The Girl in the Photo

I’ve finished “The Girl in the Picture.” Kim Phuc decided to defect to Canada wanting freedom from the meddling by the Vietnamese government that was exploiting her publicity as “the girl in the photo.” However, if the Vietnamese government is guilty, the media in the West are also guilty to the same degree if not more. They were more than happy to invite, receive and interview her, and ask her to make speeches as a big symbol of the war, all while interrupting her everyday life. The emphasis on Christian belief is also cloying even if that is true. And Pham Van Dong (prime minister of Vietnam from 1955 to 1976), whom LKY described as “arrogant and objectionable” with a “belligerent attitude,” was depicted as a grandfatherly figure in the book, which I think is a nice touch.