Description:
A factually-based narrative about a Vietnam veteran who reacts to what his wife finds in his old Army footlocker that triggers his role in the Vietnam War in 1968 and the physical and psychological wounds he sustained.
Brief description: Richard Barlow Adams is a man of faith, a writer/speaker, and a lover of American and world history and historical fiction, Christmas, and all things Dickens. He is the son of an Army officer, the first of three brothers to graduate from West Point, a Vietnam veteran, an Army aviator with a tour in the Middle East, a registered professional engineer, the founder of an international consulting company, and currently the chief strategy officer for Ion Power Group LLC, an innovative eco-friendly renewable energy company. Adams has also served as an adjunct professor at Southern Methodist University and as an associate professor at the United States Military Academy.
Review Quotes:
Review by Michael McConnell. I have followed Rich Adams and have read all his books. I was particularly interested in reading "Song Be," knowing it did a thorough job of covering PTSD. My father, a WW II veteran and several friends, Vietnam veterans, have had or have PTSD. The novel's protagonist, Richard Fox, has PTSD and his story is gripping and provides great insight into this war-related disorder. I was totally immersed in this novel, and Rich Adams has helped me better relate to the father I never really knew and what he went through. My mother shared with me when I was a young adult and old enough to understand, "Your Dad was not the man I married" because of his military experience. God Bless my father (RIP) and others who served and serve our country. Richard Foxworth received help and manages his PTSD. Thank you, Rich Adams; I can now better relate to and appreciate my father.
Sherry Luhman. This is a superb, emotional story of Vietnam told by someone who was there and lived it. His flashback story of The Concert and his post-war mental health treatment are exceptional.
Jennifer Brinks. "Sông Bé is a thrilling historically accurate novel and example of prose writing that enters the current-day rather pastoral life of a globally acclaimed architect whose wife discovers something rummaging through his old Army trunk that brings back memories he's long buried about a battle he was in during the Vietnam War and the physical and emotional wounds he sustained. The story is an emotional rollercoaster ride that weaves together at least four plot lines, including the evolution of American civil rights. Reading about the author at the end of the book, I was shocked to find he actually fought in the battle of Sông Bé. This story has got to be made into a movie!