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4.4 AVERAGE
4.4 AVERAGE
Wow what a powerful graphic novel. The catharsis this must have given Thi Bui is obvious. An incredible dive into generational trauma
informative
reflective
fast-paced
dark
fast-paced
This is a memoir in graphic novel form that doesn’t shy away from dark honesty. The ending is worth the work.
This book BLEW MY MIND. Soooo incredible and moving. In all honesty, I put off reading it because I think the title kind of sucks(?) but the book itself is 10 out of 10.
Over the past few years, I've read a lot of books that were profound, evocative, and embedded themselves in me emotionally (most recently it was "Between the World and Me"). But this book actually made me cry, like ugly-cry. This book is beautifully illustrated (it recalls the style of "Blankets" by Craig Thompson), a bit sparse stylistically for its own effect. It touches on the darkest parts of what it means to survive, not just as an immigrant, but from our own trauma, experienced or passed down to the next generation. It speaks of redemptions, but carefully navigates that line of profundity without overwrought sentimentalism. I would lend this book to everyone if I wasn't afraid of never getting it back.
The memoir of a Vietnamese woman and her family who grew up and lived through the time around the Vietnam War.
Heartbreaking yet uplifting story, illustrated gorgeously, of the author and her family's escape from Vietnam. A number of stories are beautifully intertwined including her parents, their upbringing and relationship as well as her own relationship to her parents and how the authors newly born son causes her to reevaluate many of her assumptions. Breathtaking and life-affirming, at the least it will hopefully make you appreciate your own life more and believe in the strength of the human spirit to survive despite insurmountable odds.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
A fairly quick read, but very beautiful novel. Would 100% read it again, would probably notice more details I missed the first time. Seems heartbreaking and heavy at first (and it is a heavy topic, for sure), but a very unique and insightful story. Glad I picked this book up and hope to see more of the artist's work one day.
Hmm.
Objectively, I think this memoir is quite moving and thought-provoking, and the art is gorgeous. However, it wasn’t really for me—there was a lot more contextual and parental history than I think there needed to be; I would have liked to see more about the author’s own experience and struggles rather than just getting extensive backstory on her parents and events that she barely remembers firsthand. More parallels lining up the past and present might have made the story feel more immediate and interesting.
In addition, the overall tone of the book—although it ends on a somewhat hopeful note, the majority of the book had a pretty depressing tone that wasn’t really what I needed at the moment.
So...this was good, and I definitely see why it’s done so well (and support its success), but it was just a bit too long-winded for me. I’m not going to give this an official star rating because I don’t think it objectively deserves the 2 stars I would give based on my own reading experience, but I also don’t think I can give it 3 or more stars.
Objectively, I think this memoir is quite moving and thought-provoking, and the art is gorgeous. However, it wasn’t really for me—there was a lot more contextual and parental history than I think there needed to be; I would have liked to see more about the author’s own experience and struggles rather than just getting extensive backstory on her parents and events that she barely remembers firsthand. More parallels lining up the past and present might have made the story feel more immediate and interesting.
In addition, the overall tone of the book—although it ends on a somewhat hopeful note, the majority of the book had a pretty depressing tone that wasn’t really what I needed at the moment.
So...this was good, and I definitely see why it’s done so well (and support its success), but it was just a bit too long-winded for me. I’m not going to give this an official star rating because I don’t think it objectively deserves the 2 stars I would give based on my own reading experience, but I also don’t think I can give it 3 or more stars.