Book excerpt: From the daring and controversial autobiographical novel that took the world by storm—the harrowing opening section of The Sorrow of War. Bao Ninh, a former North Vietnamese soldier, provides a strikingly honest look at how the Vietnam War forever changed his life, his country, and the people who live there in the book that was originally published against government wishes in Vietnam because of its nonheroic, non-ideological tone and since won worldwide acclaim and become an international bestseller. One of the few survivors of his brigade, Kien at forty longs for solace from the parade of horrific memories and nightmares that plague him. By night, uneasy, he writes the manuscript that he believes is his duty and hopes will finally rid him of his devils. A Vintage Shorts Vietnam Selection. An ebook short.