Nothing So Broken is a heartfelt memoir that weaves together family, friendship, and the long-lasting effects of war across generations. Why was this an important book for you to write?

This is a deeply personal book for me on multiple levels. My father was a Vietnam Veteran, and for most of my life I had little understanding of what he—and so many others—had endured. They rarely spoke about their experiences. Instead, they carried their trauma quietly, doing their best to protect their families and communities from the weight of it. It wasn’t until I began writing this story that I realized just how profoundly the Vietnam War had shaped my father’s life and, in turn, my own. With the remaining Vietnam Veterans now reaching their final years, preserving their stories feels more urgent than ever. We need to remember, to bear witness, and to ensure we never repeat the same mistakes as a nation.

I also wrote this book to honor a family that has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. The father served three tours in Vietnam and one in Korea, while the mother raised five boys at home. I still don’t know which of them had the harder job. During my turbulent adolescence, the second youngest son became like a big brother to me. When he was twenty-one, he was crippled in an industrial accident, a tragedy that shook their family and our entire community. His life, and the lives of his parents, were forever changed. This book is my way of honoring their resilience, sacrifice, and the decades-long struggle they’ve carried with grace. I hope this memoir gives them the recognition they deserve.

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?

I wanted to show that wars don’t end with treaties or proclamations. They end in living rooms, hospitals, and family histories and their consequences echo through generations. The Vietnam War is a powerful example of this because of the long-lasting physical effects of Agent Orange. Even fifty years after the war officially ended, it still shapes my life every single day.

I also wanted to explore what perseverance looks like in its most extreme forms. Traumatic Brain Injury. Agent Orange poisoning. These aren’t the kinds of challenges most people encounter, and yet some individuals face them head-on. While writing the book, I was dealing with my own struggles and found myself constantly thinking about my father and my friend—how they managed to survive, and even rebuild, despite profound and permanent disabilities. Their resilience continues to inspire me, and I hoped to share that strength with readers.

What was the most challenging part of writing your memoir, and what was the most rewarding?

The most challenging part of writing my memoir was weaving together three stories across three different timelines. Abigail Thomas’s brilliant memoir, A Three Dog Life showed me that I didn’t need to be rigid about time or sequence. I could move back and forth between moments in each story to create a natural rhythm for the reader. Narrative flow mattered far more than strict chronology. Still, when the book came out, I worried that the shifts in time might confuse readers. So far, no one has had trouble following it.

The most rewarding part has been the response from my family, friends, and community. Many readers now see the love and respect I have for my father and my childhood neighbors. On a broader level, it has also been rewarding to hear from folks who are learning about the Vietnam War, and how poorly our veterans were treated for decades afterward. Being able to help share their plight—and to honor my father’s experiences in particular—has been profoundly gratifying. I’m very grateful that he trusted me with his story.

What do you hope is one thing readers take away from your story?

I hope readers come away with a deeper understanding of resilience. We all face challenges. Most are the everyday struggles that, in their own way, help us grow and move forward. But every so often, life hits harder than we can withstand. Something breaks. Our plans are demolished, our sense of self is shaken, and we’re left standing in the wreckage asking, “What now?”

I hope my story offers a meaningful look at how two people confronted that moment and found their way through it.

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