Recently, some six months after the publication of my Vietnam travelogue Rain Falling on Tamarind Trees, I went online and did a quick search on the title to see if there had been any news about it.

To my delight, a book discussion notice popped up, the one whose image is shown above. It announces that my travelogue has been selected for discussion at the upcoming July meeting of the Around the World Book Club, which is associated with the Washington D.C. Public Library. (On a side note, the May selection had been Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen, the 2016 Pulitzer Prize winner.) A few additional keystrokes further revealed that the library currently carries copies of the travelogue in 12 of its branches. Needless to say, that totally made my day!

I was also thrilled to find out that Rain Falling on Tamarind Trees has been adopted by libraries in such diverse locations as Fairbanks, Alaska; Dickinson, North Dakota; and Marble Falls, Texas (pop. 7,200), to name a few. The Marble Falls library also carries Once upon a Mulberry Field, which has been checked out a whopping 11 times!

My quick search also unearthed another great surprise: The travelogue has been picked up by the Cornell University Library and included in its Asia Collections at the Kroch Library. Hopefully the book can offer some up-to-date and useful research material to the faculty and student body there.

It gives me such pleasure to learn that my books have somehow made some headway—however insignificant—to a larger audience out there. That alone means so much more to me than any impressive sales numbers.

And while sales have tapered off, the report from the most recent 4 weeks indicated that the book was still being purchased in places as far apart as Fresno, California and Minneapolis, Minnesota. I wish I had an insight into how it all works, what brings about all these fortunate happenings, and what I can do to keep them coming. One thing is certain, none of this would have been possible without the steadfast support from my friends and readers. So a heartfelt THANK YOU to you all!

A footnote: Amazon.com seems to have an extra supply of the travelogue that they wish to dispose of. At last check this morning, the book is being offered at a phenomenal discount (now selling at $1.97 instead of the regular price $12.95). It’s impossible to know with such special sales how long they will last, so please pass the word along to people you know who might be interested.

The Summer Solstice has come and gone, so I hope you all get on out there and enjoy the long days and balmy weather!