Every text can be perceived in different ways depending on the reader’s perspective. Every person pays attention to particular parts of the story and even certain words the characters pronounce, which brings to the fore different meanings incorporated into any story (Hoo par. 4). GB Tran stresses that the medium he has chosen is perfect for sharing and exploring meanings (“‘Vietnamerica’: A Graphic Memoir”).
The author tells quite an ordinary story of immigrants, which is, at the same time, remarkable. Of course, the book contains various meanings, and readers are welcome to explore each of them. For me, the book is interesting in terms of three different aspects.
One of these aspects is the story itself. Clearly, the way the author tells the story of his family is remarkable as it can be applied to almost every family of a Vietnamese immigrant in the USA. One of the characters of the book states that it is impossible to look at a family in a vacuum as it develops through the interaction with other families and communities (Tran 13). Thus, the author provides a larger context to reveal various factors that affected his parents’ decisions.
The author depicts the journey of his family in the “whirlwind of history, in a conflict bigger than them” (Sanderson 4). The reader explores the experiences of a single family but gets to know the journey of the entire nation or even several nations (Vietnamese, French and American).
Another thing that is of particular interest for me is the personal story of the author as well as each member of his family. It is fascinating to trace the journey of a young Taiwanese American to his ethnic roots. GB Tran states that he was raised in the American society, and his Asian roots were not central to his childhood or adolescent experiences (“Asian American Author Series: GB Tran”). The author uses only two words to express his attitude towards his ethnic legacy when he was younger: “Who cares” (Windschitl par. 8).
However, it is clear that the author manages to understand and accept his ethnic identity through exploring his parents’ and grandparents’ experiences. I pay a lot of attention to this period of an individual life as I am trying to understand who I am at the moment. The way the author explores his identity is especially intriguing for me.
Finally, the structure of the book is another important aspect that interests me. The author creates a mosaic of events with no attention to the chronological order. This artistic method makes the book really appealing as it represents the process of coming to one’s own self. The author provides different parts of his story in the same order he gets to know about his relatives’ experiences. The structure of the book makes it very realistic. Every bit of information unveils a facet of the entire story, and the new aspects make the story unfold in a very special way.
In conclusion, it is possible to note that Tran’s story may evoke different emotions and thoughts. The three aspects of the book that intrigued me reflect my own experiences. At present, I am also trying to understand who I am. I am in the middle of my journey to myself, which is why Tran’s book resonates with my own experiences.
Works Cited
Asian American Author Series: GB Tran 2012. Web.
Hoo, Winyan Soo. “SPX 2011: Through His Interviews, GB Tran Constructs an Especially Compelling ‘Vietnamerica’.” The Washington Post. 2011. Web.
Sanderson, Candie. “Book Review: Vietnamerica: A Family’s Journey, by GB Tran.” Journal of Southeaster Asian American Education and Advancement 9.3 (2014): 1-8. Print.
Tran, GB. Vietnamerica: A Family’s Journey. New York: Villard, 2011. Print.
‘Vietnamerica’: A Graphic Memoir 2016. Web.
Windschitl, Brian. “GB Tran: The Artist Who Gives Life to Legacy.” The Spectrum. 2014. Web.