NAM, a novel: Story of the Vietnam Generation

Through battle, love's heartbreak, and unbelievable loss follow the lives of three Vietnam War combatants, a North Vietnamese patriot and two untested American boys, as they deal with the legacy of their nations' tragedy. A historically accurate, riveting account of the war, its personal cost and the lingering aftermath

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IT WAS THE SIXTIES. We were the baby boomers and our fathers had fought in World War II-the heroes who saved the world from tyranny. It was our obligation to serve, as they had. To duck service, was not an option; not if you believed in life in America, the American way, and family values.

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"No, Cam...I'm right about Vietnam and World War II," he said, pointing the two fingers holding his cigarette at me like darts. "You'd better have a damn good reason to ask a man to put his life on the line 'cause there's no greater sacrifice he can make. Our fathers had Hitler, Mussolini, Tojo to fight...some of the biggest evil the world has ever known. They really were fighting for freedom and our way of life. Losing wasn't an option.

"What did we have?... Huh? What the fu** did we have to fight for? Not a goddamn thing! We went because we were Americans...because we were asked by our country to go...young men always have been. So we went...and we died. That's bravery and sacrifice above and beyond the call, my friend. Dyin' for nothin'...that's a hell of a thing to ask of a man."

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In his debut novel, Mel Smith immerses you into the lives of both American and Vietnam-civilian and combatant. NAM The Story of a Generation, is a story about the Americans who fought in the war and those who opposed it; it is a story of the emotional drive of the civilians and soldiers of North and South Vietnam who fought to free a nation.