Please Write

Catherine has lived a cloistered life dominated by the choices of a tormented mother and an overprotective grandmother. But life is about to change for 17-year-old Catherine when her mother Brenda insists she take a summer job in Kings Cross. Sydney has just opened its doors to American GIs on R&R from the war in Vietnam and Catherine is put in the perfect place to meet them. Reluctant at first, it's not long before she finds herself charmed by the well-mannered American servicemen and fascinated by the diversity of the Cross, infamous for its mob-controlled nightclubs, prostitutes and drugs. As the GIs come and go, Catherine chooses to spend time with them and ultimately sacrifices a university scholarship. The war is brought closer to home when her cousin and best friend Michael is sent to Vietnam. When tragedy hits a target close to Catherine's heart, she realizes her life is spinning out of control and that she must make changes.Set in Sydney during the late 1960's, Please Write is a blend of fiction and non-fiction. The story line is inspired by letters that I, the author, received fifty years ago from Australian friends and American GIs who served in Vietnam. This is not only Catherine's story of negotiating traps in the journey to adulthood, it is also the soldiers' story told collectively in the letters they write to her. Often painted with an unsavory brush by individuals, the press, and anti-war groups, the letters-used with permission-offer a refreshing and more accurate representation of who they were: young men meeting the challenges of an unpopular and un-winnable war. Although Please Write is set in a different time in history, the importance of hope, perseverance and connection in the face of adversity holds relevance for every generation.