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review 2020-12-21 04:56
The American dream is still alive for those determined to pursue it

 

For those of us who have only known life in an affluent country with a stable, democratically elected government, it’s hard to imagine the danger and drama of regime change in other parts of the world. Everything you believed in and all you’ve worked so hard to attain, can abruptly become a liability, and the peace and security of your loved ones suddenly put at risk.

This is the fate that befell so many South Vietnamese the day after the fall of Saigon in 1975, which marked the end of the Vietnam War with victory for the communist North Vietnamese forces.

One such person was Tim Tran, who relates his experience in the memoir, American Dreamer: How I Escaped Communist Vietnam and Built a Successful Life in America by Tim Tran with Tom Fields-Meyer.

To make that historical event even more personal and painful, Tran, a native-born Vietnamese, had experienced life in America on a scholarship and attained a degree in business from the University of California, Berkeley. He’d only returned to South Vietnam less than a year before the country fell to the communists.

In American Dreamer, Tran describes his childhood in a loving family that thrived through hard work, determination and amazing resourcefulness that emerges out of necessity. And how his father provided the motivation and the training for him to succeed academically.

Chapters about his immersion into American culture during his university years are a testament to his outgoing personality and the gracious, friendly, and helpful reception he received from almost all the Americans he interacted with.

Accounts of navigating day-to-day living in a totalitarian regime, harrowing experiences trying to arrange an escape from Vietnam, life-threatening confrontations as boat person beset by pirates, and volunteering with agencies while in a refugee camp are gripping and told with candour and humility.

Once back in America, career success is achieved with a combination of effort, excellence, enthusiasm, and integrity The author just doesn’t abide in America, he embraces it, holds it to his heart, then magnanimously gives back by creating an endowment that will for many years support the library operations at Pacific University. In these pages, Tran also pays tribute to all those who have supported him in fulfilling this dream.

Entertaining and inspiring, American Dreamer, attests to the fact the American dream is still alive for those determined enough to pursue it. And furthermore, there’s no need to make America great again, for people like Tran, it still is and always has been.

 

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review 2018-06-12 02:15
Pretty much everything goes wrong for everyone
Refugees - Malka Older

Argh. I just don't know what to say here -- clearly, this should've posted on Friday, but I only got one sentence down that I didn't delete. This is only posting today because I didn't let myself cut anything. This episode is too short, I think. When I consider everything I want to complain about, it all boils down to length (I'm not even seeing page counts on Amazon/Goodreads for the last couple of these). I do think the episode length is a legitimate problem, but at the same time, it's part of the design of the series, so I should just shut up about it.

 

Which is just a long way of saying, I think I liked this episode, but I'm not sure -- it sure didn't satisfy my need as a reader to get a chunk of story big enough to appreciate what's happening around these characters. I'm not saying these need to clock in at 250 pages or anything. Just 10-20% more?

 

Which is a crying shame -- because there's real opportunity in these pages for Michiko and Kris to get something done (both to help their people and the readers who like them as characters), but there wasn't time. Ojo doesn't seem like the same man anymore -- which is completely understandable, but I'm having to do too much surmising to get to my understanding. I did like Adechike's portion of this episode -- that was really well done.

 

Oh, and Lavinia continues to be just the worst person in this world. but that's not a surprise, really.

 

The action here revolves around this world preparing for the looming war -- I get why the characters don't know what actually happened to set off the conflict, but it'd be cool to let the readers in on the secret. There's preparations for war -- both in getting fighting forces ready, and refugees from affected/soon to be affected areas streaming into Twaa-Fei. Which is going pretty horribly -- between the stress that an influx of refugees brings to an area and a healthy dose of subterfuge on someone's part.

 

Speaking of Twaa-Fei, I'd have preferred to see more examples of this compact on between the nations working (however well it actually functions) before seeing it on the verge of collapse. It's hard to appreciate just what they're close to losing without seeing it more.

 

I'm still in this 'til the end, I think I'm still enjoying this -- but I feel the authors are holding out on us, which bothers me. I'm trusting they'll win me over (again) soon.

Source: irresponsiblereader.com/2018/06/11/born-to-the-blade-1-8-refugees-by-malka-ann-older-pretty-much-everything-goes-wrong-for-everyone
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text 2018-02-22 18:38
#PROMOTIONAL_POST - Refugees (Mud, Rocks, and Trees #1) by R.A. Denny
Refugees - R.A. Denny

"An epic journey of a lifetime." That's what three young individuals from three different corners of the world have dreamed about. They were destined for greatness since the moment they were born. But what if they don't want it? What if they're not ready? What if their desires no longer align with the prophecy?

The problem is, they have no choice. The star has appeared. Their destiny has already begun to unfold. 


It's not the send-off that they've been dreaming of. Forced out. Banished. Raided. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Now they must discover who they really are while embarking on the most exciting journey of their lives. One star. One impossible task. One chance to save the world they love. 

 

#Coming_of_Age, #Epic, #Fantasy

Source: archaeolibrarianologist.blogspot.de/2018/02/promotionalpost-refugees-mud-rocks-and.html
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review 2018-01-12 03:40
The Refugees
The Refugees - Viet Thanh Nguyen

I read Nguyen's well-received first book, The Sympathizer, so I was eager to read this collection of short stories, and happy to see it available on NetGalley. When I initially selected Sympathizer, it was on my husband's recommendation, but that book easily sold me on Nguyen's ability to compel a reader, especially one who wasn't sure about the subject. Like Sympathizer, the characters here live difficult, often impossible lives. In some cases, I admit, I wasn't sorry the story was short; I was happy to escape to a different place, with new characters and challenges. Despite the slim volume, the characters are fully-realized, and their stories are crafted with care and compassion.

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review 2017-11-30 00:00
Against the Double Blackmail: Refugees, Terror and Other Troubles with the Neighbours
Against the Double Blackmail: Refugees, Terror and Other Troubles with the Neighbours - Slavoj Žižek Not sure what to think about this. It is a relative short polemic on the problems faced, mainly by Europe, by the refugee issue. Though short it is densely written and academic, so not an easy read. Not sure that I followed all his arguments but he certainly lays into global capitalism, colonialism and Western Liberal values, values that generally I espouse.
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