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Linda Loan Thi Baer was born Nguyen Thi Loan in 1947, in the small village where she was raised, Tao Xa, Thai Binh Province, North Vietnam. Her father was killed during a Viet Minh attack on her village in 1951. Her mother married again, to a wealthy practitioner of Chinese medicine, and a war widower himself. Their family relocated to South Vietnam during the mass exodus of 1954, where they were forced to move constantly due to economic, political, and military conditions. They eventually settled near Vung Tau, south of Saigon.
Loan left home at an early age, to seek work at various menial jobs in Saigon to help her family, and to escape the physical abuse of her stepfather. She met and married an American Air Force officer in 1968, and accompanied him to the United States in 1971.
She became a naturalized American citizen in 1973, and while becoming a mother and raising two sons and a daughter, obtained her high school GED and attended many college courses. Linda graduated first in her class from her school of cosmetology and received her certification from the state of South Carolina. She is the owner/operator of the successful "Elegance by Linda B." Beauty Salon in Charleston, South Carolina.
She is the author of Red Blood, Yellow Skin and its sequel, Endless Journey.
Reviewed by Edith Wairimu for Readers' Favorite
Following her last book, Red Blood, Yellow Skin: A Young Girl’s Survival in War-torn Vietnam, this book, Red Blood, Yellow Skin: Endless Journey, begins towards the end of the 1960s as Linda Loan Thi Baer prepares for her marriage to Don, an American Air Force officer. Their wedding and honeymoon are nothing short of hilarious. When Don proposes that they move to the US, Linda is beside herself with excitement but heart-broken to leave her family behind. In the US, however, life is not as Linda envisioned it. From their trip back to Vietnam and a three-year stay in Iran, the family comes close to death many times. While fleeing Vietnam as North Vietnamese forces invade South Vietnam in 1975, the family closely misses getting on board the C-5 Air Force plane that crashes, killing 155 passengers. In Iran, they leave suddenly in 1978 as tension intensifies prior to the Iranian Revolution.
Despite their misfortunes, Linda and Don laugh and poke fun at their minor misadventures as they endure the more heart-breaking and stressful ones. The story opens with a humorous scene of a half-naked police chief holding his gun at Don, who is screaming in pain as a crab pinches his toe. Such instances make the scenes comical. Linda and Don’s determination is inspiring. Despite the many challenges they face, they manage to rise above it all and continue. Linda manages to acquire her GED certificate and goes on to get her cosmetology license. She later establishes her own salon business. The couple’s loyalty to each other provides support during their most difficult times. A story of misfortune, happiness, incredible love, and adventure driven by wanderlust and courage, Red Blood, Yellow Skin: Endless Journey is a phenomenal memoir. A good book for fans of memoirs and cultural adventures.
