The Color of Peace - by Nguyen Phan Que Mai (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Where memory meets hope: a powerful collection from one of Vietnam's most important contemporary voices.

In this stunning collection, international bestselling author Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai turns her poetic lens to the lasting impacts of war, the strength of family bonds, and the enduring search for peace and reconciliation. Through intimate poems and essays, she masterfully connects the personal with the political, bringing to life the stories of those who have lived through conflict, separation, and reunion.

Drawing from her experiences growing up in post-war Vietnam and her work bridging cultures as a writer and translator, Quế Mai crafts verses that speak to both specific moments in history and universal human experiences. From the haunting "Tears of Quảng Trị" to the tender "My Father's Bàng Tree," each piece reveals layers of meaning about family, memory, and healing.

The collection moves seamlessly between poetry and prose, offering readers a comprehensive view of Vietnam's past and present through the eyes of someone who has lived its complex history. With the same lyrical power that made "The Mountains Sing" and "Dust Child" international bestsellers, Quế Mai shows us how the wounds of war can be healed through storytelling, understanding, and compassion.

Review Quotes

"Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai's The Color of Peace communes with place, the ghosts of wars, and shared inheritances. Featuring family, memory, and connections across time and space, the poems are sensitive and unflinching as they celebrate or mourn, find joy and wisdom, and offer hope for humanity" --Hoa Nguyen, Winner of the Canada Book Award, and a finalist for the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award, and the National Book Award

"These poems represent vivid illustrations of intimate connections to place so that a clear and powerfully engaging image of Việt Nam emerges before us. Dr. Nguyễn accomplishes this by artfully marrying her personal history with the history of her ancient, war-torn country, to create a seamless tableau, within which we are all complicit. I relish these poems. I can't think of a more fitting collection to be published as the United States prepares to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the American War in Vietnam." --Bruce Weigl, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize

"At once tender and resolute, Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai traverses the casualties of war while instilling an unwavering belief in the value of all life." --Alexandra Huynh, 5th National Youth Poet Laureate of the United States

"Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai's poems wound our hearts, as they must, with the damage of war, while at the same time they buoy us, as they must as well, with the hope for peace that shimmers within her exquisite language and imagery. Her words take us to the heart of family and the joy of love and the beauty of the land, and they carry us through the pain of loss and to the strength of those who survive by keeping or rediscovering their humanity." --Wayne Karlin, winner of the Paterson Prize in Fiction, the Vietnam Veterans of American Excellence in Arts Award, and the Juniper Prize for Fiction

"Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai doesn't simply sit down to write poetry, she experiences the world poetically. Her stories, feelings, and beliefs are gathered and shared via rich images, metaphors, and language. . . . These poems are a tender balm for wounds and call to live more generously, poetically." --Paul Christiansen, winner of two Academy of American Poetry awards

About the Author