Brigitte Friang (1924–2011)

Since this is a French reporter's account of the French-Indochina War, I was all ready to dislike Brigitte, expecting a lot of colonial and racist content.

The book actually starts with a brief account of Brigitte's activities in occupied France during WWII, as a member of the Resistance. I was immediately captured by her ability to recognise the absurd amongst the awful, such as the German soldier who shot her showing concern for her modesty and apoligising for the calibre used.

This also explains Brigitte's desire to parachute - it's not a whim but a way of responding to her experiences in WWII when help was dropped into France by parachute.

Brigitte's account of her experiences in Vietnam are similarly gripping. She avoids pro-French rhetoric and is actually quite critical of the French powers-that-be while praising the soldier on the ground. I found it impossible not to like her spirit, slogging through the trenches with the soldiers but still unashamedly embracing her femininity.

It's funny, but I'd never connected the occupation of France with the Indochina War before now. We were taught them as separate units in school and that's how they'd always sat in my mind. This book linked them together for me and suggested a fuller, more complex picture.… (más)