South Wind Changing

In 1975 Huynh, a country boy from the Mekong Delta, was about to begin his studies at Saigon University when he was arrested by the conquering communists (the charge: he was an intellectual) and sent to a labor camp. Huynh's engaging memoir turns on developments that seemed miraculous to him--and will to the reader, too. First, he befriended an ailing guard and created for himself an opportunity to escape. Joining the ``boat people'' of Vietnam, he ended up in a refugee camp in Thailand after a series of ordeals that included an ugly confrontation with pirates. Next, he made his way to the U.S., where he worked at a series of low-paying jobs and dealt with culture shock. Virtually homeless with two brothers and a nephew in his charge, Huynh wandered the country until he found himself in Bennington, Vt., where he felt welcome and secure. There he worked as a part-time janitor. Another miracle provides the wonderfully satisfying conclusion to his memoir: Huynh received a scholarship to Bennington College in 1984 and has recently earned a Masters in Fine Arts from Brown University. His simple but powerful story is given added poignance by Huynh's recollections of the family, the life and the land he had to leave. (Feb.)