Thien Pham’s graphic memoir recounts his difficult immigrant journey, from his childhood in Vietnam to adulthood in America.
Told with humor and heart, Thien describes how his clearest memories of his early life are connected to deeply sensory experiences with food. For example, he creates a heart-wrenching depiction of the harrowing journey from Vietnam to a Thai refugee camp as a five year old. His strongest memory of the voyage is not of the pirates who attacked their boat, but rather the taste of a rice ball his mother gave him when the attack was over.
Once his family arrives in San Jose, California, the story’s focus shifts to the challenges his parents face as they navigate this new land. They are supported by the community of Vietnamese immigrants in the Bay area and follow a common immigrant path by opening a series of businesses. It was challeninging for Thien to fit into this new place with different foods and a foreign language. Over time, he connects with the young people around him and settles into life in America. As an adult, Thien begins to see things that change his world view and this leads to a life changing decision.
Thien’s growing up in America is not without difficulties but he always manages to find humor in his journey. The connections of his different life experiences to the foods he associates with those moments add an evocative dimension to the story. Whether talking about his introduction to American staples (potato chips, steak, baked potatoes), or enjoying traditional Vietnamese dishes (co’m tâm dac biêt*, bánh cuõn*), his story is enjoyable and surprisingly relatable. Thien’s wonderful art succeeds in bringing the reader deep into his story. It works especially well when illustrating difficult times, particularly around slowly learning to understand English. At all times, the humanity of his family and friends, and the love he feels for them is at the forefront.
Thien’s endnotes are a special treat – they answer questions about a few of the people and incidents in the book that no doubt will have entered readers’ minds.
Thien has illustrated other graphic novels and is currently in his 21st year as an art teacher at a San Franciso Bay Area high school. Those students are lucky to have him!
Find Family Style at your local bookstore
*My keyboard doesn’t have the correct Vietnamese diacritical marks so I’ve spelled these as best I can!
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