With a capacity of 268 pages, size 13 x 20.5cm, "Calling the wind of the gentle land" does not seek to create heroic portraits or great symbols. The book chooses a different path: Quietly recording familiar lives - the industrious mother in the early morning market, the leisurely grandmother in the old neighborhood, the shy young girl in her early days as a daughter-in-law. Those are images that everyone has encountered, but not always patient enough to stop and look deeply.
The special point of "Calling the Wind of Gentle Land" lies in the way of storytelling. The stories are told in a simple, sincere voice, largely stemming from memories and the love of children and grandchildren for their mothers and grandmothers; sometimes are direct confessions of the woman herself. Not paving, not sentimental, the book allows life to speak out through seemingly very small things: The story of food, clothing, money, the story of raising a family, the story of making a living, pursuing aspirations and facing silent losses.
From those everyday cuts, the role of women in Vietnamese family and society becomes clear. They take care of their children and grandchildren, contributing to shaping the future from very early and very persistent influences. They shoulder the family - an important cell of society, while maintaining order, customs, and traditions. They are the bridge for cultural and ethical values to be passed down from generation to generation, even when society is constantly changing.
It is noteworthy that the book does not impose a single stereotype or standard on Vietnamese women. Through dozens of stories, readers can easily recognize the diversity in personality, choices and lifestyles. Some people spend their whole lives with their families, some are proactive in society. Some are gentle, peaceful; some are sharp, decisive. Traditional or modern, discreet or liberal, all are present in parallel, equal and beautiful in their own way.
If there is one thing in common throughout the portraits in "Calling the Wind of the Gentle Land", it is love. Love for family, for homeland, for less fortunate fates and for oneself. That love is not noisy, but persistent and abundant, enough to lift people through the most difficult stages of life. That silent love has contributed to building each family, each community, and more broadly, the face of Vietnamese society.
In a broader sense of the word, "Calling the Wind of the Gentle Land" is not just a book about women. This is the first volume in the series "Calling the Wind"... The project that Professor Phan Van Truong and the group of authors Cay Nen To Ong cherish with the desire to create "a space for Vietnamese people to confide in each other". He once shared a simple but profound wish: Vietnamese people write to each other, dialogue with each other in words, because "written words are a commitment, a brick connecting for a long time".
In that spirit, each story in the book can be seen as a piece of "micro-historical" - the history of small people, in small spaces and short periods of time. Not pages of heroic history, but the history of emotions, of everyday life, where national identity is cultivated through each kind act, each silent choice.
The author group of Cay Nen To Ong hopes that when these stories are shared and listened to, they will help people get closer, love each other more, and understand themselves, understand their nation more clearly. It is expected that the book series "Calling the Wind Back" will consist of 3 books, respectively written about Vietnamese women, Vietnamese men and contemporary folk stories in the period 2000 - 2025.
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