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Summary: a remarkable, heartbreaking story
Review: Most Americans have little idea of what happened in Vietnam after the last helicopter left the U.S. Embassy roof. This memoir--which is brutally painful to read at times--is by far the most detailed account of the chaos that tormented Vietnam in the first ten years of Communist rule that you'll find. Something tells me that a sequel chronicling how Nguyen evolved from 18-year-old immigrant to 33-year-old New York dentist would be just as fascinating. I hope he's writing it.
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Summary: A Moving, Haunting, Disturbing, but Worthy Read
Review: Once in awhile, a really good book that comes along to haunt me for days. This is the case with Kien Nguyen's memoir "The Unwanted." The book is very sad, dark, and disturbing from beginning to end. The only thing that prevents me from falling into an abyss of despair is a glimmer of hope in the final chapter of the book when his family was boarding an airplane to leave Vietnam. It is not an easy read. But it is a worthy read; it is one of the best books I have read about Vietnam. His book reminds me of Jung Chang's monumental work "The Wild Swans" and Nien Cheng's haunting memoir "Life and Death in Shanghai." It reminds me of an extraordinarily well-written and moving article on the Wall Street Journal published in 1999 to mark the 20 years anniversary of the fall of Pol Pot in Cambodia... The book also reminds me of my own experience last year walking through the prison cells and death chambers at the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp which was left intact as it was at the end of WWII... As I was standing there, I had flashbacks of my own experience in a Communist prison. All of these experiences force me think about the meanings of Fascism, Communism, human mistreatment, and human dignity. Kien Nguyen's memoir also reminds me of my own best friends in first grade - Amerasian twin brothers... Kien Nguyen's book has provided me an answer. Having been jailed at a prison in Kien Nguyen's hometown and having left Vietnam through the ODP program, I was particularly impressed with his accurate descriptions of the prison, the building, the people, and the troubles one had to go through in order to leave Vietnam. I have a great admiration for Kien who has the courage to write this book that really captures the essence of life in Vietnam during those years. His book is an excellent that will keep you awake at night turning the pages. I like it so much that I order one copy for my home library so in case later my children ask me about Vietnam... "The Unwanted" gets five stars and "Two Thumbs Up" recommendation from me!!!
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Summary: a must read to all
Review: Thank you for sharing your story with us. Been thru that hard time under the communist regime and now I was recalled by your book with an emotional feeling. Thanks again
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Summary: The Impoverished
Review: The title of "The Unwanted" is actually a less constant theme than that of intense poverty, a poverty shared by virtually an entire nation under the new power of the communist regime. One reviewer wrote that she doubted the sincerity of the story since it would make such a good Hollywood script. While I was also thrown by many movie-like coincidences (Kien sees his childhood nanny being marched down the street as a prisoner, etc.) I chose as a reader to trust this story, as there are many events that even the most morbid and imaginative writer could not have dreamed.
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Summary: Finally !!
Review: The Unwanted was so touching I had to put it down to collect myself, but couldn't stop reading for more than 5 minutes. There are so many books about the Vietnam War from the viewpoint of the soldiers or the politics, but none from the perspective of the people or the country left in its aftermath. Hooray for Nguyen for finally uncovering the overlooked aspects of the Vietnam War. What was the atmosphere of Vietnam in the final days? What was life like before and after the communists took over? What really happened in the "re-education camps"? How did people escape the country? - Nguyen answers all of these questions by taking us through it all with him. You can't help getting wrapped up in this book.
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Summary: ~Simply Amazing~
Review: There are no adequate words to describe the beauty of this book! Wonderfully written and an extraordinarily gripping account of life after the fall of Saigon.
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Summary: Great...depression!
Review: This book is easy to read but hard to swallow. Page after page is another heartache and I took quite a few breaks during my read just to ease depression. Young and innocent readers like myself be warned: this book is no chicken soup for the soul! Expect to question the goodness of man kind and hate your act of book-gobbling after the last page's done. I also learned to be extra nice to everyone around me just in case a memior's written, my name will not be doomed. :)
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Summary: Highly Emotional Book
Review: This is an excellent book. Young adults should read this book to see how the author's life compare to his or her own life. It is a very inspirational book. I highly recommened.It would be more pleasant and easier to relate to the facts if a family picture is included in the cover.
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Summary: A masterly evocation of time and place
Review: This is an extraordinarily accomplished tale by first time writer Kien Nguyen who recounts in spare, stylish prose his experiences as an American-Vietnamese after the US pull-out and the fall of Saigon. Each chapter has a self-contained but connected story which drives the narrative forward in a compelling and logical way. Neither self pitying nor bitter, his tone is simple and matter of fact, letting the facts speak for themselves. This is not a story of unrelenting gloom and horror, nor a guilt trip. For all the hardships Nguyen encountered his tale is told with humor, insight, forbearance and, since he is now living in the USA, a happy ending! This inspiring book could become a classic in its genre and gives long-overdue voice to that legacy of the American involvement in Vietnam - the mixed blood children left behind. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Beyond description!
Review: This is one of the most amazing memoirs that I have ever had the pleasure to read. I was touched by each obstacle that came in Kien's way and experienced feelings I rarely feel when reading a book. I devoured it in 4 days and it left me wanting more. It provoked thoughts in me that would have never entered my mind while continually reminding me how strong the human will can be. One of my favorite things about reading this book was they way Kien writes objectively, giving you possible other points of view of actions happening to and around him. He helps you, the reader, to consider other ways of interpreting the events, reminding you of how far he has come from those events.
I will recommend this to everyone I know!
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