etbishop's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5


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aformeracceleratedreader's review against another edition

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medium-paced

5.0

Absolutely loved this. Extremely relatable on so many levels. 
There are some content/trigger warnings to be aware of but nothing extremely graphic.

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sirhcybe's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

2.5

Phuc had a troubled childhood with an abusive father and lots of racism and bullying directed his way. So it's no wonder he was an angry, punk  troublemaker as a teenager. I live near the town where he grew up and he's pretty hard on it.  The book ends with him finally achieving his longed for goal of getting out of Carlisle and going to college so we never quite see him mature into the teacher he becomes or find out if he ever reconciles with his parents, which made the book feel inconclusive to me. I also didn't personally relate to his teenage troubles and I don't particularly enjoy reading stories about other people's sad lives. Finally, while generally well written, it did annoy me occasionally that Phuc writes like he's trying to get high school English teachers to assign his book because it has so many good SAT vocabulary words.

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modzu's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.75


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annvsted87's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0


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rongrong's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective medium-paced

4.0

Strong start, relatable stories and people. Slowed down in the middle, then picked up again. Glad I stuck with it. 

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saara_ilona_muu's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny reflective medium-paced

4.5

This is a great first-effort written by a Vietnamese-American Gen X skater-punk. I loved so much about this book. He's got an authentic voice, and I found myself laughing and crying at various points.

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chasinash's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5


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monalyisha's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Quite possibly the best book I’ve read all year! 
 
A memoir by Phuc Tran, Latin teacher & tattoo artist, about growing up as a Vietnamese immigrant in small town, USA. Somehow, he manages to be so punk rock without sacrificing a real & endearing earnestness. His book is a love letter to literature & libraries, music & art, and a double-middle-finger to narrow-minded thinking (even & especially when it’s your own).

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plantybooklover's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful medium-paced

4.75

Phuc is evacuated from Saigon with his family in 1975 and ends up, surprisingly, in Carlisle, PA.  I grew up- shockingly- 11 miles away. we were 3-4 years apart and as far as I can tell, never crossed paths- although I am sure he met my Mom at some point. 
   Phuc is an excellent story teller and rolls through his life - with it's many challenges- in a funny, but also genuine and clear eyed way. His descriptions of Carlisle, were spot on, and I related my way to tears at some points in the book- his story- while uniquely his, resonated with me- and I am sure it will resonate with anyone who has felt like an outsider. 
The only thing that would have made it better, would have been to have some chapters of his time in college- he attended the same college as my sister, so ... I'd love to sit down with him and compare out some notes some day!
I'd recommend the audio book- the author narrates it himself, and I felt like he was just hanging out in the living room, telling stories.  Definitely a worth while read. 

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