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The Refugees Viet Thanh Nguyen 9780802127365 Books

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The Refugees Viet Thanh Nguyen 9780802127365 Books

Thank You, Viet Thanh Nguyen!
Eric Selby
In “War Years,” the first-person narrator retrospectively takes us back to his early teens when his parents owned a store stocked with items the refugees from Viet Nam liked. So let me give you a taste of just how wonderful—and occasionally humorous—this collection of stories is.
My parents did not grant me so much as an allowance. When I had asked for one in the
fourth grade, my father had frowned and said, “Let me think it over.” The next night he
handed me an itemized list of expenses that included my birth, feeding, education, and
clothing, the sum total being $24,376. “This doesn’t include emotional aggravation,
compound interest, or future expenses,” my father said. “Now when can you start
paying me an allowance?
I have read the author’s Pulitzer-Prize winning novel, The Sympathizer, five—yes, five—times. In fact I led a group of senior citizens—I am one too—at our Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Everyone found the novel just amazing.
And so is this collection of short stories, all about refugees as the title says, not immigrants. The distinction is important in the fictional world this amazing writer has created. Refugees are desperate. We must remember this: millions of non-communists were left in Vietnam after the United States left to fend for themselves against the communists who had taken control. Yes, so many became boat people, many of whom drowned. So the cast of characters in these eight stories are among those who made it to the United States where life, although easier than in their homeland, was hard as so often is the case for people who come to this country.
Today we are being treated to a Trumpian display of fear of “the other” when, in fact, this was once a country that truly believed what Emma Lazarus wrote, “Give me your…” inscribed on the Statue of Liberty.
In one story, a late teenage boy arrives in San Francisco, sponsored by a do-gooder with lots of money, where he finds himself desperate for work and some type of good life. “Transplant” is one of my favorites: a Latino in need of a liver transplant is storing in his garage knock-offs of Versace, Chanel and Louis Vuitton pedaled by Louis Vu (which apparently is a very common Vietnamese last name). But you might say the name itself is a knock-off. But enough of that or I’ll be called a spoiler.
Some stories are told in first person, others in second. One of the first person narrators in a ghost writer who also sees ghosts (ghosts are big in Pulitzer novel.
There is a good reason for all the high star ratings: writing doesn’t get any better than that of Viet Thanh Nguyen.


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The Refugees Viet Thanh Nguyen 9780802127365 Books Reviews

Nguyen follows up his instant classic The Sympathizer with an equally impressive collection of short stories in The Refugees. With heartrending and tender emotion, he captures the struggles and hopes of an unforgettable array of immigrant and native characters of Vietnamese heritage. Each finely-crafted piece carries a subtle power and beauty in the dignity and quiet resilience of the characters as they face the hardships of loss, regret, failure, and alienation in either their home country or their adopted America. Through the wounded memories and life-altering experiences of both courageous men and women, Nguyen generates great empathy for their individual plights. The revelations they encounter are touching and poignant, oftentimes packing a force that breaks your heart. The graceful texture of Nguyen’s language and the vividness of his images and details harness the near perfection of this volume. With his two stellar works of fiction, Nguyen has quickly and deservedly earned his claim among the giants of contemporary literature. I can hardly wait for his next project.
I loved Viêt Thanh Nguyen's first book, The Sympathizer. So I hastened to buy this one, a series of short stories connected by the theme of what it is like to be an immigrant in this country. As an immigrant from France, coming with a college degree, my personal experience is not reflected by this book about mostly boat people. How fortunate I have been! The stories are compelling and beautifully written and I probably would have rated the book five stars if the preceding one had not been so outstanding. Read it!
“For all refugees, everywhere” – Dedication in The Refugees

“In a country where possessions counted for everything, we had no belongings except our stories.” Viet Thanh Nguyen, The Refugees

Holy moly! What an incredible, emotional and remarkable book! I am honestly having a hard time coming up with the right words for this review – I feel it deserves so much more than my unsophisticated writing skills. Nguyen is an eloquent, perceptive, brilliant writer and storyteller. The eight stories featured in The Refugees are powerful, compassionate, and moving. Every day, hundreds of individuals are displaced and must flee their homes and countries. Many refugees fear for their lives and must leave without notice, leaving everything they love behind. The Refugees deals with their immigrant experiences, and the risks they endure for a chance of a better future and life. Nguyen brilliantly brings his characters’ triumphs and sorrows to life. One particular story, “The Warriors” is about Nguyen’s own family’s experience, “…the story “Warriors” about the child of refugee shopkeepers and what happens to that family, that is drawn very much from my life and the lives of my parents. And it was a very difficult story to write because I think my parents’ lives are worthy of writing about. I don’t think my life is particularly worthy of writing about.” With the current political climate in the United States, there is an urgent need for books such as The Refugees to be written and read by all. Get yourself a copy of this book from the bookstore or borrow it from the library or friend – just make sure you read it!

Side note I was fortunate to meet and hear Viet at the Central Library in Arlington, Virginia. He is extremely funny, smart and genuine - a great human being!
Thank You, Viet Thanh Nguyen!
Eric Selby
In “War Years,” the first-person narrator retrospectively takes us back to his early teens when his parents owned a store stocked with items the refugees from Viet Nam liked. So let me give you a taste of just how wonderful—and occasionally humorous—this collection of stories is.
My parents did not grant me so much as an allowance. When I had asked for one in the
fourth grade, my father had frowned and said, “Let me think it over.” The next night he
handed me an itemized list of expenses that included my birth, feeding, education, and
clothing, the sum total being $24,376. “This doesn’t include emotional aggravation,
compound interest, or future expenses,” my father said. “Now when can you start
paying me an allowance?
I have read the author’s Pulitzer-Prize winning novel, The Sympathizer, five—yes, five—times. In fact I led a group of senior citizens—I am one too—at our Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Everyone found the novel just amazing.
And so is this collection of short stories, all about refugees as the title says, not immigrants. The distinction is important in the fictional world this amazing writer has created. Refugees are desperate. We must remember this millions of non-communists were left in Vietnam after the United States left to fend for themselves against the communists who had taken control. Yes, so many became boat people, many of whom drowned. So the cast of characters in these eight stories are among those who made it to the United States where life, although easier than in their homeland, was hard as so often is the case for people who come to this country.
Today we are being treated to a Trumpian display of fear of “the other” when, in fact, this was once a country that truly believed what Emma Lazarus wrote, “Give me your…” inscribed on the Statue of Liberty.
In one story, a late teenage boy arrives in San Francisco, sponsored by a do-gooder with lots of money, where he finds himself desperate for work and some type of good life. “Transplant” is one of my favorites a Latino in need of a liver transplant is storing in his garage knock-offs of Versace, Chanel and Louis Vuitton pedaled by Louis Vu (which apparently is a very common Vietnamese last name). But you might say the name itself is a knock-off. But enough of that or I’ll be called a spoiler.
Some stories are told in first person, others in second. One of the first person narrators in a ghost writer who also sees ghosts (ghosts are big in Pulitzer novel.
There is a good reason for all the high star ratings writing doesn’t get any better than that of Viet Thanh Nguyen.