Mai Elliott Popular Books
Mai Elliott Biography & Facts
Duong Van Mai Elliott is a Vietnamese author, writer and translator. Her memoir, The Sacred Willow: Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Family (Oxford University Press), tells the story of the Vietnam War from the perspective of a Vietnamese family. She was also featured in The Vietnam War, PBS's 18-hour documentary series on the conflict. Biography Early life Duong Van Mai Elliott was born in 1941 into a middle-class family with eleven other siblings. Her father held several official positions under the French-controlled Vietnamese government. He later became the post-WWII governor of Haiphong, following his family's long-standing tradition of serving in various bureaucratic roles. Mai Elliot's great-grandfather Duong Lam, who was proficient in Confucian classics, served under the last emperor of Vietnam, Tu Duc, as a mandarin. Mai Elliott's family lived in the official residences of Hanoi until the outbreak of World War II. In the aftermath of WWII, the growing influence of the Viet Minh drove a wedge between her family members as they were split across ideological lines. Her parents were against the communist organization, and her father reluctantly served under the French. Mai Elliott's sister, however, was pro-communist and lived in the jungles of North Vietnam fighting alongside the Viet Minh, accompanied by her husband. Two of her elder brothers were also drafted into the Viet Minh militia. The involvement of Mai Elliott's family members in Vietnamese politics gave her an insight into the perspective and opinions of the middle class on the Vietnam War, which helped her memoir, "The Sacred Willow". Mai Elliott and her family moved to Saigon during her adolescence. In 1960, Mai Elliott was awarded a scholarship by the U.S. government to pursue post-secondary education in the United States under its "Leadership Training Program". At the age of nineteen, Mai Elliott flew to the U.S. against her parents' wishes to study diplomacy at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Washington D.C. She graduated in 1963 with a major in Political science. Career After her graduation from Georgetown University, Mai Elliott returned to Saigon and lived there from 1963 to 1968. Initially, Mai Elliott planned to work for the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry due to the influences of her family tradition of government service. Mai Elliott's marriage with an American, David Elliott, disrupted this plan. Instead, she worked for an American think tank, the RAND Corporation. She participated in the Viet Cong Motivation and Morale Project from 1964 to 1968. Her task was to interview Viet Cong prisoners of war and defectors to find out the morale and impetus of the guerrillas. At the end of this job, Mai Elliott and her husband David Elliott co-authored "Documents of an Elite Viet Cong Delta Unit: The Demolition Platoon of the 514th Battalion", which was published by RAND Corporation in 1969. In 1975, when the Vietnam War came to an end, Mai Elliott moved back to the U.S. where she started a career in corporate banking. She eventually resigned from her job so as to write the book "The Sacred Willow: Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Family", for which she had received a NEH grant of $80,000 to research and write. The book was published by Cambridge University Press in April 1999. In 2010, the RAND Corporation published her second book "RAND in Southeast Asia: A History of the Vietnam War Era". From 2014 to 2017, Mai Elliott served as one of the advisers for the PBS documentary series "The Vietnam War", directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. She was also frequently featured on the show. Inspiration for The Sacred Willow: Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Family Mai Elliott's inspiration to write her family's memoir stemmed from a desire to return to her origins after having travelled the world. One of her intentions behind writing The Sacred Willow: Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Family (1999) was to provide her family members, who were now scattered around the world, with a written account of their family history. Mai Elliott also sought for the memoir to become a lens through which readers could better understand Vietnamese history, and the common struggles experienced by the displaced Vietnamese diaspora at large. List of Works Books Documents of an Elite Viet Cong Delta Unit: The Demolition Platoon of the 514th Battalion (1969): Mai Elliott and her husband David W. P. Elliott translated documents of captured Viet Cong members which had detailed accounts of the personnel and the composition of the 514th battalion. They reviewed 17 dossiers that had information on the daily training activities of Viet Cong members from 1966 to 1967. The Sacred Willow: Four Generations in the Life of a Vietnamese Family (1999): This memoir published by Oxford University Press has been nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and was a finalist in the Asian-American Literary Award in 2000. Mai Elliott spent five years researching archives, compiling family papers and primary sources such as the numerous interviews with her family members. She conducted in-depth interviews with relatives located in the United States, France, Canada, Australia, and Vietnam. Mai Elliott wrote her memoir through a technique of multiple narratives, as opposed to writing in the traditional method of individual voice. The Sacred Willow serves as an important piece of Asian-American literature that provides insight on what Rocio Davis calls the "uncritical narratives of history". It engages with themes such as immigration, the clash between Asian traditions and Western practices, patriarchal structures, strong female roles, and Cold War American foreign policy. Some points of contention that can be pulled from this memoir is the misconstrued understanding of the Vietnam War and how the American narrative fails to address the ramifications of interventionist strategies in Asia through the post-war period. Critics found it important to mention how this memoir is taken from a middle/upper-class perspective of the volatile political climate in Vietnam during the 19th to 20th century. RAND in Southeast Asia: A History of the Vietnam War Era (2010): Mai Elliott delves into the inner workings of the RAND Corporation during the Vietnam War period by analyzing three countries: Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos. She discusses the influence of the findings in RAND on US foreign policy during the Vietnam War. Television The Vietnam War (2017): Directed by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, this docuseries aims to approach the topic of the Vietnam War with a balanced perspective. It consists of 10 episodes, and incorporates 100 war witnesses from both sides of the conflict. Translations Unforgettable months and years, by Vo Nguyen Giap (1975): Mai Elliott translated the autobiography of Vo Nguyen Giap. No Other Road to Take: The Memoirs of Mrs. Nguyen Thi Dinh (1976): Mai Elliott translated the autobiograp.... Discover the Mai Elliott popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Mai Elliott books.
Best Seller Mai Elliott Books of 2024
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Opal
Freya BarkerWhen Opal goes undercover in a youth center several teenagers have disappeared from, she’s shocked to find a ghost of her own traumatic past at the helm. However, her worry for the...
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If I Break
Portia Moore~THIS BOOK IS BEST ENJOYED WHEN YOU DON'T READ ANY REVIEWS OR SPOILERS BEFORE READING. GOING IN BLIND IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. I PROMISE!~ Cal effin' Scott. Hell in a Arman...
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Silenced Girls
Roger Stelljes“ Wow wow wow! Grips you in a choke hold and does not let go … Oozes suspense and bonechilling twists and turns . Astonishing … One of those rare books you stay up all night to rea...
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Behind Closed Doors
Sherri HayesFalling For His New Neighbor Was Never Part of the Plan  Chris Daniels is single, and he prefers to keep it that way. Women are trouble. One look at his new neighbor has a...
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Tongue Twisters for Kids
Riley Weber"Rubber baby buggy bumpers" Say this three times as fast as you can.  How about, try saying " Loopy lizards lying lazily aloft a little lane of logs,"...
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The Grumpy Dinosaur
Michael GordonEmotions & Feelings Series Book 2 A little Dinosaur gets annoyed easily, sometimes for no reason at all! Anger is a normal, healthy emotion. It's OK to feel a...
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Imperfect Chemistry
Mary FrameShe's never understood the point of romance, but now he's going to show her. Lucy London puts the word genius to shame. Having obtained her PhD in microbiology by the age...
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Holy Bible
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsThe 2013 edition of the Holy Bible contains all of the study aids contained in the 1979 edition and includes revisions to the study aids, several new photos, updated maps, and adju...
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Last Resort
Jill SandersWhen Cassey's business is in jeopardy, she gets an interesting offer from a local hotel owner. He has been trying to run her business into the ground so his family can snat...
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10-Minute Social Psychology
Albert RutherfordWould you like to instantly catch people's thoughts, emotions, motivations, and intentions through mere observation? If yes, you've come to the...
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Make Me Forget
Anna BrooksOne lie can destroy everything... After enduring years of manipulation and an immeasurable amount of loss, Charlotte Kelly makes one last ditch effort to change her life and try to...
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Little Women
Louisa May AlcottAn Apple Books Classic edition. Meet the Marches! Louisa May Alcott’s classic introduces us to four unforgettable sisters: beautiful Meg, tomboyish Jo, delicate Beth, and Amy, the ...
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The Great Gatsby
F. Scott FitzgeraldAn Apple Books Classics edition. The Roaring Twenties are in full effect in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s riveting classic. Manabouttown Jay Gatsby seems to have it all, including loads of...
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Enemies With Benefits
Roxie NoirI don’t love him. I don’t even like him. I just want him. Eli Loveless was my nemesis from the first day of kindergarten until we graduated high school. Everything I did, he had to...
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Serendipity
Carly PhillipsHe’s from the wrong side of the tracks. She lived in the house on the hill. Now their fortunes have reversed…but their longago attraction still burns. From high school golden girl ...
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The Holy Bible - King James Version
King JamesHoly Bible King James Version Few Sample Paragraphs from The Holy Bible eBook, Genesis (OT) 1 Gen. 1 IN the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was with...
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Dark Psychology and Manipulation
Margaret MorrisonTHE MENTAL MANIPULATOR WILL NO LONGER KEEP SECRETS FROM YOU! Are you fed up with the wool being pulled over your eyes?Are you prepared to stand up to those who believe they can man...
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Just One Time
Samantha BacaThere are worse things than turning forty.    However, I can't seem to evade my worry of my biological clock, and my fear that time is running out. I've...
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Game Changer
Piper LawsonA steamy, grumpy sunshine sports romance featuring a woman down on her luck, a star basketball player with a filthy mouth, and a connection neither of them can deny. After being du...
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Anna Karenina
Leo TolstoyAn Apple Books Classic edition. “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Thus begins what many consider the world’s greatest novel. Leo Tolst...
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The Hookup Equation
Roxie NoirTeach me everything. My whole life, I’ve been a good girl. I follow rules like nobody’s business. I obey guidelines like I was born to it. Show me a line, and I’ll toe it. I’m even...
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Bedtime Stories
Uncle AmonBedtime Stories: 5 Magical Adventures for Little Dreamers Embark on a whimsical journey to dreamland with "Bedtime Stories: Magical Adventures for Little Dreamers". This ...
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Collided
Portia MooreAlex I want Madison the moment I lay eyes on her. But I’ve got my work cut out for me because someone before me broke her heart and destroyed her trust. She's my friend, that&...
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You Are Kind
Michael GordonA little kindness goes a long way. How can you help encourage your kids to be kind from a young age? Teach kindness to preschoolers Acts of kindness can be fun, easy, and make a ...
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A Light in the Window
Marion KummerowMargarete stumbles out of the bombedout house, the dust settling around her like snow. Mistaking her for the dead officer’s daughter, a guard rushes over to gently ask her if she i...
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The Power of Unlimited Faith
Kynan BridgesTake The Limits Off Your Faith! Do you ever hear people talk about “getting more faith” or “increasing their faith?”  When we buy into this idea, we never have enough. Tho...
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Beautiful Darkness
Autumn GazeYou can have anything you want in life... You just can't have everything you want... Gareth is Fae. Sort of. His mother was a Nymph, and with that cross, he finds himself to b...
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The Cottage on Nantucket
Jessie NewtonAfter their mother dies, two sisters return to the cottage where they spent their summers growing up. Nantucket Point is exactly the same: charming, warm, and filled with memories ...
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Silver Hunter
Lacey SilksThey call her a cougar, but he calls her, his Queen. Grace Brooks, Manhattan's most soughtafter hair stylist, never expected Hunter, the young handyman with a knack for fixing...
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Boy Toy
S. E. LundTate McNaughton. 24 years old. Gorgeous. An artist independenly wealthy and the heir to a huge fortune. He's way too hot for my own good and seems intent on doing eve...
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Sunrise at Crystal Bay
Mia KentA decadelong secret. A devastating betrayal. And a chance to return to the placeand the boyshe left behind. Leah Turner had it alla happy marriage of twentyfive years, two grown ch...
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Teach Me The Ropes
Vanessa ValeMeet the Manning brothers in this steamy small town cowboy series from USA Today Bestselling author Vanessa Vale! A bachelor auction. I was in a fing bachelor auction. I wasn'...
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Love Notes
Lexy TimmsWe're not here to take part, we're here to take over… I stood in the elevator, all my things in a cardboard box. Surrounding me, nearly every other employee clutched thei...
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The Wedding Bet
Susan HatlerA fun and uplifting story that will make you swoon and smile as two best friends fall in love. Kennedy needs to slow down, which is why her last boyfriend broke up with her. No mat...
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Moby Dick
Herman MelvilleAn Apple Books Classic edition. Herman Melville’s classic begins with one of the most famous opening lines in world literature: “Call me Ishmael.” Moby Dick was a commercial failur...
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Doubly Claimed
C.D. GorriWill this curvy redhead find her match with two smexy shifters? Needing a break from her nightmare boss, Ginger is more than ready for the Freeman sisters' annual vacation. Sh...
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Silent Scream
Angela MarsonsFive figures gather round a shallow grave. They had all taken turns to dig. An adult sized hole would have taken longer. An innocent life had been taken but the pact had been made....
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Against the Boards
Cynthia GundersonPeople say opposites attract, but now I have proof. There's zero rationale for why I would fall for Tyler Bowen. I mean, he's the star winger of my brother's hockey ...
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A Tempest of Discovery
Sarah M. Cradit“Absolutely riveting!” "Cradit's delivery of mystery and intrigue is flawless." "Be still my heart. Nicolas Deschanel is back and better than ever." “A mus...
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Wormwood Abbey
Christina BaehrAs a Victorian clergyman's daughter, Edith Worms has seen everything until a mythical salamander tumbles out of the fireplace into her lap. When a letter arrives from estrang...
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Wrong Places
Teralyn MitchellSometimes the path to happily ever after runs through all the wrong places… Romance never did Maggie Anthony any favors. So now that she’s back in her small hometown as a divorced ...
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The Scarlet Letter
Nathaniel HawthorneAn Apple Books Classic edition. Hester Prynne lives in infamy. After committing adultery and bearing a child with a man whose name she refuses to divulge, the heroine of Nathaniel ...
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Heartbreaker
Melody GraceDiscover the steamy smalltown romance now a USA Today bestseller! Perfect for fans of Elsie Silver and Lucy Score. They say that time heals a broken heart, but you try moving on w...
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The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
L. Frank BaumAn Apple Books Classic edition. You’ve seen the iconic 1939 movie, but do you know about the talking field mice, the Winkies, and the Witch of the North that appear in the original...
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The Odyssey
HomerAn Apple Books Classic edition. Homer’s eighthcentury epic poem is a companion to The Iliad . It tells the story of Odysseus, who journeys by ship for 10 years after the Trojan War...
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Winnie-the-Pooh
A.A. MilneAn Apple Books Classic edition. If you haven’t met Winnie the Pooh yet, stop reading this, and start reading the bookyou’ll be so glad you did. The jovial stuffed bear and his ragt...
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Beautiful Storm
Barbara Freethy“ "Barbara Freethy’s Romantic Suspense books are explosively good!"  –New York Times bestselling author Toni Anderson. From #1 NY Times Bestsel...
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Close to the Ridge
Lexy TimmsClimb the mountain so you can see the world, not so the world can see you. In the end, all I learned was how to be strong. Alone. Lincoln is a former Navy Seal, hiding away in the ...
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The Good Knight
Sarah WoodburyDON'T MISS THE SALE ON THE NEXT BOOKS IN THE SERIES! When a king is murdered on the way to his wedding, Gareth & Gwen join forces in their first mystery together! Five...
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The Duke Who Knew Too Much
Grace CallawayA #1 National Bestselling Regency Romance He's a rake accused of murder. She's the spinster accusing him. Enemies make the hottest lovers. "Readers looking for a goo...