The Girl in the Picture

Source: http://digitaljournal.com/img/6/8/7/0/1/4/i/1/1/6/o/Kim_Phuc.jpg

Source: http://alivewithwords.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/viet.jpg

As I read Yocandra in the Paradise of Nada, I could not help but draw parallels to Denise Chong's The Girl In The Picture, which I read a couple of years ago. Chong chronicled the life of Kim Phuc -the girl in that iconic photograph of the Vietnam War- during and after the war. Many aspects of Phuc's life and those of the Vietnamese at the time resembles those of the Cubans in Valdes' work. Among the many striking similarities I found in the two books were the lack of food under militant rule, confiscation of funds earned by individuals (Phuc and the Traitor's) and property (seen in Havana: The New Art of Making Ruins) by their respective governments as well as a yearning to leave their homelands. 

So as to not spoil too much of the book, I will cut straight to the end where we learn that Phuc successfully managed to seek political asylum in Canada -much like how many Cubans did in the United States. However, this was only after she was sent to the University of Havana -Fidel's alma mater- to study as part of an agreement between like-minded Vietnam and Cuba at the time. Phuc spoke quite fondly of her experience on the island, in that, a substantial chunk of the book is dedicated to her time in Havana, which I personally find to be interesting, as I was able to also see Cuba through a foreigner's eyes.

All in all, I highly recommend this book if you have not read it, as it sheds light on how similar life was like under military dictatorship on the opposite side of the globe and reminds us that we are not so different after all.