This memoir describes, in a story-like fashion, the childhood and early adulthood of Susan, whose parents are Vietnam refugees. She is the first of her family to be born in the USA, and only in her family with an American name.
Susan is in a constant fight with her body and the death of her mother feeds the feud that is already going on. Punishment in the Lieu household was eating and eating, even if you were full. Susan’s family constantly picked at her for being “fat”. This only worsened when she moved across the country to attend Harvard, where she is looped into a cult and spends thousands of dollars trying to find her inner peace.
The death of her mother was never a topic brought up at her family reunions as she grew older. Every time she brought it up, she was chastised for being negative and holding onto her past. This didn’t stop her from uncovering the truth, and bringing closure to all the thoughts racing through her mind.
Although memoirs are not my favorite, I can tell you this is a fantastically written account and you will be on an emotional rollercoaster. The only thing I would change is labelling the events better chronologically, and the differentiating between her relatives when using their traditional Vietnamese names— but other than that minor detail, this book is definitely a favorite. Thank you Celadon for a copy of this fantastic memoir!
Susan is in a constant fight with her body and the death of her mother feeds the feud that is already going on. Punishment in the Lieu household was eating and eating, even if you were full. Susan’s family constantly picked at her for being “fat”. This only worsened when she moved across the country to attend Harvard, where she is looped into a cult and spends thousands of dollars trying to find her inner peace.
The death of her mother was never a topic brought up at her family reunions as she grew older. Every time she brought it up, she was chastised for being negative and holding onto her past. This didn’t stop her from uncovering the truth, and bringing closure to all the thoughts racing through her mind.
Although memoirs are not my favorite, I can tell you this is a fantastically written account and you will be on an emotional rollercoaster. The only thing I would change is labelling the events better chronologically, and the differentiating between her relatives when using their traditional Vietnamese names— but other than that minor detail, this book is definitely a favorite. Thank you Celadon for a copy of this fantastic memoir!