#thien pham

Propaganda under the cut

Briana Loewinsohn and Thien Pham head to Floating World Comics for a Book Reading and Release Party in February #comics #graphicnovel

Briana Loewinsohn is heading to Portland to celebrate the release of Raised By Ghosts, her brilliant YA graphic novel that’s a love letter to family and all of the messy complexities they come with! She’ll be in conversation with Thien Pham, the artist behind many delightful books, including Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam! Set in the author’s own teenage years, Raised By…

Reluctant Reader Wednesday: Family Style: Memories of an American From Vietnam by Thien Pham 

Many of Thien’s most important memories are connected to food, both the food that sustained his family when they were refugees and the food that they savored in America. This book is a poignant look at the refugee experience, with memories of food being milestones along the way. 

*I received an eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Image & summary from Goodreads*

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.

This graphic memoir is moving, insightful, and wonderfully told through vivid illustrations and text. I enjoyed seeing the role that food played in Pham's memories, from traditional Vietnamese foods to fresh picked strawberries to pizza and Salisbury steak. Although his family struggles through poverty, pirate attacks, and the trials of starting over in a new country, they stay strong together and keep pushing to achieve their dreams. They find a place with the immigrant community, forging friendships that last over the years. Pham also shows the racism that he's confronted with, and how the xenophobic rhetoric surrounding the 2016 presidential election is what spurs him to become a US citizen. Throughout the novel there's an underlying optimism and hope, and that really stuck with me. I also liked the comics at the end that explain a bit of the process, research, and interviews that went into making this graphic novel. Highly recommend!

Out this week: Family Style (First Second, $17.99):

Thien Pham writes and draws this memoir about his family immigrating from Vietnam to Thailand and eventually California — and the food they ate along the way.