A review by lindasdarby
Sigh, Gone: A Misfit's Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In by Phuc Tran

3.0

Reading about Phuc Tran(and his family to some degree) coming from Vietnam to Pennsylvania was a mixed bag - some parts of the book were really hard to read, some more interesting than others and at some points I wanted to punch Phuc in the face for being such a dumb jerk. I think the thing he did with comparing his life to classic books was mostly a gimmick that didn't really work for me. Some chapters it was better than others but a lot of the time it felt like a stretch. I will say that despite the fact that I think Phuc is kind of a jerk and thinks he is smarter than other people(most notably his parents -this is oversimplified) his upbringing was definitely really hard. The chapters where we read of the abuse from his father made me sick. Horrible in every way and it broke my heart. The chapters where Phuc is trying to understand racism - and this is obviously a running theme throughout the book so it starts at a young age - are probably the best in the book and the ones where I could empathize and learn the most. Seeing how Phuc struggles with this throughout his life and tries to come to terms with what it means for him and his friends and family and who he is are the best in the book. So much of the book is dedicated to him being punk and listening to cool music and getting the right clothes but I realize it is because it was so important in his development and learning and accepting of himself- they just aren't the best part of the book. Interesting and definitely worth the time.