Review: Run Me to Earth

Run Me to Earth by Paul Yoon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is my first exposure to Paul Yoon, and not my last. I had absolutely no idea that such devastation ripped Laos apart, no clue at all about any of the history of this war-ravaged land. Mr. Yoon notes in his acknowledgements that President Barack Obama visited Laos and "acknowledged America's role in the war and committed further support in safely removing, and disposing of, the UXOs that still remain throughout the country." The book is divided by narrators; each narrator tells in his or her words what happened to them when they were young and orphans in a country riddled with unexploded "bombies" -- baseball-sized ordinance that when stepped on or driven over, would maim and kill. The three main characters assist at a mansion-turned-hospital, and the stories follow them through the nightmare landscape of assisting surgeries, riding motorcycles through safe zones, dodging military personnel, and dreaming of peace. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to expand horizons, anyone interested in life outside a sheltered existence.

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