{"title":"Marcelino Truong","description":"\u003cp\u003eMarcelino Truong’s works invite readers into vivid narratives rendered through striking graphic novels. With titles like \u003cem\u003e40 Men and 12 Rifles\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eSaigon Calling: London 1963-75\u003c\/em\u003e, Truong blends historical reflection and personal memory, offering insightful explorations of identity and conflict.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eExpect intricate storytelling paired with evocative illustrations that capture moments of cultural and political significance. Truong’s graphic novels resonate with depth, inviting contemplation within richly crafted visual narratives.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"40-men-and-12-rifles-by-marcelino-truong-9781551529233","title":"40 Men and 12 Rifles","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBy the author of \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eSuch a Lovely Little War\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e and \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eSaigon Calling\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e, a stirring graphic novel about love, beauty, and war in 1950s Indochina.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e40 Men and 12 Rifles\u003c\/i\u003e is an expansive, gripping graphic novel set in Indochina in the year leading up to 1954, when the French-held garrison at Dien Bien Phu fell after a four-month battle, leading to the end of the first Indochina war between French forces and Ho Chi Minh's nationalist rebels. Minh (no relation to Ho) is a young man from Hanoi, an aspiring painter who dreams of experiencing la vie bohème in Paris's Latin Quarter. To dissuade him from pursuing an artistic life, his father sends him into the countryside to tend to the family's holdings. He is soon pressed into serving with the Ho Chi Minh rebels, where he becomes a soldier despite repeatedly defying his cadres - ideological Communist commanders with whom he disagrees - becoming both hero and anti-hero in the process.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e40 Men and 12 Rifles\u003c\/i\u003e is a moving and beautifully illustrated book about the human and artistic spirit of the Indochinese people who persevered in the face of warfare and suffering.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'With a style close to \"poetic realism,\" Truong brilliantly succeeds in his great leap into fiction, while reconciling the precision of historical narrative.' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eLe Telegramme\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'The story, drawing, details, and authenticity of the entire book is remarkable and will be considered a milestone.' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eLigne Claire\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Marcelino Truong's graphic novel is a work of genius, with striking and cleverly constructed graphics, compelling dialogue and brilliant anecdotes. A real pleasure to read, and destined to become a classic.' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eL'Histoire\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47362503311596,"sku":"9781551529233","price":49.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/11027733482740.jpg?v=1772884577"},{"product_id":"saigon-calling-london-1963-75-by-marcelino-truong-9781551526898","title":"Saigon calling: London 1963-75","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMarcelino Truong's first book about the early years of the Vietnam war, the graphic memoir \u003ci\u003eSuch a Lovely Little War\u003c\/i\u003e (2016), received starred reviews in \u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e, and was named \"one of the season's best graphic novels\" by the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e. In this sequel, young Marco and his family move from Saigon to London in order to escape the war following the assassination of South Vietnamese President Diem, for whom Marcelino's diplomat father was a personal interpreter.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn London, his father struggles to build a new life for his children and his wife, whose bipolar spells are becoming increasingly violent. But for Marco and his siblings, swinging London is an exciting place to be: a new world of hedonists and hippies. At the same time, the news from their grandparents in Vietnam grows ever grimmer as the war intensifies and American involvement becomes increasingly muddied. Young Marco finds himself conflicted between embracing the peace-loving anti-war demonstrators and the strong, nostalgic bond he feels toward a wounded Vietnam, whose conflict is not as simple as the demonstrators make it out to be.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith its audacious imagery and heart-rending text, \u003ci\u003eSaigon Calling\u003c\/i\u003e is a bold graphic memoir that strikes a remarkable balance between the intimate chronicle of a family undone by mental illness and the large-scale tragedy of a country undone by war.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47432311537900,"sku":"9781551526898","price":47.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781551526898.jpg?v=1774555446"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.co.nz\/collections\/marcelino-truong.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}