Catfish and Mandala
by Andrew X. Pham | Biographies & Memoirs | This book has not been rated.
ISBN: 0374119740 Global Overview for this book
ISBN: 0374119740 Global Overview for this book
3 journalers for this copy...
Andrew X. Pham dreamed of becoming a writer. Born in Vietnam and raised in California, he held technical jobs at United Airlines-and always carried a letter of resignation in his briefcase. His father had been a POW of the Vietcong; his family came to America as "boat people."
When his sister committed suicide, Andrew decided to quit his job, old all of his possessions and embarked on a year-long bicycle journey that took him through the Mexican desert, where he was treated as a bueno hermano, a "good brother"; around a thousand-mile loop from Narita to Kyoto in Japan; and, after five months and 2,357 miles, to Saigon, where he finds "nothing familiar in the bombed-out darkness."
In Mexico he's treated kindly as a Vietnamito, though he shouts, "I'm American, Vietnamese American!" In Vietnam, he's taken for Japanese or Korean by his countrymen; and in the United States he's considered anything but American.
A vibrant, picaresque memoir written with narrative flair and a wonderful, eye-opening sense of adventure, Catfish and Mandala is an unforgettable search for cultural identity.
When his sister committed suicide, Andrew decided to quit his job, old all of his possessions and embarked on a year-long bicycle journey that took him through the Mexican desert, where he was treated as a bueno hermano, a "good brother"; around a thousand-mile loop from Narita to Kyoto in Japan; and, after five months and 2,357 miles, to Saigon, where he finds "nothing familiar in the bombed-out darkness."
In Mexico he's treated kindly as a Vietnamito, though he shouts, "I'm American, Vietnamese American!" In Vietnam, he's taken for Japanese or Korean by his countrymen; and in the United States he's considered anything but American.
A vibrant, picaresque memoir written with narrative flair and a wonderful, eye-opening sense of adventure, Catfish and Mandala is an unforgettable search for cultural identity.
Journal Entry 2 by Sakirmo at Turku, Varsinais-Suomi / Egentliga Finland Finland on Saturday, June 17, 2023
Thank you so much for this wishlist book!!
Journal Entry 3 by Sakirmo at BC 2024 Convention in Tampere, Pirkanmaa / Birkaland Finland on Wednesday, April 17, 2024
Released 7 mos ago (4/19/2024 UTC) at BC 2024 Convention in Tampere, Pirkanmaa / Birkaland Finland
WILD RELEASE NOTES:
Wow! This was so much more than a mere "travelling around by bike" -book that I kind of expected when starting to read it. A fascinating life story and a brilliant account of (cultural) differencies between Vietnamese and 'viet-kieu', Vietnamese living abroad. I think I'm kind of stupefied by this book and don't really know what to say, expect that it was a great read and certainly not one of those books that you'll forget in two days!
Released at the Tampere Convention.
Released at the Tampere Convention.
Thank you so much for recommending this book, sakirmo. I am looking forward to reading it, just have to make sure that I have space enough in my bag... 😊