About book The Unwanted: A Memoir Of Childhood (2002)
When told to chose from a list of nonfiction narrative pieces, I decided to read “The Unwanted:A Memoir of Childhood” by Kien Nguyen. I chose this book because success stories always interest me. I read a short synopsis of the book and learned that although Kien faced many challenges in his life, he is now a successful dentist in New York. I am very glad that I chose to read “The Unwanted” because it was an extremely compelling story and although very harsh at times, it had me wanting to read more and more. This narrative is about Kien and his dysfunctional family living in Vietnam during the time Viet Cong took over. He was the son of a wealthy mother and an American soldier who left them when Kien was just three months old. After Vietnam fell to Communism, Nguyen and his family lost all of their money, the respect they had from the rest of Vietnam, their pride, and many other things. He faced many hardships including poverty, torture, isolation, and death of his loved ones, all because he had an American father. I recommend this book to those looking for a compelling success story of a man who overcomes a great deal of hardships in his life. Although Kien’s first language is not English, his book was very well written. He used a lot of imagery, explaining every place and person in as much detail as he could. Nguyen’s use of figurative language drew me into the book and kept my attention. Many times he would compare events and things he saw to animals and things related to nature. For example, Kien wrote, “The letter was short, but the information it provided was like an earthquake in my soul,” (Nguyen 280). He also described his grandfather at his grandmother’s funeral by saying, “His eyelids, puffy as if stung by a bee, blinked away the tears,” (Nguyen 201). This was very interesting to me because some of the comparisons he used were so strange, but very accurate. I enjoyed his writing style because it was not like anything I have ever read. This style would most likely work best for teenagers and young adults. He makes the readers feel like they are in his shoes by being extremely descriptive. Although his writing style may be appropriate for young adolescents, the great detail that he describes the harsh content in may be inappropriate. Overall, Kien’s style drew me into the book and allowed me to connect with the characters on a deeper level. I was not able to relate to most of the character’s experiences because he lived a very harsh and horrific childhood, but I did sympathize with him a lot. The one thing I was able to relate to Kien with is the death of a very close relative of his. Recently I lost my grandfather whom I was very close with and reading Nguyen’s grief and thoughts about the loss of his grandmother allowed me to connect with him more. However, the harsh torture and poverty that he went through restricted me from being able to relate to his experiences. Kien’s very-detailed description of each person in the book forced me to convey the same feelings towards them that he had. In the grand scheme of things, he determined which people I liked and disliked. He not only explained how each person looked in great detail, but he explained how the smelled, what they felt like, and their personalities. For example, Nguyen wrote, “A few steps away Lam lay on a sofa. As usual, his jet-black hair was perfectly combed and blow-dried. He looked alert and relaxed,” (Nguyen 21). His description of his mother’s ex-boyfriend gave me a vivid image of what he looked like. Without Kien’s descriptions, I would not have been so mentally involved with the people. The book was written in chronological order with dates at the beginning of each chapter. This was helpful because I knew exactly what was happening at each moment. Right from the beginning, I was hooked on this book. In just the first chapter Kien explained something I could not even imagine. He wrote, “A frightening cluster of explosions jolted me out of deep sleep. I jumped out of bed dimly aware of my surroundings...more gunshots rang out, and terror awakened me with full force,” (Nguyen 13). There were some transition parts where the book was slow, but for the most part, the entire thing was interesting. Through reading this book, I enjoyed learning about Communism and Vietnam. I did not know a lot about either before I read “The Unwanted”, but now I know many different places in Vietnam as well as what happens when a country is taken over by a Communist group. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good read that will keep them on the edge of their seats. It is a very attractive book for young adults and teenagers. Many of the people are teenagers and they go through some of the same problems that American teens face. Although their lives are a lot harsher than most Americans, his great descriptive writing allows readers to connect. Reading this book really made appreciate everything that I have.
As a student of memoir, I generally prefer examples that include a fair amount of introspection and reevaluation of past events. But analysis is more appropriate for some material than others. A small child living through apocalyptic times is unlikely to display introspection, and the adult author looking back on those times will be intrusive if he does more than simply provide the facts of his experience. Here, I was the one doing the pondering.It's sobering to try and comprehend the multitudes of innocent people who have been caught up in and destroyed by events such as those described here. Everyone (of my generation, at least) remembers the iconic photo of people on the roof of the embassy in Saigon, grabbing the last helicopter out in 1975. If you want some human context for that event -- specifically, concerning those who could not evacuate -- this is the book to read. I also think it's instructive to experience situations like these vicariously, since one never really knows what the future holds. It's also a pointed reminder that good intentions are no guarantee of anything. The outcome described here is obscene in the context of the lofty principles the young people are taught to recite, and doubly so in view of the enormous sacrifices previously made there by Americans and others.The prose betrays no indication that the author is not a native speaker of English, and indeed it includes judicious use of literary devices (the thunder growls like an empty stomach, veins stand out in someone’s throat like fat worms, etc.). It's an easy read -- aside from the fact that the circumstances described go from bad to appalling to hellish, and then to ever deeper levels of hell, proving Dante right. It also reinforces a history lesson that the world ought to have absorbed by now (at the time this was going on, my wife was enduring China's brand of Communism a few hundred miles to the north). It provides a study of what happens to human relationships when the very structure of civilization is turned on its head, and a warning to those of us in the West that we must not take our inherited way of life for granted. I'm left feeling concern for the author, because despite his escape at the end, nobody could live through these experiences without being severely messed up psychologically. I hope writing about it has helped him.
Do You like book The Unwanted: A Memoir Of Childhood (2002)?
One of the reasons I like memoir writing is that the person doesn't have to be a polished writer and it's okay. It is all about the story and the need to get it out there. This is one of those stories that needs to be told. Kien Nguyen is the son of a Vietnamese woman and an American business man. His parents were never married and he never knew his Dad. His family was not able to make it out of Saigon before the Americans pulled out at the end of the Vietnam war. This story details the hardships and tragedies suffered by the Vietnamese people under the rule of the Communist Vietcong. Kien's situation was even worse than the average since he was only "half" Vietnamese. Being only half Vietnamese was EXTREMEMLY politically incorrect at the time. This boy's experiences are heart breaking to read about. God bless America and Texas.
—Olivia
There is no question in my mind concerning how many stars to give this book. Actually 5 is too little. This is my all time favorite book. Many have it on their "to-read" lists. Put it at the top. Make it the next book you read.The suspense at the end made my heart race. I had to stop to get air. I was racing over the words to find out what would happen even though I knew he would end up on the plane. You KNOW that he ended up in the States, he wrote the book there. I had to know exactly how it occured. There is no way a book of fiction can ever, ever create such suspense.And then the message - how to live your life - is so good! And what this book says about people. Horrible, and yet maybe there is hope. I don't know where to start except to say that we all must appreciate our life. Why do people only value what they are about to loose? Why is it so hard for us to appreciate what we have while we have it?As soon as I can I will read Tapestries written by the same author. It is classified as historical fiction, but it based on his grandfather, who is in this book too. It is the author's grangfather who tries to guide Kien toward appreciating life while you have it. The author expresses this musch better than I do.You are making a HUGE mistake if you don't read this book. Yes, it is hard, but life is hard, and the author has humility and he knows that he is only one of many, many others who has lived such horror.
—Chrissie
I read the book The Unwanted by Kien Nguyen. I chose this book because when I read the summary in the green packet it seemed fascinating. I love to read books like this one because it helps me to draw a personal connection with the book. A little synopsis of the book would be that Kien lives in Saigon in 1972. During the book the Cong began to take over South Vietnam and are destroying everything. Kien’s once wealthy family is now struck with poverty and is forced to flee their mansion. The story is about the turmoil he faces as he is persecuted against and his fight for freedom. If you like heart wrenching stories that keep you on the edge of your seat like I do, this is the book for you. However, if you can’t stand graphic books and severe persecution I recommend you stay away.tThe author used incredible imagery which made me feel like I was there, which was quite terrifying at some points. For example he says, “Inside the house, it looked as if a thousand angry horseman had stormed through, leaving a trail of destruction,” and “As I watched her pink lips, like rose petals, the heavy basket and its foul odor no longer seemed to exist” (Kien Nguyen 72 and 192). By the author using these techniques he drew me in and I honestly couldn’t stop reading. I think this book was targeted for very imaginative minds because the wording he uses paints a picture in the reader’s mind. If someone isn’t as imaginative they probably won’t like this book as much.tThe author’s experiences were horrific so I would never be able to relate to the book in the literal sense, however, I could relate to how he was feeling. He felt like he never belonged and that he just didn’t fit in and sometimes I feel like that. In the beginning of the book the characters all had specific roles that they stayed in which made them not really well rounded but as the book progressed they began to break out of their roles and became better rounded. I really liked Kien and his brother, but that was basically it because everyone else was just terrible human beings. The author basically told the reader whom to hate because of the horrific acts that happened in the book, so there was really no way to like those characters after what they did. The author did a great job describing the characters, though. For example, “Along with her fortune, my mother’s hands were the ultimate bride in her life” (Kien Nguyen 8). This quote was used to describe the mother in the book and even though this is short and sweet it speaks volumes about who she is as a person. They way he kept the descriptions short was the most effective way to do it because it didn’t drone on and on but captured exactly what he wanted to say.tThe plot was sequenced in chronological order because if they were out of order it would make no sense. Each chapter was a specific date and the chapter would entail all that would happen on that date. This book never seemed to slow down because the entire book Kien was being persecuted and basically tortured. Every moment seemed like something huge was happening. Like when Kien’s mom gave his puppy to the aunt’s children and they played football with puppy and killed it. Or when Kien after months of sending letters to the U.S. embassy finally received a response that they would take him to America. I was constantly hooked to this book and it was a very good read. What was cool about this book was that it was a first hand experience of the fall of Saigon. It showed how the previous inhabitants in Saigon were persecuted against and tortured because of who they were. It’s really cool because no one could learn any of this from a textbook or in a classroom. The book just gave a really interesting and in depth point of view of the fall of Saigon.tIn conclusion I really enjoyed this book. At some points it got super graphic and I really didn’t know if I could keep reading, but I finished it. I would definitely recommend this book and I would recommend it to people who like to read about someone finally making it out of a struggle. It was a very inspirational book to read and if someone likes to read books that draw a personal connection with the main character and makes it feel like you are experiencing it with them, then its definitely the right book for them.
—Ryan Murphy
