Format
1. The author begins by introducing the country of Vietnam and the civil that caused it to split in two.
2. She explains how America became involved and introduces Long, an Amerasian orphan whose American father was probably a soldier.
3. She tells the story of Long's life as a boy in a village and then in Saigon, and of the American agency seeking an adoptive family for him.
4. With the South suddenly collapsing and Saigon under siege, she explains Long's harrowing escape and his arrival in America.
5. Safe at last, the author shares Long's adjustment to a new family, country, and culture, following him to adulthood and how he made peace with his past.
The author summarizes the effects of war on children and how infrequently we consider war from their perspective.
Objectives
--To introduce the history and culture of Vietnam and explain why the Vietnam War occurred.
--To consider America's role in the war.
--To explore what happened to South Vietnam's one million war orphans.
--To follow one orphaned child's experience, including coming to America and integrating into an adoptive family and a new culture.
--To consider how refugees come to terms with their difficult pasts and their new identities.
Standards Alignment
National Standards
All national 4-12 standards for English.
It also meets the following standards for Social Sciences, US History, World History, and Geography:
--Places and Regions
--Human Systems
--Era 9: Postwar US (1945 to early 1970s)
--Era 10: Contemporary US (1968 to Present)
--An Age of Revolutions, 1750-1914
--The 20th Century