Vietnamese Americans Books
These reviews highlight books on the Vietnamese American experience and history..
Vietnamese in America
by Lori Coleman
"Isn't this a lovely cover? This hardcover resource book
for older elementary and middle school age children gives a useful
overview of Vietnamese immigration and assimilation in the United
States. The main focus of the book is the three waves of Vietnamese
immigration and settlement in various parts of the United States
in 1970-1980. It also includes a short section on Operation Babylift.
It is not positive about the Vietnam-American war and it has a few
frightening images, however the tone is quite positive towards Vietnamese
Americans. This book nicely addresses some of the difficulties Vietnamese
Americans had in their move to the United States, which can help
put things into context for readers. It provides a very brief look
at Vientamese culture, but does have a good section on 'famous'
Vietnamese Americans, complete with photographs. Another pleasant
surprise was the discover of the citation for Mam Non in the reference
section." (Allison Martin)
Order
from Amazon
Vietnamese Americans (One Nation Set 2)
by Nichol Bryan
Part of a series by this author on different countries, this book
presents the history of Vietnam and the customs, language, religion,
and experiences of Vietnamese Americans.
Order
Book from Amazon
Voices of Vietnamese Boat People: Nineteen Narratives of Escape
and Survival
by Mary Terrell Cargill and Jade Ngoc Quang Huynh (Editors)
Narative stories of 19 people came to America from Vietnam as
part of the hair raising Boat escape in the aftermath of the war.
The people are now students, professors, entrepreneurs, scientists,
and craftspeople.
Order
from Amazon
Hearts of Sorrow: Vietnamese-American Lives
by James M. Freeman
"The author, through an interpreter, collected stories
from many Vietnamese immigrants now living in the States. These
contrast their former life in Viet Nam to their current one in
America. Each chapter has a time frame that contains the narratives
from a compliation of different individuals. The book offers an
interesting perspective on life in Vietnam prior and after the
war. Could be used for good history lessons." (Andria Galusha)
Order
from Amazon
Vietnamese Boat People, 1954 and 1975-1992
by Nghia M. Vo
Order
Book from Amazon
After Sorrow: An American Among the Vietnamese
by Lady Borton
"American woman’s chronicles of Vietnamese life
during and after the “American war”. Because she had
learned Vietnamese firsthand, she was able to get very personal
interviews with the local women and discover their unseen role
during that time. It was a very surprising one and much more important
than I have been aware of. As she tells their story, she writes
with a interesting slant about the American role in Viet Nam."
(Andria Galusha)
Order
from Amazon
Vietnamese Americans (We Are America)
by Margaret C. Hall
An overview of the history and daily lives of Vietnamese people who immigrated
to the United States.
From the publisher: Discusses conditions in Vietnam, particularly
after 1975, that led Vietnamese to leave the country, describes the difficulties
these people faced, how they managed to immigrate to the United States
and to keep their traditions alive in their new homeland. Beginning with
life in the home country, the book details the experience of coming to
the United States, beginning school and work, and settling down with family.
Along the way are details about the culture, including traditional pastimes
and celebrations. Each book ends with an American story as readers discover
how the immigrant has flourished in a new country.
Order
Hardcover from Amazon | Order Paperback via Amazon
Song of Saigon: One Woman's Journey to Freedom
by Anh Vu Sawyer and Pam Proctor
"True story of Vietnamese woman who, with her family, were one of the
last ones to leave before Sai Gon fell in April, 1975. An interesting insight
to what pitfalls and difficulties occurred to the new immigrants after they
arrive in America. She continues her own story to share God’s faithfulness
in spite of what seemed insurmountable difficulties –no money, no job,
no home, culture and language barriers." (Andria Galusha)
Order
via Amazon
Where the Ashes Are: The Odyssey of a Vietnamese Family
By Nguyen Qui Duc
"Provides American readers with a rare point of view that is long overdue.
We have largely dismissed the Vietnam War, which the Vietnamese call The
American War, but refugees are still struggling with events that turned
their homeland upside down and forced them to flee." (Elisabeth Sherwin)
Order
from Amazon Out of Print | Read
Review
Vietnamese Americans (Our Cultural Heritage)
by C. Ann Fitterer
This book for elementary school age children presents the immigration
of Vietnamese people to the United States following the 1970's. While
it does not heistate to describe some of the difficulties Vietnamese Americans
have faced, overall it is a positive look at their contributions in the
United States. It includes a number of images of Vietnamese and Vietnamese
businesses in the US (athough one inexplicably is in French!). For those
interested in education, it contains highlighted vocabulary words, a timeline
and short description of culture.
Order
from Amazon
The Journey from Vietnam to America
by Nhon Trang
The change of a Vietnamese's life from the time he was born in a small town
in Vietnam until he resettled in the United States of America.
Order
via Amazon
Strangers from a Different Shore : A History of Asian Americans
by Ronald Takaki
Overview of discrimination faced by Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese,
Filipinos, and Indian immigrants throughout American history.
Order
from Amazon
Yellow: Race in America Beyond Black and White
by Frank H. Wu
From the publisher: A leading voice in America's Asian community tackles
what it means to be Asian American in contemporary America. Wu examines
affirmative action, globalization, immigration, and other controversial
contemporary issues through the lens of the Asian-American experience. Mixing
personal anecdotes, legal cases, and journalistic reporting, Wu confronts
damaging Asian-American stereotypes such as "the model minority"
and "the perpetual foreigner." By offering new ways of thinking
about race in American society, Wu's work dares us to make good on our great
democratic experiment. Wu is the first Asian American to serve as a law
professor at Howard University Law School.
Order
from Amazon
Asian American Dreams : The Emergence of an American People
by Helen Zia
"This comprehensive introduction to Asian American history will
fascinate anyone interested in an historical and sociological survey of
events in the United States foreshadowing the present day participation
of Asian American people." (Allison Martin)
Read Review | Order from Amazon
Back to: VIETNAM ADOPTION BOOK CATEGORIES