Fourth Uncle in the Mountain: The Remarkable Legacy of a Buddhist Itinerant Doctor in Vietnam by Marjorie Pivar - 9780312314316 - Compare Prices on New & Used Textbooks, Cheap Textbooks

Set during the French and American wars in South Vietnam, Fourth Uncle in the Mountain is the true story of an orphan, Quang Van Nguyen, adopted by a sixty-four-year-old monk, Thau, who carries great responsibility for his people as a barefoot doctor. Thau manages against all odds to raise his son to follow in his footsteps and in doing so saves him, as well as a part of Vietnam’s esoteric knowledge from the Vietnam holocaust. Thau is wanted by the French regime and occasionally must flee in to the jungle, where he is perfectly at home living among the animals. As wise and resourceful as Thau is, he meets his match in his mischievous son. Quang is more interested in learning Cambodian sorcery and martial arts than in developing his skills and wisdom according to his father’s plan. Fourth Uncle in the Mountain is an odyssey of a single-father folk hero and his foundling son in a land ravaged by the atrocities of war. It is a classic story complete with humor, tragedy, and insight, from a country where ghosts and magic are real.

		Fourth Uncle in the Mountain: The Remarkable Legacy of a Buddhist Itinerant Doctor in Vietnam by Marjorie Pivar, Quang Van Nguyen ISBN-10: 9780312314316 ISBN-10: 0-312-31431-0 ISBN-13: 9780312314316 ISBN-13: 978-0-312-31431-6 Paperback 2006-10-03 St. Martin's Griffin Find Lowest Price
Editorials

Product Description Set during the French and American wars in South Vietnam, Fourth Uncle in the Mountain is the true story of an orphan, Quang Van Nguyen, adopted by a sixty-four-year-old monk, Thau, who carries great responsibility for his people as a barefoot doctor. Thau manages against all odds to raise his son to follow in his footsteps and in doing so saves him, as well as a part of Vietnam’s esoteric knowledge from the Vietnam holocaust. Thau is wanted by the French regime and occasionally must flee in to the jungle, where he is perfectly at home living among the animals. As wise and resourceful as Thau is, he meets his match in his mischievous son. Quang is more interested in learning Cambodian sorcery and martial arts than in developing his skills and wisdom according to his father’s plan. Fourth Uncle in the Mountain is an odyssey of a single-father folk hero and his foundling son in a land ravaged by the atrocities of war. It is a classic story complete with humor, tragedy, and insight, from a country where ghosts and magic are real.
Reviews

Interesting.... The story is interesting adventure of a mystic. The flow of the story is a bit scattered and the contents beyond what is normally considered rational. Coming from a western point of view, I found parts of it hard to believe. On the other hand, it gives light to how hard it was living during the Vietnam war and after when the communist regime took over.
Fourth Uncle This book was recommended to me by my sister. I found "Fourth Uncle" to be fascinating - with detailed descriptions of the landscape of Vietnam, the people and their superstitions, the atrocities of the war, and the mystical ways of the healers and sorcerers. As a child in Vietnam, I had heard stories about village "doctors" from my mother who grew up in the countryside. "Fourth Uncle in the Mountain" brought back memories of those tales and also opened my mind to the "magic" that the mind and spirit can manifest when we have the right intention and faith in ourselves.
Wonderful, Beautiful and Deep.... Best Book I've Ever Read. Reading this book, took me to a place far away... One easily forgets that this book was NOT written hundreds of years ago. With all the details, explanations and stories... you feel like your watching a movie... and hoping it will never "end".. As an herbalist and acupuncturist, I felt some connections with the Author, however I cannot even relate to his level of education and knowledge, due to his extensive training... and my 4 years of schooling... This is simply the best book I have ever read. It has moved me, changed my views in many ways and has made me want to be a better healer.... thank you my friend... whom I've never met...
Fourth Uncle is Fantastic In buddhist legend, meditation adepts attain a "samadhi fantastic beyond description". This is Fourth Uncle. The magic, sorcery, and martial art stories give way to the natural magic of one pointed concentration - in the cave of the primoridal, original, and pristine mind. I enjoyed this book so much, in spite of the tragic backdrop of pre and post Vietnamese history. There is a great human truth here, that goes beyond religions, in the narration that radiates out through the eyes of a child coming into adulthood. There is also a lot of what is called by aboriginal peoples, "indigenous knowledge" about Viet Nam, which sadly may be disappearing because of enviromental desecration. This book is also a hommage to the folk doctor tradition. This tradition, so vital to the revitalization of the human spirit, is also in danger of being marginalized by institutionalized medicine. Better that it be accommodated for what it is - natural wisdom.
As good as it gets I read a lot. I never write reviews. I will for this book because it is an all time great. A classic. You will never forget it.