Family Style : : Memories of an American From Vietnam

Locations
Call Number: Teen Book / Comics & Graphic Novels / Nonfiction / Biography / Pham, Thien
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Traverwood Branch, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Comics & Graphic Novels / Nonfiction / Biography / Pham, Thien	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Comics & Graphic Novels / Nonfiction / Biography / Pham, Thien	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Teen Books 4-week checkout	Teen Book / Comics & Graphic Novels / Nonfiction / Biography / Pham, Thien	4-week checkout	On Shelf

"Thien's first memory isn't a sight or a sound. It's the sweetness of watermelon and the saltiness of fish. It's the taste of the foods he ate while adrift at sea as his family fled Vietnam. After the Pham family arrives at a refugee camp in Thailand, they struggle to survive. Things don't get much easier once they resettle in California. And through each chapter of their lives, food takes on a new meaning. Strawberries come to signify struggle as Thien's mom and dad look for work. Potato chips are an indulgence that bring Thien so much joy that they become a necessity. Behind every cut of steak and inside every croissant lies a story. And for Thien Pham, that story is about a search-- for belonging, for happiness, for the American dream."--Amazon.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Great submitted by manz on August 18, 2023, 9:00am I loved this book! I like how he tells his story using food as a pathway. Food can leave such visceral memories, and it adds to the story here as the author shares various moments throughout his life. It's a thoughtful look into one family's refugee experience. Read it!

A brief life story as told through significant moments marked by food submitted by Cherie on June 24, 2024, 6:54am
I really appreciated the author mentioning in the beginning what significance/symbolism some food items hold for him as it makes people really appreciate that food is not just a cultural experience, but a lived experience. Strawberries, which are typically thought of as a food symbolizing wealth and decadence end up symbolizing poverty and struggle, as it was something that was readily available from working on a farm for a few dollars a day. Potato chips which are thought of as cheap, non-luxury foods take on a meaning of wealth when you're on the tightest of budgets and it becomes a non-essential because food stamps aren't enough to afford them.

There's a deep meaning behind the rejection of foods and language from one's cultural heritage, as second generation individuals of diaspora are often torn with the misguided idea that they have to choose between one cultural identity versus another. In addition, there's the rediscovery of cultural heritage, the celebration of it, and combining/blending it with the newer cultural identity to create a newer, more whole identity.

This story rings very deep as food holds much cultural significance to so many. Framing significant life moments around food makes sense and is incredibly relatable even if you're not an immigrant. Additionally, anyone who has ever lived in poverty could relate to this story.