Fourth Uncle in the Mountain : A Memoir of a Barefoot Doctor in Vietnam

Rating:
Summary: an amazing story
Review: This book is a window into a Vietnamese culture that is almost an alternative reality. Quang's extraordinary journey is a chronicle of war, folk medicine, encounters with spirits and ghosts, narrow escapes, mentorship with his healer-father, and tutelage under martial artists, sorcerors, and cave hermits. The report is so persuasive and lucidly written, I needed to frequently check the validity of my own (Western) version of the objective world as I read the book.
Quang learns Chinese medicine and pulse diagnosis from his father, and spells, charms and incantations from other teachers. The magic Quang learns or witnesses with those teachers is fascinating. The magic proves to be an effective manipulation of the physical world, altering events, demonstrating uncanny powers, and curing or creating illness. I realized our Western science is just another kind of magic, a magic that has been codified and generalized. This is reflected in our version of the objective world.
The wonder of this book is the humble and gentle way, through Quang's story of growing up in Vietnam, it presents us with an opening into seeing the world as truly a more varied and mysterious place than we had previously imagined.