Books about young heroes

Contributing to the two wars of resistance against imperialist aggression by our army and people, we cannot fail to mention the young heroes. Their youth and lives have been recounted in many books for future generations.

Some works about young heroes published by Kim Dong Publishing House.

From elementary school onwards, today's generations of students are introduced to many historical figures, including brave young heroes like Kim Dong, Vo Thi Sau, Vu A Dinh, and Duong Van Noi... The stories of these young martyrs leave a deep impression. Wishing to offer young readers a new way to learn, Kim Dong Publishing House has released picture books about these young heroes. Since their release in 2019, the first two works in this series, "Vo Thi Sau" and "Ly Tu Trong," have been very popular. This is perhaps because it was the first time the images of these young heroes were depicted in large-format, full-color illustrated picture books interwoven with vivid narratives.

Following the success of these two works, a series of picture books about young heroic figures were released to readers, such as "Be Van Dan," "Kim Dong," "Phan Dinh Giot," "To Vinh Dien," "Nguyen Van Troi," "Tran Van On," "Mac Thi Buoi," "Ly Tu Trong," etc. Young readers eagerly and enthusiastically read each page to "meet" a Vu A Dinh, barely over ten years old, who already knew how to help his father hunt, help his mother work in the fields, follow his older brothers on guard duty, and act as a liaison for the guerrilla fighters in the village; to learn about Be Van Dan, orphaned from a young age, who had to work for a landlord from a young age and bravely used his body as a gun mount for his comrades to shoot the enemy in a fierce battle; and to be moved by the image of the courageous Sister Sau, who calmly sang in the face of the enemy's guns. We feel immense pride and admiration upon hearing the immortal words of Ly Tu Trong before the enemy: "I am not yet of legal age, but I am intelligent enough to understand that the path of youth is only the revolutionary path; there can be no other. I believe that if you think carefully, you will also see the need to liberate the nation, to liberate working people like me."

The book series' fresh, captivating appearance, concise storytelling, and realistic illustrations from various perspectives have made it incredibly appealing. Over the years, the series has been reprinted numerous times, alongside the release of new works such as "Stories about the first team leader," "Stories about the ten girls at Dong Loc Crossroads," "Stories about the first five team members," and especially the moving narrative poem "The Son of Na Ma," about the heroic fighting and sacrifice of Kim Dong – the first team leader of the Children's Salvation Association (later renamed the National Salvation Children's Team, the predecessor of the Ho Chi Minh Young Pioneers Team today).

Besides picture books, novels about the lives and exemplary deeds of patriotic young people who dared to live, fight, and sacrifice for noble ideals have been written by various authors. These include works by Tô Hoài such as "Kim Đồng," "Vừ A Dính," and "The Youth of Hoàng Văn Thụ"; Đoàn Giỏi with "Trần Văn Ơn"; Xuân Sách with "Phạm Ngọc Đa"; Xuân Đài with "The Childhood of Hoàng Văn Thụ"; Văn Tùng with "Lý Tự Trọng: His Name Lives On"; Nghiêm Đa Văn with the memoir "Nguyễn Đức Cảnh"; Lê Quang Vịnh with "Sister Sáu in Côn Đảo"; Trần Đình Vân (Thái Duy) with "Living Like Him"; Phạm Hồng Cư with "General Võ Nguyên Giáp in His Youth"; and Lê Vân with "Dương Văn Nội"...

The stories of heroic lives that have gone down in history as legends are retold with great emotion and fascination, becoming famous literary works that have been reprinted many times. They are among the books that Vietnamese youth cannot miss reading at least once in their lives to better understand the era in which their ancestors lived and fought to achieve peace , independence, and happiness for today's generation. Among them, the book "Living Like Him" ​​was once a publishing phenomenon. Initially titled "The Last Meetings," it was later renamed "Living Like Him," and upon its publication in 1965, it achieved a record-breaking 302,000 copies – a number that remains a dream for many works even today.

In particular, "Living Like Him" ​​profoundly influenced many generations of students, young people, and patriots during the resistance war against the US to save the country. The book even created a wave of emulation in living, learning, producing, and fighting, following the example of Nguyen Van Troi among Vietnamese youth at that time. Therefore, "Living Like Him" ​​has been recognized as a very valuable document and a great literary work. Through the pure and loving soul of the young wife, and through the honest and delicate pen of the writer, we see a vivid image of the hero Nguyen Van Troi and of an entire heroic collective, an entire heroic nation.

Each heroic life story, including those of young heroes, holds immense inspirational significance. Therefore, many publishing houses are always interested in developing and "refreshing" this genre of books. For example, the online book platform Waka has collaborated with the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Vietnam Youth Union to build the Youth Book Collection (also known as the Patriotic Book Collection). This application once launched a writing competition with the theme "Heroic Examples That Inspire Young People" to create a healthy and beneficial playground for young people, inspiring national spirit and unwavering will in the young generation of Vietnam through the examples of young heroes with the message: "Let us constantly strive to learn and cultivate moral qualities so as not to betray the sacrifices of the young heroes who contributed to the independence and freedom of our country."

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/sach-ve-nhung-anh-hung-tre-tuoi-697449.html