Book Notes

The Quiet American

An extremely compelling insight into how I, as an American, can act — and be perceived — while traveling internationally. Pyle’s arrogance is extremely abrasive, but also uncomfortably familiar as I often see some of his cockiness reflected in myself. I found the narrrator, Fowler to be one of the most engaging characters I have ever read. I think that elements of his cynicism live in all of us, and the perpendicularities between him and Pyle were the highlight of the book for me. I was also extremely impressed by Grisham’s prescience in accurately predicting American foreign policy in Southeast Asia when writing this book in the early 1950s. I have a newfound interest in this particular period of history. This one will stick with me for a long time and I highly recommend it.