When Heaven and Earth Changed Places

by Jay Wurts and Le Ly Hayslip

Book Overview

It is said that in war heaven and earth change places not once, but many times. When Heaven and Earth Changed Places is the haunting memoir of a girl on the verge of womanhood in a world turned upside down. The youngest of six children in a close-knit Buddhist family, Le Ly Hayslip was twelve years old when U.S. helicopters langed in Ky La, her tiny village in central Vietnam. As the government and Viet Cong troops fought in and around Ky La, both...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452271681
• ISBN13: 9780452271685
• Release Date: November 1993
• Publisher: Plume Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.9" x 8.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Heaven and Earth

The book follows the first twenty years of Hayslip's life, beginning in the Vietnamese village of Ky La. The United States/Vietnam war begins early in her life, and she discovers that her centrally located village is stuck in the middle. By day the villagers are technically controlled by the U.S./Republican force, and threatened to ensure their loyalty, but by night the Viet Cong attacks and claims the village for their own, a process which is reversed the next day. The villagers try to pacify each side, and many are destroyed by both. Hayslip tells her family's story- they alternatively first for and are attacked by the Viet Cong, depending on the changes in the wind. Quote: "The least you did- the least any of us did- was our duty. For that we must be proud." I liked this book very much. Although I sometimes found it difficult to keep abreast of the movements back and forth in time, it generally fit together fairly well. Hayslip does not blame either side for the war- in fact, she is attempting to make both sides understand one another better- despite the fact that she suffered brutally from both. Instead, she tells her story to share the futility of war to get the average person what they really want in life: family around them, lasting love, watching children grow old- peace.

A True Account of the War, July 1, 2001

I found this book engrossing and hard to put down! It is so beautifully written. Le Ly has a poetic way of expressing her deep feelings and emotions. How a cruel tortureous childhood could have produced a woman with such an overflowing capacity to forgive and inspire others is simply inexplicable! In her small village of Ky La, Le Ly is recruited as a child spy and sabotour for the Viet Cong. Because of this tragic situation, Le Ly had suffered imprisonment, torture, rape, and the death of many cherished family members all before the tender age of 16! This devastating fact of war, became the reality of many young women living in Ky La. Possibly the most astounding fact of all, is Le Ly's undying faith in humanity. Even after all the hurt and anguish the war had caused her, Le Ly freely forgave her persecutors and even appreciates them for "without them i could not have discovered myself or the mission of my life". As well as telling the unforgettable story of her harsh childhood, Le Ly also writes of her reunion with her beloved family.

A book for those who want a true account of the war

As a 14 year old young lady, i found this book remarkably touching. It gave me a truer understanding of what life during the vietnam war was really like. Hayslip shows how forgivness has delivered her from an excruciatingly brutal past! She actually honors and appeciates her persecutors,as well as others whom she came across during her years in vietnam, for they have shaped her road to self-discovery. This rare attitude has inspired her as well as many others, including me. During her stirring testimony, Hayslip becomes a 12 year old recruited spy and saboteur for the Viet Cong. Because of her position, before the age of 16, Hayslip suffers imprisonment, torture, and rape. Her family gradually slips away and, at times, leaves her to fend for herself in the filthy streets of Siagon.Hayslip has poetically recounted her journey to self-discovery and forgivness. I would recommend this book to anyone who doesn't truely grasp how bad and degrading a war can be for a young woman and to those who have had difficult childhoods. Hayslip illustrates how it is possible to overcome and benefit from past experiences!This is definitly a must-read!

A Survivor's Message

Le Ly Hayslip's novel gave a new insight into the Vietnam War that many Americans are reluctant to look at. Because the war was fought on the soil of her homeland, it not only took away her brothers and father, but unthread the basic foundation of her life. Le Ly was forced into the war because of her residence not political affiliations. Le Ly is a strong woman forced into a difficult situation and survives with a message for the world. It is definately worth hearing.

A War That's Not Over

"Le Ly Hayslip had always been in-between south and north, east and west, peace and war, Vietnam and America. It has been her life and fate to be in-between Heaven and Earth." When Heaven and Earth Changed Places is a story of a woman from a small village in Vietnam called Ky La. The author, Le Ly Hayslip, is just another victim of the Vietnam War. The brutality of the war created separation in her family, destruction of an individual, and distrust among formerly warm-hearted neighbors. She was born the youngest of six children in a close-knit Buddhist family. Throughout her childhood, the peace breaks into pieces due to the war. Le Ly, as a little girl, serves the Viet Cong fighters, and she is honored for courageously surviving tortures in prison when captured by the government. The book focuses on the individual¡¯s emotional and physical outcomes caused by the war. If one wants to know the reality of what the effects of the war are, this book is definitely recommended. As an Asian, I was attracted to the story of the life of this Vietnamese woman. As I read, I found there was something very extraordinary about her life that stirred my emotions. To the public, this story is well known through the movie, "Heaven and Earth." As the movie was enjoyed by numerous moviegoers, the book will be appreciated by people of all ages, especially those who are interested in the Vietnam War.