Family Style by Thien Pham

In Family Style, cartoonist Thien Pham recalls his escape from Vietnam and growing up in America through a series of meals.

Family Style: Memories of an American from Vietnam by Thien Pham. First Second, 2023, 234 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10

Recommended for: ages 10-15

Thien, who escaped the Communist takeover of South Vietnam with other “boat people,” recalls his youth through a series of meals. His earliest memories consisted of water and darkness as the frail boat he and his family were on was boarded by pirates. Before that happened, his mother told him to “close your eyes and hold on to me. Don’t let go, no matter what.” Our own eyes are closed to what happened next, for the next few pages are black, with shouting and screams and mother’s voice saying, “I’m here.”

Fortunately, things get better after that. After a spell in a refugee camp they gain passage to San Jose, California, where their sponsor feeds them steak and potatoes—a real American meal that Thien promptly barfs up. His parents take what work they can and work their way up from acquiring a place of their own to purchasing a business. Thien and his brother learn English while navigating school hallways (and school lunches), making friends of all colors, and taking the first tentative steps toward romance. But how does one maintain an ethnic identity in the melting pot?

“The American dream does not come easy,” as his father is told soon after arriving in America. Thien apparently has his own mixed feelings about identifying with America and its troubled connection with Vietnam—he’s the last of his family to apply for citizenship. But he finds a way to stick to his Vietnamese roots (and Vietnamese food) while proudly identifying himself with the country that took him in and allowed him to become a successful cartoonist.

I would have appreciated more historical background, for even though I recall the boat people and their American sponsors, kids today don’t. Neither do their parents. So that’s a gap that may hinder some readers appreciating the narrative. Those who do, however, will be touched by Thien’s journey, the dedication of his parents, and the American dream that still exists.

Overall Rating: 4 (out of 5)

• Worldview/moral value: 3.5
• Artistic/literary value: 4.5

Read more about our ratings here.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: Read more about refugees from southeast Asia during this period: The Last Airlift, Escaping the Tiger, Inside Out and Back Again, When Cloud Touch Us, and Yang Warriors.
• Review: John McCain: An American Hero, is a good way to gain a view of the Vietnam War.
• Review: One of Thien Pham’s teacher friends is Gene Luan Yang, whose own struggles with ethnic identity were depicted in American Born Chinese.

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