Nothing, and So Be It (Italian: Niente e così sia) is a first-hand account book by Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci about a year as a war correspondent in Saigon, Vietnam, between 1967 and 1968. It was first published in Italian in 1969. Fallaci based the book on the testimony of several American soldiers who participated in the Mỹ Lai massacre and the reports of some of the survivors. She received the Bancarella Prize (1970) for the book.
The book in diary format is the story of one year of the author's life as a war correspondent for L'Europeo in Saigon, Vietnam, between 1967 and 1968 with the photographer Gianfranco Moroldo. This book was created as reflection on her little sister's question, "What is life?". Fallaci based the book on interviews with some protagonists of the war, soldiers of the National Liberation Front, and soldiers of the United States Army soldiers; reports of two diaries of two North Vietnamese soldiers, one unknown and the other Le Vanh Minh, both dead. The book begins with the testimony of some American soldiers who participated in the Mỹ Lai massacre and the testimony of some of the survivors.[3]
In 1972, the book was translated into English and published by Michael Joseph under the name Nothing and amen,[5] and by Doubleday under the name Nothing, and So Be It.[6]