Saigon Kids

By: Les Arbuckle

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

Looking for unusual coming-of-age books? The events leading up to the Vietnam War provide a fascinating backdrop for this coming-of-age tale with a twist.

In May 1962, Naval Chief Petty Officer Bryant Arbuckle flew to Saigon to establish a new armed forces radio station. Next to follow were his wife and three boys, Leslie among them. Saigon Kids is the candid, recondite slice of 14-year-old military brat Les Arbuckle's experience at the American Community School during the critical months of the Vietnam War when events would, quite literally, ignite in downtown Saigon.

In 1963, Saigon was beautiful, violent, and dirty - and the most exciting place a 14-year-old American boy could live. Saigon offered a rich array of activities, and much to the consternation of their parents and teachers, Les and his fellow military brats explored the dangers with reckless abandon - running from machine gun fire, watching a Buddhist monk burn to death, visiting brothels late at night, trading currency on the black market.

When Les first arrives in Vietnam, he is a stranger in a strange land, expecting boredom in a country he doesn't know. But the American social scene is more vibrant than he expected. The American Community School is a mix of kids from all over the globe who arrived just as the fuse on Saigon was about to ignite. As the students continue their American lifestyle behind barbed wire, Saigon unravels in chaos and destruction. Despite this ugliness - an ever-present feature of everyday life - Les tells his story of teenage angst with humor and precocity.

©2018 Les Arbuckle (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Remembrances of Saigon

I thought this would be an interesting book, and it turned out to be so much more. 'Vietnam War' means something a bit different to me now after this perspective from a 13 year old boy who spent 18 formative months in Saigon, a very interesting city. Also, the narration performance was outstanding - am a fan of Patrick Lawlor.

Saigon was full of corruption and violent overthrows when Les Arbuckle was there, but it was also exciting and loaded with expat teenage camaraderie. I found myself wondering how people survive anywhere else after having so much fun and adventure, and yet they all moved on and formed their own little version of diaspora.

My impression is Les didn't pay any attention to his studies there and that was probably wise. Few places in time can offer such a show. I'd like a far more detailed version of the aftermath than what was provided in the book, not only about how the author's life was influenced but also about what became of his friends and associates there.

this book was great

it was a great story a peek into life during that time period and Vietnam

Nostalgic story tainted by horrible pronunciation.

Even though my own childhood was spent in rural Australia, I've lived my last 16 years (and will continue for rest of my life, I hope) in Saigon. Despite those generation and historical differences, Les still managed to awaken in me a sense of wonder and nostalgia for my early years here. This is an important feeling that I must maintain in every waking hour, as it can't be replaced or relived, once lost.

The only real problem I have with this audiobook is one that rears its ugly head in almost EVERY book about Vietnam that makes its way onto an audio platform. Can you guess? Yes, it's the pronunciation of Vietnamese places, streets, food and people. I simply can't understand why Audible persists in contracting narrators without a Vietnamese upbringing, near-native language skills or a relevant linguistic degree. It's a shoddy and unprofessional practice that their management team ought to be ashamed of, particularly while accepting money from customers who are forced to sit through such lazy, disrespectful production.

Story of an Obnoxious Kid

The pluses of the story is an inside view of pre-wartime Saigon by an outsider. The downside is that it was a story lived by the child you would never want, and of a person we never would want to be. The author never made an attempt to make a native friend or really get to know the real Vietnam culture or language. If he did, it wasn't something he appreciated because it was never told in the story. When the story was over there wasn't much to admire of the main characters, and I wasn't surprised that nothing much came of them.

Adolescent bravado

Interesting, but very focused on adolescent shenanigans if you like that sort of thing