Thirteen-year-old boy living in Vietnam during war befriends locals, witnesses violence and beauty, navigates new world, self-discovery amidst political crisis.

Saigon is a story told in a time of war by New York Times bestselling author Ralph Pezzullo, who lived as a boy in Vietnam from 1963-1965. Our protagonist is a sensitive, open-minded thirteen-year-old with a self-centered father who serves as a diplomat with the US Embassy. Eager to engage his exotic new environment, the boy befriends locals working at the Embassy maintenance shop and serves as a batboy for the US Special Forces softball team. Over time, he develops a unique perspective on the political crisis gripping the country and the role of the US. He witnesses terrifying events and scenes of aching beauty - a brutal attack on the softball field, the wedding of two Vietnamese friends, the self-immolation of a Buddhist monk and the bombing of a US movie theater juxtaposed against the sensual beauty and elegance of daily life in Vietnam. Highly evocative of an important time and place, this remarkable coming-of-age story follows the challenges of this boy as he navigates a new world, discovers himself and finds the beginning of his own path.—Ralph Pezzullo