinuingtothepresent,MaiElliotttracesherfamily’sjourneythroughaneraoftumultuouschange.Shetellsusofchildhoodhoursinhergrandmother’ssilkshop,andofhidingwhileFrenchtroopstorchedhervillage,watchingwhileblossomstornbyfirefromthetreesflutter“likehundredsofbutterflies“overhead.ShemakescleartheagonizingchoicesthatsplitVietnamesefamilies:hereldestsisterleftherstaunchlyanti-communisthometojointheVietMinh,andspentmonthssleepinginjunglecampswithherinfantson,fearingairraidsbydayandtigersbynight.Andshefollowsseveralfamilymembersthroughthelast,desperatehoursofthefallofSaigon-includingonenephewwhotriedtoescapebygrabbingtheskidofadepartingAmericanhelicopter.Basedonfamilypapers,dozensofinterviews,andawealthofotherresearch,thisisnotonlyamemorablefamilysagabutarecordofhowtheVietnamesethemselveshaveexperiencedtheirtimes.
