Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.4 AVERAGE
4.4 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
"I had no idea the terror I felt was just a long shadow of his own", muses Thi Bui while trying to get to know her father better. That line more than anything else sums up the memoir of the family that fled Vietnam and came to America as one of the 'boat people'.
The graphic memoir is a story of guilt, grief and gratitude. Through the story of her Ma and Bo, the author traces the history of Vietnam. Of the various forces at work in the country since during WWII. Of one family surviving in relative poverty in rural Vietnam, and another that enjoys class privilege. There is betrayal, there are compromises, there is despair and there is the desire to survive. You realise how history cannot be reduced to a single narrative, and of how in times of unrest it is the common people who suffer.
While America appears to be the land of opportunities, life is not easy for the immigrants. Their prior education and experience means very little, and they are forced to accept unskilled jobs at minimum wages. Some survive, others give up. But in this story, there is a happy end- the children become a part of the American dream, and the author for one manages to break the cycle of generational trauma.
I thought it was a YA book, but though essentially the story of childhoods, it was a book for adults, and one that gave me much to mull about.
I read this as a part of the #RefugeeReadingChallenge
The graphic memoir is a story of guilt, grief and gratitude. Through the story of her Ma and Bo, the author traces the history of Vietnam. Of the various forces at work in the country since during WWII. Of one family surviving in relative poverty in rural Vietnam, and another that enjoys class privilege. There is betrayal, there are compromises, there is despair and there is the desire to survive. You realise how history cannot be reduced to a single narrative, and of how in times of unrest it is the common people who suffer.
While America appears to be the land of opportunities, life is not easy for the immigrants. Their prior education and experience means very little, and they are forced to accept unskilled jobs at minimum wages. Some survive, others give up. But in this story, there is a happy end- the children become a part of the American dream, and the author for one manages to break the cycle of generational trauma.
I thought it was a YA book, but though essentially the story of childhoods, it was a book for adults, and one that gave me much to mull about.
I read this as a part of the #RefugeeReadingChallenge
emotional
informative
reflective
fast-paced
Strong graphic memoir, though I do wish there was a family tree with ages for reference so I wouldn't be as confused with the timeline at some points. Author seemed to give more weight to father's side but she wrote into the comic that her depiction of her mother might be skewed (as it ties closer to her own self-image). I respect the disclosure.
emotional
informative
medium-paced
The history captured here is so important and so overlooked in western culture that I feel terrible giving this one star. But I found it aggressively boring in spite of the heavy content. I didn’t connect emotionally to anyone in the book and their troubles hit me in a superficial way. Also I didn’t feel like there was enough reflection to give it much of a narrative arc. Why was the author’s father so scary? How does the birth of her son connect to these larger events? Sadly I didn’t enjoy the artistic style either. I found it messy and it was often difficult to tell who was who and what was going on. Although it wasn’t for me, I’m glad it’s out in the world. I hope it helps more Vietnamese writers find their voice and share their stories.
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Renewed my faith in the graphic memoir. On par with Fun Home and Maus and hope it receives its deserved attention.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
sad
slow-paced
A great memoir, the best Vietnamese-American book I've read. Graphically appealing and evidently the work of a mature author, it gives a lot of information about Vietnam (and US) history while being personal, intriguing and aesthetically interesting. Only minus point is that some oral storytelling translates into rather chaotic board and it's at times hard to follow.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced