Introduction

Fiction. For decades, Della Brown has tried to forget her service as a U.S. Army nurse in Vietnam. But when she receives a letter from a fellow combat nurse, once her closest friend, all the memories come flooding back: Della's nightmarish introduction to the Twelfth Evacuation Hospital, where every bed held a patient hideously wounded in ways never mentioned in nursing school. The day she learned how to tell young men they were about to die. The night her chopper pilot boyfriend failed to return from his mission. She must also confront the fissures in her family life, the mystery of her father's disappearance, the things mothers and daughters cannot—maybe should not—know about one another, and the lifelong repercussions of a single mistake. An unflinching depiction of war and its personal costs, HER OWN VIETNAM is also a portrait of a woman in midlife—a mother, a nurse, and long ago a soldier.

"Kanter explores the life of Della Brown and the haunting effects of her time in Vietnam with great emotion and insight. This novel successfully captures a very specific time in history but it also reveals the more subtle battles of a daughter, sister, wife, mother and friend."—Jill McCorkle, author of Life After Life, Tending to Virginia, and Going Away Shoes

"Lynn Kanter's characters, Della and Charlene, could be anyone's mother, sister, or daughter. Because they are so accessible, the reader finds it easy to journey with them. It should be a required trip for everyone, particularly those who think there is glory in war."—Mary Reynolds Powell, Captain, U.S. Army Nurse Corps, Vietnam 1970-71, author of A World of Hurt: Between Innocence and Arrogance in Vietnam

"HER OWN VIETNAM will captivate you, and bring you to tears. It will also give you a deeper understanding of what military nurses endure."—Military Spouse Book Review

"This novel is one of the best books about nurses in Vietnam."—VVA Veteran (national magazine of the Vietnam Veterans of America)

"Well written, compassionate, and perceptively told, addressing the trauma felt by the 'invisible' women in Vietnam."—Foreword Reviews

Editorial Review

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Excerpt

Della Brown pushed open her front door and stepped inside. The house felt clenched like a held breath, until she reminded herself that Abby was gone. Funny how the silence of a house where no one else lived felt different from the hush of a house where everyone was out. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

a) How do you think things might have changed for Della and Charlene [main characters in the novel] if they had talked about their war experiences with other people in their lives? What might they have gained or lost by talking about it?

b) How has the culture changed in terms of what kinds of stories, memories or feelings people share? Do we know more about the lives of veterans, particularly women, and the lifelong impact of war than we did when Della returned home from Vietnam? If so, has that knowledge changed anything?

c) How do you think Della’s renewed friendship with Charlene will fare? Are the intense experiences they shared in their youth a strong enough bond to overcome the differences in their lives and the years of separation? Have you had friendships that survived years of dormancy?

d) What do you think about Della’s advice to her sister that “Men don’t last”? How does the book deal with relationships between women? Between women and men? Does it resonate with your own experiences?

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