This charming memoir tells Oanh’s story of her family’s journey from Vietnam to Texas. She starts with her life back in Vietnam as a child running along monkey bridges in an orchard in the Mekong Delta, where her family was exiled after the war. Her family has some unsuccessful attempts to get out of Vietnam, but like other “boat people” they eventually succeed. She explains the immigration process back then through the eyes of a child, a stark contrast to the process today and the process back in the time of Ellis Island. She talks about her first reactions to America and Texas, including her initial experiences with cockroaches. Oanh’s family attempts to fit in and earn a living – by selling traditional Vietnamese Banh Mi sandwiches in Texas.
You will be impressed by Oanh’s writing ability, especially considering English is her second language. Everybody in my book group loved the book and we had the pleasure of having Oanh join us for our discussion. She explained how she started this project by writing an essay to pay homage to her father after his death. Then, based on an editor’s recommendation, she turned it into a full memoir.
Her story is about a loving family following the American Dream, a refreshing change from today’s popular memoirs of abusive families and horrible childhoods. Her essays about her early life have been published in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. Of Monkey Bridges and Bánh Mì Sandwiches won the 2018 Publisher’s Weekly Book Life Prize for memoirs. I highly recommend this book. Not only is it a touching memoir, it will also give you an understanding of some of the history surrounding the Vietnam War.