Le Ly Hayslip

Called Bay Ly by her family which means "sixth," she is the author of the book. She is born in Vietnam and flees to the United States to escape persecution by her government during the 1970s. As a child, she is caught up in the ideals of the war between the Viet Cong and the Republicans, complicated by the presence of the Americans, though she doesn't fully understand either the politics or the reasoning behind the arguments posed by either side. Le Ly finds herself in the unenviable position of being a heroine of her people because of her reaction to a sudden appearance of an American military helicopter. Le Ly is frozen in fear of being sucked up by the whirling blades and is touted as a heroine because she stands firm and doesn't run. She allows the village to tout her bravery and courage...