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nitar8's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Child death, Colonisation, War, Emotional abuse, Grief, Pregnancy, Classism, Abandonment, Death, and Miscarriage
paigehf's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Pregnancy and Miscarriage
Moderate: Death, Child death, Child abuse, and War
Minor: Racism
njh_books's review
5.0
Heartbreaking but also hopeful. The last scene with the son is truly thought provoking and beautiful.
My knowledge of Vietnam improved with this story as often events were discussed that I then looked into on my own.
Graphic: Torture, Violence, Colonisation, Child death, Chronic illness, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Medical content, Death, Xenophobia, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Miscarriage
lprongs's review against another edition
Moderate: Pregnancy, Death, Miscarriage, and War
Minor: Xenophobia, Vomit, Racial slurs, and Racism
koreanlinda's review against another edition
4.25
I learned a lot about what Vietnamese and Vietnamese Americans went through in the last few generations. I recommend coupling this book with Year of the Rabbit by Tian Veasna, which talks about a painful part of Cambodian history around a similar time as this book.
Review by Linda (Any Pronouns) in Feb 2024
Personal essays on DefinitelyNotOkay.com
Artwork on Instagram @KoreanLinda
Graphic: Violence, Miscarriage, Colonisation, and War
Moderate: Genocide, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
caoxtina's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Violence and War
Moderate: Rape, Child death, and Miscarriage
kirkspockreads's review
5.0
Graphic: Colonisation, Gun violence, War, Violence, and Miscarriage
Moderate: Racial slurs, Murder, Infidelity, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Abandonment, Abortion, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Grief, Racism, and Pregnancy
cecilie_who_reads's review against another edition
5.0
But her parents as children and young people are so well conveyed that you feel it could be you. The lack of safety, the repeated chock of having all plans overturned, sneaks in on you in your armchair. It invites the reader (and, as Thi Bui says, her own self too) to renewed respect for the survivors, even those that spend their days in a dark room, grumpy and unapproachable for apparently no reason.
Moderate: Violence, Domestic abuse, Death, War, Miscarriage, and Abandonment
Minor: Mental illness, Mass/school shootings, Drug use, Vomit, Xenophobia, and Racial slurs
Starvation, persecution, and hiding alone in the darkness in small spaces are also part of the story. Read it, but hold someone's hand.ittywitty's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Deportation, Confinement, War, Xenophobia, Pregnancy, Grief, Miscarriage, and Colonisation
odetojersey's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Colonisation, Miscarriage, War, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Violence, and Grief