I received an advance reader copy of Sunrise in Saigon, Patrick Greenwood's debut novel. Aside from a few grammatical errors that the publisher missed, this book was enthralling and left me breathless. I read this book in one sitting while our family did a road trip over the Thanksgiving holiday. In one shot, from Chattanooga, TN to Oklahoma City, OK, I read this book cover to cover in thirteen hours. Literally could not put it down. Complete page turner. The story of Jack and his emotional turmoil had me both rooting for him and at times, being frustrated with him. Greenwood did an excellent job portraying characters that were real with emotional complexities and conflicts. His stories of the Vietnam War and the aftermath of that conflict long after it was over was realistic. He did a good job showcasing Vietnam's history, culture, food and people as well. Color me impressed. As a Vietnamese American writer, I wasn't sure what to expect with this book from an American Marine. Would he do it justice? Would this be a book that is culturally diverse or would it be another checkbox that claims to be diverse? In the end, I was pleasantly surprised and was on the edge of my seat turning page after page to drink it all in. Great storytelling. Can't wait for the next book in the series!
AIP Foundation is delighted to announce the partnership with author Patrick Greenwood in support of Helmets for Kids in Vietnam. Patrick Greenwood is not only an avid and lifelong fan of cycling, which he has done all around Asia but has also founded the CycleWriterllc.com publishing company and Cyclewriter 3 espresso coffee company. With this company, he writes fictional novels and cybersecurity blogs and hosts a weekly podcast called ‘writers on writers over a triple espresso.’
Proceeds from Patrick’s writing go to many global causes. Children and young people are at the heart of our programs at AIP Foundation because they are the world’s most vulnerable road users and, above all – the generation of tomorrow. We owe them the knowledge and the tools to walk independently and safely into their future. Our legacy program, Helmets for Kids – now running for 22 years – still proves its tremendous efficacy in the countries where we work.