These bombing missions would last nine years (1964 to 1973) and would end up totaling more than five hundred and eighty thousand. This is the equivalent of one bombardment every eight minutes, twenty-four hours a day, for nine years.
-- Author's Note (Author's Note)

Importance: This quotation is from the author's note, which provides some background information on the Laotian Civil War, and which emphasizes the United States' destructive role in the conflict. The bombing raids carried out by the United States caused many deaths in Laos, as illustrated in parts of the novel, and they also resulted many unexploded ordnances to remain in Laos for years later. The historical context is important not only to understanding the story, but also to compelling the reader to reflect on actual historical and current issues.

[He] was caught by the Pathet Lao. He was told to walk the road as soldiers took bets on whether he would step on a...
-- Narration (chapter 1)