In this comparison diary to The Journal of Patrick Seamus Flaherty, Patrick’s little sister, Molly, brings the tumult of the American homefront to life. She witnesses war protests, fights racial prejudice, and even volunteers in a veteran’s hospital in this poignant diary that captures the spirit of a conflicted girl, scared both for her brother and for her country.

		February 2, 1968 We’ve had the television on almost constantly for the past few days. Suddenly, there are huge battles going on all over Vietnam at the same time. A truce had been set up for the Vietnamese holiday, Tet (it’s supposed to be as big as Christmas, Easter, and the 4th of July combined). But in the middle of the night, while everyone’s guard was down, the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese Army – VC and NVA – attacked military bases and cities all over South Vietnam. They even took over the American Embassy in Saigon for about six hours. If they can get into our embassy like that, then there can’t be any place in South Vietnam that’s safe. So, as far as I can tell, the war is just spinning out of control. The list of towns and bases they attacked seems to go on forever. Saigon, Tay Ninh, Bien Hoa, Cam Ranh Bay, Nha Trang, Tuy Hoa, Qui Nhon, Chu Lai, Danang,Quang Tri, Dong Ha, Phu Bai... they’re all on my map, and they’re spread out all over the country. And if any on the reporters mention Khe Sanh, most of them say something vague like, oh, yeah, Khe Sanh is still getting hit by rockets and mortars every day, too.