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About the Book
The Book: The House on Dream Street 
It wasn't until the early 90's that Vietnam, the war-torn country etched into the historical memory of every American, finally opened its doors to the world. Journalist Dana Sachs had been haunted by her limited understanding of Vietnam culled from bits and pieces of the evening news and quick summaries in high school history. She decided she had to get to know Vietnam and its people from the inside out.
She'd anticipated meeting with stares and hostility as an American in Vietnam. She hadn't anticipated becoming entranced, so entranced that she moved to Hanoi.
The House on Dream Street is Sachs' heartfelt account of how she settled in with a Vietnamese family, learned the language, and made a place for herself in "enemy" territory. And then, when she least expected it, she fell in love.
With vivid descriptions of the tastes, sounds, smells, and images of Vietnam, Sachs reveals the beauty of a country long off-limits to Americans. Part love story, part social commentary, Sachs' memoir explores the tenuous balance between old and new Vietnam. But above all, The House on Dream Street tells the story of a woman learning to know her own heart.
The Author: Dana Sachs
Image © 2000 Caroline Nikitas
Dana Sachs is the author of The House on Dream Street: Memoir of an American Woman in Vietnam (Algonquin Books, 2000; paperback edition, Seal Press, 2003). As a journalist, she has written essays, reviews, and articles for such publications as The Far Eastern Economic Review, The Asian Wall Street Journal, Mother Jones, Sierra, The San Francisco Examiner, The Boston Globe, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Her translations of contemporary Vietnamese fiction have been published extensively. With Bac Hoai Tran, she translated Le Minh Khue's collection of short stories, The Stars, The Earth, The River (Curbstone Press, 1996). With Nguyen Nguyet Cam, she edited Crossing the River: Short Fiction by Nguyen Huy Thiep (Curbstone Press, 2003) and compiled Two Cakes Fit for a King: Folktales From Vietnam (The University of Hawai'i Press, 2003). In 1994, she and her sister Lynne Sachs produced Which Way is East, a documentary film about contemporary Vietnam. In addition to writing, she teaches journalism at UNC-Wilmington and gives presentations throughout the country on topics related to travel, writing, and Vietnam. She lives in Wilmington, North Carolina, with her husband, Todd Berliner, and their sons Jesse and Samuel. She is currently at work on a novel.
Where to Borrow the Book
- Cape Fear Community College Learning Resource Center
- New Hanover County Public Library
- UNCW Randall Library
Where to Buy the Book
- Barnes & Noble
- Bristol Books
- Heller's Book Shop
- Quartermoon Books
- Seahawk Book & Supply Company
- Two Sisters Bookery
- UNCW Bookstore
- Waldenbooks
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William Madison Randall Library, University of North Carolina at Wilmington
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Last updated:
11 January, 2005 9:11
Comments and Suggestions: Liza Palmer <palmerl@uncw.edu>