A family history and chronicle of Vietnam over the last 100 years. Born into a privileged family in North Vietnam, raised in Hanoi, Haiphong and Saigon -- and educated in the United States where she now lives -- Mai offers a nuanced, subtle portrait of Vietnamese history. The story begins with her great-grandfather, a mandarin. It's a rich, marvelously detailed family saga.  (VNM39, $23.95)