In this book about her own life, Ly Tran tells about her own life, starting in 1993, when she immigrated with her parents and three brothers from a small village along the Mekong river in Vietnam to a two bedroom apartment in Queens, New York City. Their immigration is part of a humanitarian program by the US government, as Ly's father is a former lieutenant in the South Vietnamese army.
Soon after their arrival, work starts beside school. The whole family is taking part in badly paid sweatshop work at home, sewing cummerbunds and ties on their living room floor to make ends meet. The first years are very difficult and challenging, as Ly's parents try to stay true to the Vietnamese and Buddhist culture, while Ly and her brothers are growing up in the American culture, and when they start their teen years, these cultures start to clash. Ly's parents, especially her father, is very strict, and for example, doesn't believe in subscription glasses, which Ly truly needs. This results in many fighth between Ly and her father, and it isn't until years later, when she is at college, that Ly has the chance to get glasses. Later on in the book, Ly's parents starts to work and later take on a nail salon, where Ly starts to work to as a manicurist beside her mother, where she are sometimes badly treated by the demanding customers. (after reading this, you look to a nail salon with different eyes) Ly works there untill she goes to college, but it is there that her life to start falling apart, as she is starting to get personal problems, that sometimes lead back to her life back home.
A tragic misunderstanding between her and her psychologist at college land her in a mental ward, and is just sad to read how everything led to this, and you just hope that everything turns out for the better for the good spirited, hardworking and honest Ly. But in the end, things turn out for the better, and she can find peace with herself, her burden and in some way with her parents and how they treated her, and you just want the very best for her.
This is just a very moving and impressing book by a fantastic new author. Ly's life wasn't easy, it is sometimes heartbreaking to read, but Ly is a strong person and doesn't give up. This is certainly one of the new books to look out for when it comes out this June, and it also a great new author to start following, I truly hope there will be more books by Ly Tran, because this beautifully written book is absolutely outstanding!
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