Hello. My name is Bob Swartzel and I recently published (2/14/02) a political thriller titled "Diverting The Buddha". I live in Charleston, South Carolina. "Diverting The Buddha is my first novel. Vietnam veterans have been giving the book good reviews for almost a year now. On May 12th the Midwest Book Review printed a positive review on the book.

As a POD author I'm working diligently to spread the word about my book. Below is a recent press release that highlights recent coverage and also provides basic information about the book.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

May 29, 2002
Contact: Bob Swartzel
Phone 843-853-9423
E-mail: bobswr@greatunpublished.com
Oregon, WI

From The Midwest Book Review's May 2002 edition.

"Set in the turbulent Vietnam War, Bob Swartzel's 'Diverting The Buddha' is a highly recommended political thriller. Two Vietnamese and two Americans find themselves swept into a deadly conflict that none of them can understand or control. Written by a veteran of the U.S. Army Signal Corps in South Vietnam who witnessed the brief-lived Buddhist democracy movement, Diverting The Buddha is a driving, powerful, entertaining novel marking Bob Swartzel as a writer of considerable accomplishments." Midwest Book Review May 2002 at http://www.midwestbookreview.com/sbw/may_02.htm#fiction

Veterans are praising "Diverting The Buddha" for its honesty and almost cinematic depiction of Vietnam.

"This book certainly took me back to Vietnam. It is clear the author knows his subject!" Vietnam veteran and author Richard Cote'

"Bob Swartzel's 'Diverting the Buddha' is an interesting and complex story of the 'behind the scenes' manipulation of the Vietnam conflict. The author cleverly weaves into his work his through understandings of Vietnamese language, culture and Buddhist philosophy. Although the book will be enjoyed by all--those of us who served in Vietnam--will have a special affinity for 'Diverting the Buddha'." Vietnam veteran and author Gordon Mathieson

"This is the story of the rise and fall of the Vietnamese Democracy movement. When I arrived in Hue, in 1966, U.S. Intelligence and military were sure that they had put democracy to rest and had pacified the city." Vietnam Veterans Against the War News Letter January of 2002

"Diverting The Buddha" looks at the impact of war from inside the maelstrom. The novel recreates actual events that occurred in South Vietnam. It is a fast paced thriller about the never-ending struggle for democracy, a down and dirty walk on streets that a battle for hearts and minds raged.

"DIVERTING THE BUDDHA"
By Bob Swartzel
Pages: 331
Publisher: Greatunpublished
ISBN: 1-58898-422-2
Publication Date: February 14, 2002

Available at: http://www.booksurge.com or http://www.amazon.com or http://www.half.com and from bookstores through R.R. Bowker.

When I began to research “Diverting The Buddha” I already had the above base of first hand observations to build on. I conducted my background research part time, over a period of six years, in Boston, Charleston, SC and Washington, DC. The underpinning for the book is contained in 45 sources of which 25 were American, 15 were Vietnamese and 5 were French. Two sources, which contain a wealth of background, are: “The United States In Vietnam” by Kahin and Lewis and “Viet Nam, The Unheard Voices” by Luce and Sommer.

In writing the book, I learned that the this story is so alien to U.S. beliefs that only a fictional account, one that grabs the reader’s interest and does not let go until the bitter end, can communicate it.