Rating: 4/5
This is a story about one family's exodus from Vietnam to America at the end of the Vietnam War, although it is painted as being a common one for many families at the time.
There is a ton going on in this book. GB Tran covers at least four generations of his family from before the Vietnam War to the present. The difficulties that his family faced are quite powerful. Some of them occur in Vietnam because of the war/occupation going back to the Japanese. Others happen as a result of fleeing to America like the discarding of tradition and loss of family. Not everything is negative for the family though. There are moments to celebrate, particularly at the end of the book.
The illustrations themselves are fine; not anything great, but fitting for the story. There are visual elements that are fantastic though, including panel arrangements and how he indicates the people constantly listening to the radio. Not everything in this book worked for me though. Part of the way the story unfolds makes it difficult to know which family member is on stage. He bounces around between different generations at times without much needed segues.
The book should appeal to anyone that liked Maus or Persepolis.
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