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Memories of an American From Vietnam
First Second · Print & ebook · June 20, 2023
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist Eisner Award Winner for Best Graphic Memoir An NPR Best Books of 2023 A moving young adult graphic memoir about a Vietnamese immigrant boy's search for belonging in America, perfect for fans of American Born Chinese and The Best We Could Do!
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- Who it’s for
- Food becomes a vivid thread through memory, migration, family struggle, and the search for belonging.
- Themes
- Vietnamese refugee resettlement, Food and memory, Belonging and the American dream
- Genres
- Graphic Biography, Immigration for Teens, Cooking & Food
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For younger readers: Mexikid, A First Time for Everything, Weirdo
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Start with this bookAbout this book
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction Finalist Eisner Award Winner for Best Graphic Memoir An NPR Best Books of 2023 A moving young adult graphic memoir about a Vietnamese immigrant boy's search for belonging in America, perfect for fans of American Born Chinese and The Best We Could Do! Thien's first memory isn't a sight or a sound. It's the sweetness of watermelon and the saltiness of fish.
Continue reading
It's the taste of the foods he ate while adrift at sea as his family fled Vietnam. After the Pham family arrives at a refugee camp in Thailand, they struggle to survive. Things don't get much easier once they resettle in California. And through each chapter of their lives, food takes on a new meaning. Strawberries come to signify struggle as Thien's mom and dad look for work. Potato chips are an indulgence that bring Thien so much joy that they become a necessity. Behind every cut of steak and inside every croissant lies a story. And for Thien Pham, that story is about a search—for belonging, for happiness, for the American dream.
Memory on the Menu
Food becomes a vivid thread through memory, migration, family struggle, and the search for belonging.
Come here for
- Food memories carrying more than flavor
- A personal lens on migration and belonging
Expect
- A graphic memoir shaped by family upheaval and everyday tastes
- An intimate search for belonging, told through changing meanings of food
Where it sits
| Graphic Biography | 94% |
|---|---|
| Immigration for Teens | 66% |
| Cooking & Food | 51% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Graphic Social Topics
- Cooking & Food
- Asian American U.S. History for Teens
- Authors
- Thien Pham
- Publisher
- First Second
- Published
- June 20, 2023
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- Vietnamese refugee resettlement · Food and memory · Belonging and the American dream
- Reading lane
- Graphic Social Topics