A stunning visual tour of Vietnam by a returning war veteran and
accidental artist searching for understanding and healing from the scars
of war.
Vietnam is an ancient and beautiful land, with a deep history of
occupational conflict that remains an enigma in Americans' collective
memory. It is still easy to forget that Vietnam is a country and not a
war, even as America's role in Vietnam inflamed and divided the American
citizenry in ways that are still evident today. It is as if Vietnam's
civil war resurrected our own. And if you are a Vietnam War veteran or a
family member of a vet, it's worse, because, even after a half-century,
many of the wounds won't heal. What do you do when you have given up on
forgetting?
Chuck Forsman is one of a sizable number of aging Vietnam vets who have
found deep satisfaction in revisiting Vietnam, supporting charities,
orphanages, and clinics, doing volunteer work and more--anything to
redeem what the U.S. military did there. He is also a renowned painter
and photographer who depicts places and environments in ways that become
unforgettable visual experiences for the contemporary viewer.
Lost in Vietnam chronicles a journey, not a country. They were taken on
visits averaging two months each and two-year intervals over a decade.
Forsman traveled largely by motorbike throughout the country--south,
central, and north--sharing his experiences through amazing photographs
of Vietnam's lands and people. His visual journey of one such veteran's
twofold quest: the one for redemption and understanding, and the other
to make art. The renowned Le Ly Hayslip introduces the book and sets the
table for Forsman's incredible sojourn.
