toosunnyouthere's review against another edition

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challenging funny hopeful inspiring medium-paced

4.0

erinthelibrarian's review against another edition

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4.0

I really enjoyed this memoir. The author is one year younger than me so much of it resonated with me culturally and pop-culture wise. I was also a young punk so it was interesting to read how this identity helped him in certain ways. I have read several books by Vietnamese and Vietnamese American authors - both fiction and memoir and I have so much respect for the incredibly hard journey it must have been to escape their home country and then try to find a place in the US. Listening to veterans reminisce must have been surreal. There's humor and insight mixed into this memoir.

changdrew's review against another edition

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5.0

time to go to Portland and get a tattoo

thomasr417's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

dscfrazier's review against another edition

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5.0

I'm not much of a memoir reader, but I really enjoyed this book by Phuc Tran. He provides a raw and honest view into his life growing up as an immigrant searching for acceptance from his parents, outsiders, and ultimately from himself. He discusses race, patriarchy, assimilation, rebellion using the themes from several classic books of Western canon.

supercrite's review against another edition

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medium-paced

4.5

itsmeamethyst's review against another edition

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5.0

This is one of the best books I've read in a long time, a "wow" of a book. Phuc Tran titled each chapter after a book that influenced him. He discusses race and racism, his dehumanizing experiences as a child refugee and the "menace of knowing" that he and his family didn't "belong", finding a subculture to mold himself into (punk rock), trauma and abuse, and connecting to literature. I completely resonated with the way he describes books as universal and capturing the human struggle to belong and strive for love, place, and acceptance. He is an exceptional storyteller and it is a gift that he was vulnerable enough to share these parts of him with the rest of us.

maryc79's review against another edition

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5.0

Loved this book. Phuc Tran is a great writer and I liked that he tied his life to classic literature. So many great stories in his life. Thank you for sharing your life with us! Again loved it!

vivianziyi's review against another edition

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5.0

Such a gorgeous, honest, painful read

ericaegg's review against another edition

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informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5