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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
bawallington's review against another edition
3.0
"Only ten days had passed since the fall of Saigon, but I felt as though I had accelerated into adulthood with no brakes." -The Unwanted: A Memoir of Childhood, Kien Nguyen
Following the fall of Saigon to North Vietnamese Communist forces, Kien Nguyen - the son of a wealthy Vietnamese woman and an American GI who has returned to the U.S. - finds himself in a country rapidly changing into a place hostile to the old ways of capitalism and to the "Amerasian" children that have been left behind. For ten years, he endures alienation, poverty, and torment as he and his family struggle to flee to a better life.
CW: death, torture, police/government brutality, animal abuse & death, sexual assault
The events of Kien's childhood are brutal and deeply upsetting - and difficult - to read. To be honest, I almost dreaded ending my day with more scenes of abject misery. The story and perspective he shares, however, is one that I feel is often missing from the American-centric Vietnam War and post-war narratives. What happened to the people, the children, that were (quite literally) left behind? It's important, but it's so hard to read and reflect on. I also felt that his retelling was all event, little reflection or processing - "and then this happened and then this and then this and then this" - which is just not my preference when it comes to memoir. But how do you assign meaning to the worst possible things that could happen to you? It's tough. But I think it's ultimately just not for me.
Following the fall of Saigon to North Vietnamese Communist forces, Kien Nguyen - the son of a wealthy Vietnamese woman and an American GI who has returned to the U.S. - finds himself in a country rapidly changing into a place hostile to the old ways of capitalism and to the "Amerasian" children that have been left behind. For ten years, he endures alienation, poverty, and torment as he and his family struggle to flee to a better life.
CW: death, torture, police/government brutality, animal abuse & death, sexual assault
The events of Kien's childhood are brutal and deeply upsetting - and difficult - to read. To be honest, I almost dreaded ending my day with more scenes of abject misery. The story and perspective he shares, however, is one that I feel is often missing from the American-centric Vietnam War and post-war narratives. What happened to the people, the children, that were (quite literally) left behind? It's important, but it's so hard to read and reflect on. I also felt that his retelling was all event, little reflection or processing - "and then this happened and then this and then this and then this" - which is just not my preference when it comes to memoir. But how do you assign meaning to the worst possible things that could happen to you? It's tough. But I think it's ultimately just not for me.
cccarney67's review against another edition
4.0
An amazing and extremely powerful story about a young man and his family's struggles to survive in Vietnam after the fall of Saigon and his escape to America. From the start of the story I knew he and his family settled in America, but throughout the book I would find myself forgetting this and I would worry about his fate after every attempt to escape failed. I would love to see this book be required reading for high school seniors.
katiecc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
5.0
This book is an emotional one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
bjor6n's review against another edition
5.0
Certainly one of the best memoirs I have ever read. I appreciate the author's emotional journey back to a life that he did not need to revisit. Another reminder that we are all in this together, and we should really show compassion, be empathetic and enjoy every sandwich.
jenn_nguyen's review against another edition
challenging
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Sexual violence, and Violence
hnagarne's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
a moving, extremely sad memoir of survival and resilience. i loved this, and i learned so much about the aftermath of the vietnam war and the “amerasian” children left behind.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Gun violence, Infertility, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Abortion, and War
missopenthrottle's review against another edition
5.0
Wow - I honestly hadn't looked too far into the description before borrowing this from the library but I'm sure whatever teaser or summary it has, it couldn't possibly do this book justice. I cried, I laughed, I cried some more, I could hardly put this book down.... you can tell this story comes from the soul, and it will leave a mark on yours as well. This memoir is definitely not for the faint of heart, but I certainly will never be the same because of it. Amazing read - highly, highly recommend it.
laurie_bridges's review against another edition
5.0
I had no idea so many children of US military fathers were left behind. This is a revealing portrait of one boys’ struggle to survive and the discrimination and abuse he faced.