Catfish and Mandala : A Two-Wheeled Voyage through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam

Rating:
Summary: Thank you to "brother-friend" Andrew
Review: At times, Andrew seemed too proud to be concerned for his health, and yet, he knew when to run for his life, away from a dangerous mob. He confronted bullies, corrupt officials and gangsters, and befriended with kind strangers. He can be psychotically violent, and be broken hearted by his sister's pains. The book goes on and on in that manner. Vietnamese-American, another contradiction? yes and no. Reconciliation? yes and no. His story is so much more than a travel guide, an autobiography, or a fiction/non-fiction work. I am a Vietnamese-American almost of the same age as Andrew, and can relate to so much of what he wrote. At some point, a reflection on our own life and identity will be hard to avoid. For him, it may have started with his sister's death; for me, after having read his book.



Rating:
Summary: from an ABV perspective
Review: ABV (american born vietnamese)...slow and dull start...but the meat the meat and potatoes of the book lie in his journey through Vietnam. THe first half was just the precursor trips in mexico and japan. Now as I was getting the the last third of the book I was just trying to rush through the book cuz I started it and felt like I had to finish it. THe last third of the book and especially the last few chapters made me realize how glad I was to read it. From an ABV point of view, it helped me appreciate how similar his perspective and my perspective were about being and living here in AMerica. I recommend it a good read for any Vietnamese-American.

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant- Captures the Feel of the Country
Review: Possibly the best piece of nonfiction and certainly the best travel narrative I have ever read.

The author Pham weaves together both his troubled family's history and his ballsy bicycle tour of modern Vietnam together in a brutallly honest and intensley personal story.

For a person who had to learn English as a child, Pham is an especially gifted narrator. The greatest strength of the book is in his wonderful stories and descriptions of this unique country forged by both ancient and colonial influences. He captures the sights, sounds, and especially the tastes of Vietnam (goat testicles and Tiger Beer, anyone?)in colorful descriptions and metaphors which jump from the page. Pham expertly captures the 3rd world circus of modern Vietnam and, as a native speaker, provides wonderful insight into the language and value systems of its people.

The author's personal voyage of discovery is equally gripping as he struggles eith his own cultural identity forged by a dysfunctional Vietnamese-American family. Pham has has strong empathy for Vietnamese people (sometimes wishing he could spirit away street children and prostitutes to America), yet he is often treated with hostility, threats and jealousy by some Vietnamese who despise the"Viet Kieu" as traitors. He hardly experiences a warm homecoming as he is constantly harassed for money by the Vietnamese from which he seems to be looking for answers. Pham pushes himself through a grueling, ill-advised bike journey through chaotic 3rd world traffic towards some intangible destination he never really finds.

Brilliant and colorful book. Read it.



Rating:
Summary: from a Vietnamese reader's perspective
Review: The book, over all, is a disappointment. It has a very condescending tone and attitude towards Viet Nam and its people. Granted that it is the author's experience in VN, but he writes it with an American audience in mind, so in the end, he is willing to trash his birth country to let his audience know that his true home is still America. He compares VN to a prostitute on a few occasions, and similar to how a hooker is abandoned after she is used, he, too, abandons (metaphorically as well as literally) VN after it provides him with the necessary backdrop for and backbone of his book. The book, if read in bits and pieces, can be interesting, but beyond that it lacks a persuasive sincerity .