Reviews

My Father, the Panda Killer by Jamie Jo Hoang

imstephtacular's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.25

Tough read, but well executed. Beautiful and heartbreaking and nuanced and complex and compelling with great writing 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Grief, Death, War, Violence, Emotional abuse, and Animal cruelty

Moderate: Suicide, Sexual violence, Abandonment, Murder, Blood, Racism, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual assault, Rape, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, Ableism, Body shaming, Bullying, Animal death, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, and Vomit

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Miscarriage, and Misogyny

lizzyvh's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

A surprisingly layered and complex book, I was initially just expecting a run of the mill story of immigration with some fantastical elements. Instead the book takes a deeper dive into generational trauma, socialized norms, and communication gaps between first and second generation diaspora. Brings to life some of these much needed discussions.

caitiep92's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.5

aleenabeth's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

librerika's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Despite the unreliable narrators, this is an honest and unflinching look at generational trauma in one Vietnamese American family. The first portion of the book felt like it was written for outsiders, with sometimes clunky cultural explanations worked in, but either those stopped as the book went on or I became too engrossed in the story to keep noticing.  

bookish_selkie's review

dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

mandy_reads's review

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

annalynn912's review against another edition

dark emotional sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

enakasone's review

challenging dark sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a hard read, but it was worth it. I think every trigger warning applies here. However, I think it gave a complex and mature view into how the Vietnam War affected the refugees and their descendants. Like it was stated in the book, I've never thought about the POVs of the refugees and the trauma many experienced as they left their homes; I've only really thought of the War in terms of US sentiment. To learn that much of the story is based on the author's parents' experiences as well is a lot to swallow. I wouldn't recommend it to EVERYONE, but I think there are teens out there who are mature and interested enough to read this book. And it gives voice to a group of people who are discussed but rarely seen as anything other than a statistic.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: War, Sexual assault, Child abuse, Murder, Sexual violence, Injury/Injury detail, Rape, and Violence

oldandnewbooksmell's review

adventurous emotional informative reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Trigger Warnings: Generational trauma, physical abuse, violence

My Father, The Panda Killer is told through Jane, in San Jose, 1999, as she tries to explain to her 7-year-old brother why their dad can’t control his anger. It’s because back in his own country, in Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, 1975 Phúc (rhymes with Duke), is eleven the first time his mother through him through the minefields, fallen airplanes, and debris to a refugee boat. But, before the sun even rises, more than half the people aboard will perish. Fleeing the horrors of this homeland, Phúc’s difficult journey across the Pacific has just started as he fights to survive Thai pirates, starvation, hallucination, and the murder of a panda.

Told in alternating voices of Jane and Phúc, this novel tells the unflinching story of the Vietnam war, its impact on multiple generations, and how one American teenager battles along the path to accepting her heritage and herself.

This novel is definitely unflinching in the struggles and horrors Vietnamese boat people had to endure in order to survive. Jamie Jo Hoang brings to light how those experiences still trickle down generations and how, even in America, first generation children were raised in completely different worlds and conditions.

What got me was that after everything Phúc went through, when he meets Jane’s mom for the first time on the boat over to Guam from Hong Kong, he’s so dismissive of her and also so hard on her. Like - he wasn’t going to clean up after himself because she’s a woman and that’s what women do. And he gets mad at her for playing with a jump rope? We had gotten so much of his story and on that boat trip, it felt like Phúc flipped a switch and I didn’t get it. Maybe it’s because he was still trying to hold onto his Vietnamese culture, but still…

Overall, this is a beautiful novel that gives a wonderful insight on both the Vietnam War and what some first generation Americans (and others) have experienced as a result of the War. I would recommend this to those who want to read more about Vietnamese culture and the legacy of immigrant and refugee experiences.

*Thank you Crown Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for a digital advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and War