Under the Wings of a Good Luck Phoenix: Memoir of an American Girl in Saigon 1963

Under the Wings of a Good Luck Phoenix began as an eight-part newspaper series in 2007 and was first published in February 2016. The memoir was well-received, but the author wanted to improve the look of the book. The First Revision with suggested changes was published in December 2016 with a new cover and better editing. After working with a New York editor who mentored the author, this final edition is the Second Revision.

Under the Wings of a Good Luck Phoenix is the testament of the friendship between a young girl and a Vietnamese who taught her that life should never be taken for granted.

Kathy Connor will need more than luck to get out of Viet Nam alive, but it's a good place to start. Under the Wings of a Good Luck Phoenix is a compelling story about a twelve-year-old American girl living in Saigon, Viet Nam from 1963 to 1964. It is a time of change in the world and for Kathy as she begins adolescence.

The Connor family arrived in Saigon two weeks before the Buddhist monk, Thich Quang Duc, lit himself on fire. She was in Saigon when Ngo Dinh Diem was overthrown and murdered in the November 1 coup. She was shocked and dismayed to hear on the radio of the death of President Kennedy.

Kathy's first-person narration captures her coming-of-age with the counsel of a Vietnamese family servant and a good luck pendant embossed with a Vietnamese phoenix, the sign of peace and a symbol of understanding.

Out of the ashes of war rose a young woman who learned the value of life.