Rating: 
Summary: Incredible!
Review: I've just finished After Sorrow Comes Joy and I still haven't caught my breath. I'm crying and gasping for air!For most of us whose lives were, in a large part, dictated by events in Vietnam during the late 60's and early 70's, the Vietnam war remains a mystery. We didn't understand it then; all these years later, we still don't understand it. This book does NOT de-mystify the war. It simply gives a day-to-day, blow-by-blow account of how it affected the smallest victims of that war--the children, and the least of these--the orphans. Cherie Clark, a normal, middle-class housewife caught up in a decision to adopt a child from the war zone, lived this story and has written, not a political treatise, but a heart-wrenching, heart-stopping diary of what happened as the government and the very fabric of Vietnamese society unraveled in those last awful days. How she has managed to write this with such honesty and detail without seeming to sensationalize any of it, or appear as if she's nominating herself for sainthood, is an amazing accomplishment. I can hardly wait to read the rest of the story, the next two in the trilogy, about her work in India and her return to Vietnam.
Rating: 
Summary: A testament to love and courage
Review: In "After Sorrow Comes Joy", Cherie Clark opens the pages of history to a subject heretofore overlooked -- the war in Vietnam from the perspective of it's tiniest, most helpless victims. In an amazing story of selfless dedication to a cause greater than her own, Clark has literally given life to what were society's throwaways and joy to the thousands of adoptive parents who have brought these children into their homes. Her story is nothing short of amazing. An anti-war activist, Clark was not content to merely protest her government's action, she felt that there was something she should do. She packed up and moved to Vietnam, in the middle of the war, with seven children in tow. From her arrival, through Operation Babylift and the fall of Saigon, "After Sorrow.." is one woman's testament to love, faith, and courage. For this reader, the book was a total page turner, and I was sorry to see it end. Fortunately, with two more volumes in the works, there is more to come.
Rating:
Summary: A testament to love and courage
Review: In "After Sorrow Comes Joy", Cherie Clark opens the pages of history to a subject heretofore overlooked -- the war in Vietnam from the perspective of it's tiniest, most helpless victims. In an amazing story of selfless dedication to a cause greater than her own, Clark has literally given life to what were society's throwaways and joy to the thousands of adoptive parents who have brought these children into their homes. Her story is nothing short of amazing. An anti-war activist, Clark was not content to merely protest her government's action, she felt that there was something she should do. She packed up and moved to Vietnam, in the middle of the war, with seven children in tow. From her arrival, through Operation Babylift and the fall of Saigon, "After Sorrow.." is one woman's testament to love, faith, and courage. For this reader, the book was a total page turner, and I was sorry to see it end. Fortunately, with two more volumes in the works, there is more to come.
Rating:
Summary: LeAnn Thieman, author
Review: In this remarkable book Cherie Clark recounts with great emotion and historical accuracy the events surrounding the Vietnam Orphan Airlift. When I wrote my book, This Must Be My Brother, I shared my isolated story from my dramatic involvement in the Airlift. I coudn't wait to read Cherie's book and I clamored to learn "the rest of the story". I am amazed and in awe of the horror and love endured by Cherie and those facilitating the rescue of nearly 3000 orphans.This incredible book is written with honesty and honor. I applaud Cherie Clark for inspring the world by sharing her heart and her soul and her story.
Rating:
Summary: Truly a Life With Meaning
Review: This book is necessary reading for anyone who wants a complete picture of the Vietnam War. Cherie Clark's memoir succeeds where so many other memoirs, histories, and journalistic accounts fall short. While most books lose interest in events after the final American troop pullout in 1972, Clark's book provides a vivid depiction of life in South Vietnam during the frantic final years of the war. The book also fills the gap left by so many accounts in its description of the desperate conditions endured by regular Vietnamese caught in the middle of the conflict. While issues of global politics and military strategy comprise the vast majority of books published about Vietnam, Clark's book is exceptional in its unflinching view of how the consequences of those issues affected the lives of so many women and children. From beginning to end, After Sorrow Comes Joy is gripping, honest, and interesting. But perhaps its most valuable contribution to the field of books about Vietnam is the surprising level of decency and hope evident amidst all of the suffering. Many of the Americans and Vietnamese described in the book go on to use their wartime experiences as launching pads to careers in humanitarian work throughout the world. And for that hopeful quality alone, Ms. Clark's book is a rare standout. As a Ph.D. student concentrating on Southeast Asian history, I would recommend After Sorrow Comes Joy as an important contribution to the canon of works on America's involvement in Vietnam. I would also recommend it as a great read for anyone interested in stories of unheralded but heroic Americans doing the anonymous humanitarian work that is so often overlooked in books about soldiers, protesters, and policy makers. It is a different Vietnam story, but it is one that should have been told a long time ago.
Rating:
Summary: Valuable History in this Inspiring Memoir
Review: This book is necessary reading for anyone who wants a complete picture of the Vietnam War. Cherie Clark's memoir succeeds where so many other memoirs, histories, and journalistic accounts fall short. While most books lose interest in events after the final American troop pullout in 1972, Clark's book provides a vivid depiction of life in South Vietnam during the frantic final years of the war. The book also fills the gap left by so many accounts in its description of the desperate conditions endured by regular Vietnamese caught in the middle of the conflict. While issues of global politics and military strategy comprise the vast majority of books published about Vietnam, Clark's book is exceptional in its unflinching view of how the consequences of those issues affected the lives of so many women and children. From beginning to end, After Sorrow Comes Joy is gripping, honest, and interesting. But perhaps its most valuable contribution to the field of books about Vietnam is the surprising level of decency and hope evident amidst all of the suffering. Many of the Americans and Vietnamese described in the book go on to use their wartime experiences as launching pads to careers in humanitarian work throughout the world. And for that hopeful quality alone, Ms. Clark's book is a rare standout. As a Ph.D. student concentrating on Southeast Asian history, I would recommend After Sorrow Comes Joy as an important contribution to the canon of works on America's involvement in Vietnam. I would also recommend it as a great read for anyone interested in stories of unheralded but heroic Americans doing the anonymous humanitarian work that is so often overlooked in books about soldiers, protesters, and policy makers. It is a different Vietnam story, but it is one that should have been told a long time ago.
Rating:
Summary: After Sorrow Comes Joy
Review: This rivoting book gives us an insight into the chaos and confusion of the Vietnam war, where many helpless victims suffered hopelessly. Cherie Clark's courage and personal sacrifice, placed her right in the middle of this dangerous conflict. Cherie's writings give an insight into what can be done for others, even in extreme conditions. But most of all, it is an amazing historial account of events, that took place so far from from American soil, and yet is so deeply enbeded in our national psyche. This was a story that needed to be told, and was done so in an exciting, no holds barred way. From her birth to her evacuation from Saigon, Cherie left us wanting more.
Rating:
Summary: After Sorrow Comes Joy
Review: What motivates a person to give up their comfortable life in America to go to war torn Vietnam and care for the orphaned children? The answer to that question and lots of others are found in this amazing book. Cherie Clark is well known in the world of international adoption for all her humanitarian work. This book gives a glimpse into who she is as a person. From her childhood to her last minute departure from Vietnam, you can't put this book down. Page after page of remarkable accomplishments are mixed with the desperation of the people being cared for. There are many amazing people in this book, from Rosemary Taylor to Cherie's own family members. The adoption world has benefited greatly from those who sacrified during those days of war and desperation. Anyone who as adopted from Vietnam should really read this book! It is also a great story in human courage and compassion that anyone will appreciate. It is obvious that Cherie will continue her work for a long time to come. The two books to follow will recount her work in India and then back in Vietnam. The only downside to this book is that you want to know more, to find out what happened to all the people mentioned and to walk those streets of Vietnam yourself! The book really brings the people, places and events to life. I highly recommend this book!
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