Lan Cao

Lan was born in Saigon, Vietnam in 1961, the same year that President Ngo Dinh Diem was elected President of the Republic of Vietnam. The years that followed were turbulent, marred by internal struggles among armed and warring religious sects as the country tried to consolidate power in a central government. North and South Vietnam were also at war, a prolonged and bloody struggle that devastated all Vietnamese in both parts of Vietnam.

Harlan Margaret Van Cao is finishing up her senior year in high school. She was born in Williamsburg, Virginia and moved to Southern California when she was ten. She loves painting and music, especially playing the piano and singing. One of her best friends is her German Shepherd puppy, Hadrian. She wants to be a producer, director, and screenplay writer. She will be attending UCLA in the fall of 2020 and plans to study economics and philosophy, while also continuing to write. While working on this book, she made some of the most important friendships, suffered through the loss of her father’s death, and learned the most she could ever have about life- things that will inspire her for future projects.