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Sigh, Gone
Sigh, Gone: A Misfit's Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In | Phuc Tran
49 posts | 35 read | 72 to read
For anyone who has ever felt like they don't belong, Sigh, Gone shares an irreverent, funny, and moving tale of displacement and assimilation woven together with poignant themes from beloved works of classic literature. In 1975, during the fall of Saigon, Phuc Tran immigrates to America along with his family. By sheer chance they land in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, a small town where the Trans struggle to assimilate into their new life. In this coming-of-age memoir told through the themes of great books such as The Metamorphosis, The Scarlett Letter, The Iliad, and more, Tran navigates the push and pull of finding and accepting himself despite the challenges of immigration, feelings of isolation, teenage rebellion, and assimilation, all while attempting to meet the rigid expectations set by his immigrant parents. Appealing to fans of coming-of-age memoirs such as Fresh Off the Boat, Running with Scissors, or tales of assimilation like Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Displaced and The Refugees, Sigh, Gone explores one mans bewildering experiences of abuse, racism, and tragedy and reveals redemption and connection in books and punk rock. Against the hairspray-and-synthesizer backdrop of the 80s, he finds solace and kinship in the wisdom of classic literature, and in the subculture of punk rock, he finds affirmation and echoes of his disaffection. In his journey for self-discovery Tran ultimately finds refuge and inspiration in the art that shapesand ultimately saveshim.
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Deblovestoread
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Three books set in the 1980s on my TBR. Not sure which I‘ll read but 🤞🏼I will get to at least one.

#TBRtarot

@CBee

CBee I can vouch for the St. James and Boyne! Both great 👍🏻 3mo
JamieArc Sigh, Gone was excellent. Especially on audio. 3mo
Meshell1313 Ooh they all sound excellent! (edited) 3mo
47 likes3 comments
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MeganAnn
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I don‘t read a ton of nonfiction, but thanks to Litsy I have found amazing reads I probably wouldn‘t have picked up otherwise. @monalyisha and @xicanti have inspired me to share my three favorites (for today anyways):

1. Sigh, Gone by Phuc Tran (tagged)
2. Fly Girl: a memoir by Ann Hood
3. Good Talk: a memoir in conversations by Mira Jacob

#tlt #threelistthursday

monalyisha I used to not read a ton of nonfiction, either. More than once, it was my New Years goal to read more of it. Narrative nonfiction and memoirs (along with a long commute & listening to audiobooks) have changed everything for me! Now, if I could only read one genre for the rest of my life, it‘d honestly be a tough call between literary (or contemporary) fiction and memoirs. 😱 9mo
dabbe You're all inspiring me to read more nonfiction! Thanks for sharing. 💚💙💚 9mo
28 likes2 comments
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Christine
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Pickpick

Just fantastic! Fascinating exploration of identity, growing up Vietnamese American, navigating tough family times, finding oneself in books/music/subcultures. Wonderfully written and narrated by Tran. I really loved it from start to finish. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

jlhammar Such a great audiobook! 10mo
BarbaraBB Sounds great! 10mo
Christine @jlhammar Truly! 10mo
Christine @BarbaraBB It really is! He‘s also of my era (born in the mid 70s), which made the coming of age part even more fun. 10mo
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StillLookingForCarmenSanDiego
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Pickpick

🎧📖 An excellent coming of age memoir. Would recommend to anyone who enjoys the genre.

104 likes1 stack add
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Deblovestoread
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#TemptingTitles #WithaPun

This tempting title is brought to you by #BlameitonLitsy. Unfortunately, it is still waiting on my TBR.

JamieArc One of my favorite audiobooks! 2y
Eggs Great choice 👏🏻👏🏻 2y
Sleepswithbooks I‘ve had this on my TBR list for a long time because… blame it on Litsy!! 😂 2y
56 likes1 stack add3 comments
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JackOBotts
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Sigh, Gone is a Kindle ebook deal (US) today, 3/26.

Highly recommend this memoir. ⭐️🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼⭐️

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squirrelbrain
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Pickpick

Thank you so much to those Littens that read this, raved about it and put it on my #readersradar - I loved it!

Phuc is a refugee from Saigon to America and explores his childhood and adolescence, covering racism, punk, skateboarding, literature.

I was inordinately happy to learn afterwards that Phuc went to Bard College after all, has been teaching Latin for 20 years and is also a tattooist.

britt_brooke So good!! 2y
JamieArc This was one of my favorites the year I read it. The audio was excellent. It‘s one I recommend a lot. 2y
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jlhammar Such a great memoir! So glad you enjoyed it. 2y
Librarybelle I meant to read this one a couple of years ago and have yet to do so! He grew up in my hometown, so I‘m very interested in that connection. 2y
LaraReads Oh this looks so good! 2y
Cinfhen LOVED this!!! And he narrates the audio, which added SO MUCH to his story 😍 2y
Cinfhen Perfect prompt choice!!!! 2y
86 likes4 stack adds8 comments
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shortsarahrose
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Thank you for hosting #AuldLangSpine and following it up with the #AuldLangSpineGiveaway! The tagged book sounds so interesting and would be my pick from the list. Love a good memoir!

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xicanti
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Here‘s my #AuldLangSpine wrap-up! I‘d already read 4 of the 20 books on @MeganAnn ‘s list, and I managed to read 11 more before the month ended. I‘ll read 3 of the remaining 5 once my holds come in and the last 2 whenever I do a Kindle Unlimited trial.

As you can see, I loved most everything and really liked the rest (barring THE SNOW CHILD, which I couldn‘t finish). Thanks to @MeganAnn for a great list and @monalyisha for a great match!

xicanti For the record, the 4 I‘d already read were THE HUNDRED THOUSAND KINGDOMS by N.K. Jemisin, LORE OLYMPUS by Rachel Smythe, ICE PLANET BARBARIANS by Ruby Dixon, and MAUS by Arthur Spiegelman. 2y
MeganAnn Amazing!! So happy you enjoyed most of these. I had a blast reading off your list and reading your reviews. Thanks for being such an excellent match! I‘ll post my recap in a bit. 😊 2y
monalyisha Wow! You killed it! 🤩🔪 2y
xicanti @MeganAnn this was such a great reading experience! I hope the other three come in for me good and soon. 2y
xicanti @monalyisha I gave it my all! This event is the best. 2y
33 likes5 comments
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Decalino
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Pickpick

The subtitle makes this sound liks a light-hearted romp but Phuc Tran's memoir describes a childhood marred by physical abuse at home and racism at school. Born in Vietnam, the son of refugees, Tran seeks a sense of identity and safety through academic excellence and skater punk cameraderie, an interesting combination. He uses his earnings as a library page to buy $150 worth of discarded books at a used book sale--that's a man after my own heart.

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xicanti
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Pickpick

Phuc Tran delivers on every level. You want punk rock? Great literature as applied to everyday life? A nuanced look at intergenerational trauma and its personal impact? Intense friendships? Familial ties? Person vs society? Deep dives into how racism manifests and perpetuates? It‘s all here, along with a myriad other considerations, and it‘s magnificent.

I‘ve got my first 5-star read of 2023. #AuldLangSpine

squirrelbrain I got this for Christmas (on request! 😁) and I‘m really looking forward to it. 2y
xicanti @squirrelbrain I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 2y
MeganAnn Yes! So much love for this one!!! 😍🎉👏🏻 @squirrelbrain I hope you enjoy it too. 2y
jlhammar Such a fantastic memoir! So glad you enjoyed it. 2y
xicanti @jlhammar I‘m really glad Auld Lang Spine gave me the push to read it. 2y
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xicanti
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This diamond painting entered my life at exactly the right time, because THIS BOOK IS AMAZING, HOLY CRAP, and I need more excuses to listen to it.

I‘ll finish it tomorrow. #AuldLangSpine #audiocrafting

monalyisha It‘s THE BEST! And your diamond painting looks pretty cool, too! 2y
xicanti @monalyisha it‘s a very witchy picture. I‘m gonna have fun with it, though I expect my pace to drop off after I finish SIGH, GONE. 2y
MeganAnn Yes this one is SO GOOD! The diamond painting looks fun as well. I always love a witchy picture 💖🔮 2y
xicanti @MeganAnn I‘m excited to gobble the rest down today! (edited) 2y
43 likes4 comments
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MeganAnn
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#newyearnewbooks thanks for the tag @MaleficentBookDragon 🎉

Choosing favorites is hard but Sigh, Gone and The Starless Sea are my top two for the year. I read both of these last January and have thought about them repeatedly all year long.

My most anticipated 2023 new release is A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon. Also, her 10th anniversary rewrite of The Bone Season is coming this summer & I cannot wait to get my hands on that!

⬇️

MeganAnn 1/2: Reading goals are to 1. Read my own shelves as much as possible. Hopefully the few challenges I‘ve planned will help with that (more on those in a later post) 2. Only buy the titles that I‘m really excited about. Not going on a full buying ban because I know myself and that just doesn‘t work. But I‘m trying to be more mindful of which titles I do buy to only add those books to my shelves that I will really love and want to keep for rereading. 2y
MeganAnn 2/2: and finally 3. To create more bookish related artwork! I‘ve started an Etsy shop (more on that soon) and hope to fill it with lots of bookmarks and bookish art in addition to other artistic things that come from my imagination. So, if you have something you‘ve always wanted but haven‘t been able to find along those lines, I welcome any inspiration ideas and if I like it maybe I‘ll make it for my shop. 2y
KateReadsYA Oooo can't wait to see your etsy shop!! Hope you have an amazing new year 2y
35 likes3 comments
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TheKidUpstairs
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"Punk rock was an explosive for detonating the present so that I could rebuild my future from the rubble."

Cinfhen LOVED this memoir!!!!!! 2y
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TheKidUpstairs
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There are a few weeks left until I start reading off @Chelsea.Poole 's awesome #AuldLangSpine list. I was searching through everyone's lists and this one jumped out at me from a few of them. So I picked up a copy at the library to help see me through until the New Year begins!

jlhammar Loved this one! Hope you enjoy. 2y
Chelsea.Poole I know @monalyisha loves this one!! I listened to the audiobook, my first of 2021 --a singular perspective, for sure! I loved Tran's appreciation for literature. (edited) 2y
monalyisha I also listened but I‘m sure it‘s enjoyable in print, as well. I hope you love it, too! 2y
MeganAnn Yes! This one was SO good! I‘m not a big audio person so I read it in print and it was fantastic. 2y
54 likes4 comments
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booklover3258
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Pickpick

My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:

https://youtu.be/NTmB0N5ByD8

Enjoy!

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monalyisha
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Pickpick

Quite possibly the best book I‘ve read all year!

A memoir by Phuc Tran, Latin teacher & tattoo artist, about growing up as a Vietnamese immigrant in small town, USA. Somehow, he manages to be so punk rock *without* sacrificing a real & endearing earnestness. His book is a love letter to literature & libraries, music & art, and a double-middle-finger to narrow-minded thinking (even & especially when it‘s your own).

monalyisha #Scarathlon2022 points = +1 (participation), +5 (non-genre), +100 (10 hours for #Pointsathon @Dieareader @GHABI4ROSES). Running total for week 2 = 110 points. @StayCurious @Clwojick (edited) 2y
monalyisha @MeganAnn Are you to thank for this? It was definitely on *someone‘s* #NewYearWhoDis list! 2y
DieAReader 🎉🎉🎉 2y
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Clwojick This sounds great! 2y
squirrelbrain Great review - stacked! 2y
MeganAnn @monalyisha yes, I read it for #NewYearWhoDis this year. You can thank @JackOBotts for bringing it to my attention by having it on her list! It‘s definitely on my list of favorite reads this year 😍🎉 (edited) 2y
jlhammar I loved this one. Fantastic audiobook! 2y
monalyisha @JackOBotts You‘re the MVP! Thank you! 🤩 I wasn‘t nearly as punk as Phuc in high school — but I had a Rancid t-shirt or two & a blue-haired skater boyfriend. 😉 And I definitely know the fear of being called out as a poser! Some of his story resonated and ALL of it tugged at my heartstrings. What a genuine (& cultivated — why choose one?) voice! 2y
monalyisha @Clwojick @squirrelbrain It wasn‘t always an easy story to bear witness to but it‘s all laced with humor and sincerity. It was a joy to listen to such well-written catharsis. 2y
JackOBotts @MeganAnn & @monalyisha - I love that you both loved this title! 💜💜💜 Such a moving memoir that also resonated with my little skater punk soul. 2y
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SconsinBookyBadger
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#AudioDiamondPainting along to tagged book while Officer Pistachio is on guard duty to ensure I stay put and not attempt any sneaky walk around the neighborhood.

#20in4 @Andrew65

CBee Officer Pistachio 😂😂 love it!! 2y
SconsinBookyBadger @CBee he‘s taking his job seriously 😂 2y
CBee @AnansiGirl as he should!! 😂 2y
23 likes3 comments
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Jas16
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Pickpick

A really enjoyable memoir that touches on finding your place in the world. This is so meaningful through the eyes of Tran who as an immigrant grew up facing violence in the home and racism outside of it. He develops a love of punk and literature and finds a group of true friends as he finds his identity.

jlhammar Such a good audiobook! I loved it. 3y
Megabooks I enjoyed this too! 3y
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JamieArc
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I‘ve been bad at posting what I‘ve been reading, but this one is worth a post. I don‘t read a lot of memoirs, but loved this one. Phuc would always have been too cool for me, but I have a little crush on him now. He‘s a great storyteller, using literature and punk to understand his own identity. Also loved the audio and listening to his pronunciations. 5⭐️ (also embarrassed it took forever to get the title 🤦🏻‍♀️)

SamAnne I really loved this one too! 4y
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Julsmarshall
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Pickpick

A solid, honest memoir that helped me to understand a perspective so different from my own while highlighting our similarities. This peek into the life of a immigrant and child of the 80s struggling to find his place really resonated with me. I connected to him as a skater punk but found his frank descriptions of abusive parents trying to find their own way in America painful to listen to. Great on #audio ! #Bookspin @TheAromaofBooks

Jeannineth Sounds interesting! 4y
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 4y
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Julsmarshall
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Andrew65 Looks interesting. 4y
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Soubhiville
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I would definitely have hung out with Phuc and his friends. I was also a skateboarder and into punk rock, heavy metal, and alternative music. And I of course also loved reading.

I appreciate his arguments with his parents and society about racism and misogyny. It was tough reading about his dad‘s abusiveness though.

I definitely recommend this on audio, read by the author.

I chose this one for #readingtheusa #pennsylvania.

AmyG Misfits are the most interesting people. 4y
Catsandbooks I enjoyed this one too! 4y
Julsmarshall Put this on hold! Can‘t wait! 4y
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JamieArc I‘m currently halfway through the audio ans really like it. Sadly, Phuc would have been too cool for me, but I would have had a big crush on him. 4y
Megabooks Totally agree! This is a fantastic memoir. 4y
SamAnne I loved this one. And was reading at the same time as The Honey Bus for a book club. Everyone in our club liked it except for another close friend who, like me, thought the 4y
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JackOBotts
Pickpick

🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼🤘🏼
Tran‘s memoir was moving...at times a delight and at others a gut punch... Highly recommend for fans of literature, punk rock, and the realm between the two.

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SamAnne
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Pickpick

A 4 star read for me. Author fled Saigon as a toddler with his family and settled in small town PA. He talks about the culture clash, violence in his family, finding himself, facing racism, forming strong high school friendships and his love of Classic literature. Each chapter is themed around a classic. He went on to be a classics teacher but now is a tattoo artist. Renaissance man!

Sumi What a great punny title! 4y
SamAnne I toggled between print and audio but mostly did the later. Narrated by author and well done! 4y
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SamAnne
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Stopped and read tagged on a great beach walk today. Catching a few days on San Juan Island, WA. Sweetie hanging with family and I get to steal away for quality dog walking and reading. I grew up on the coast and I have never seen this much driftwood! And enjoying this memoi about a Vietnamese kid growing up and trying to fit in late 80s Pennsylvania.

TEArificbooks I love that island and the one next to it. I spent a whole summer there once. 4y
Tamra Gorgeous! 4y
MemoirsForMe Wow! We usually see a lot of rocks on our beach walks here. 😊 4y
66 likes3 comments
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britt_brooke
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ When Saigon fell, young Phuc‘s family immigrated to Pennsylvania. Casual, and overt, racism occurred daily. Home life was tumultuous and abusive. This is a story of finding one‘s self and one‘s circle. After many iterations, Phuc finds solace, and bad-assery, in literature. He draws parallels between famous works and his own life. At the heart is a deep appreciation for teachers and libraries, and quite possibly, even little brothers.

britt_brooke You nailed this recommendation, Cindy! Thank you. 💚 @Cinfhen 4y
MsMelissa Great review! 4y
britt_brooke @MsMelissa Thanks, friend! 4y
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Cinfhen I‘m so glad you enjoyed this one, Britt!! Perfect review. 4y
Cinfhen I can‘t wait to hear what @Librarybelle says...she grew up in Carlisle, Pa!!!! 4y
Librarybelle @Cinfhen It‘s climbing my tbr stack! Great review, @britt_brooke ! 4y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen Thank you! Looking forward to hearing what you think @Librarybelle ! 4y
SamAnne I justed reading/listening to this today and it grabbed me right away. 4y
britt_brooke @SamAnne So happy to hear! I really liked his writing style. Casual and intelligent. 4y
122 likes7 stack adds9 comments
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SamAnne
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“Carlisle High School was another cultural cup-de-sac built with the craftsman blueprint of John Hughes, the Frank Lloyd Wright of teen malaise.” Only a few pages in but I think I‘m going to love this memoir—described as a coming of age story of an immigrant highschooler told through the lens of the Western Canon of “great literature and how it influenced him. Oh yeah, and punk rock!!

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britt_brooke
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🎧🧩❄️ It‘s snowing, school‘s canceled for the rest of the week, and I‘m #audiopuzzling. Loving this memoir. Thanks for the rec @Cinfhen !

wanderinglynn Ooh, I just got that puzzle! 💜🧩 4y
britt_brooke @wanderinglynn Yay! It‘s a really fun one so far! 4y
SamAnne Starting tagged book tomorrow on audio with a library print version for back up. Looks great. 4y
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Megabooks I loved this memoir! 4y
Cinfhen Love the puzzle and the memoir♥️🎧so glad your hold came in quickly 😁enjoy 4y
britt_brooke @SamAnne Hope you enjoy! I ended up listening to the whole thing in one day. 4y
britt_brooke @Megabooks It‘s so engaging! 4y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen I love when a hold arrives faster than expected - it‘s like freaking Christmas morning! 🎉 I listened to the whole book yesterday, so my review is coming later today. 💚💚 4y
103 likes8 comments
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Cinfhen
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Pickpick

“Phuc It”~This book was awesome!
Memoirist Phuc Tran humorously & delicately shares his growing up as the only Vietnamese boy in his small Pennsylvania town. It covers everything I love; literature, music, family drama, belonging, isolation, teenage rebellion and the 80‘s!!!!!!! Audio read by author was wonderful 🎧♥️ #NonFictionChallenge21 #AboutReading #FoodAndLit #Vietnam #pop21 #AdvancedPrompt

Cinfhen I can‘t wait to hear your thoughts when u pick this book up @Librarybelle !!! 4y
squirrelbrain Sounds wonderful! 4y
Librarybelle Yay! I‘ll definitely have to pick it up VERY soon! 4y
peaKnit I listened to the Audi also and agree, he is fantastic! 4y
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Cinfhen
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😭😭😭I‘ll never understand certain parents!!! Such an EXCELLENT memoir/ #AllTheFeels

britt_brooke Definitely getting to this soon - thank you for the rec! 🤗 4y
Cinfhen @britt_brooke he‘s my favorite type of memoirist/ honest, funny, intelligible, contemplative and relatable ( even though he‘s a Vietnamese immigrant male & I‘m a 55 year old white Jewish lady from the suburbs, I find his story familiar) 4y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen The best kind of memoir is the one everyone can identify with in some way. I just placed this on hold and should get it in a couple of weeks. 4y
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Cinfhen I can‘t wait for you to read/listen @britt_brooke 💚 4y
ReadingEnvy I have this on my shelf but have heard so little.... 4y
Cinfhen Pick it up @ReadingEnvy It‘s SOOOOO GOOD 4y
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Cinfhen
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I can tell, this is TOTALLY my jam!!! Have you listened to this @Megabooks @britt_brooke ?!?!! Music, literature, immigrant story, NF, potty mouth pages and some PA bad-assness 🙌🏻🎧 #FoodAndLit #Vietnam #NonFiction21 #AboutReading #Pop21 #AdvancedPrompt

Megabooks Yes, listened when it came out last April! Great book! 4y
Librarybelle This will probably be my #hearhere , as he chronicles his life in my hometown...cannot get any closer to home than that! I‘ve yet to start it but have it through Kindle. 4y
Butterfinger This just made me smile. 4y
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Riveted_Reader_Melissa Sounds great! Stacking!! 4y
Riveted_Reader_Melissa @Butterfinger Right! Great book plug! (edited) 4y
britt_brooke I haven‘t, but definitely stacking - thanks! 4y
Cinfhen Oh wow @Librarybelle !!!! You‘re probably going to LOVE IT!!! It‘s HILARIOUS and also heartwarming and at times sad too, to see how cruel people can be 4y
Cinfhen This has POTENTIAL to be a 5 star @Butterfinger @Riveted_Reader_Melissa @britt_brooke I‘ll let you know 💜💜💜 4y
britt_brooke @Cinfhen Oh wow! Def let me know. 👀 4y
100 likes4 stack adds9 comments
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Catsandbooks
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Pickpick

5/5 ⭐️ I really enjoyed this memoir of a Vietnamese immigrant growing up in America. While there were many parts that were hard to listen to (ie. the violent relationship with his father), there were also so many moments that made me laugh. I really hope the author writes more because I would definitely read it! #FoodandLit

Catsandbooks TW: Physical abuse, violence 4y
Come-read-with-me Thanks for the great review. I‘ve really wanted to read this and now it‘s moving up on my list! 4y
Catsandbooks @Come-read-with-me hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 4y
48 likes1 stack add3 comments
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Chelsea.Poole
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Pickpick

Phuc shares his memories growing up in small-town America as an Asian-American. He infuses his #memoir with humor and sharp observations of his surroundings and the time in which he came of age, the 80s. Phuc gets into the punk scene and also literature, both things have quite an effect on his formative years. Memoirs are TheBomb.com in my current reading life; I‘m so grateful to be able to experience life through the eyes of others in this way.

105 likes4 stack adds
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Smrloomis
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This is one of BR‘s deals of the day 🥳 I loved this book so much! https://bookriot.com/book-riots-deals-of-the-day-for-december-5-2020/

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AmyK1
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Pickpick

Phuc Tran moves from Vietnam to small town PA in 1975 with his parents. Growing up he spends a lot of time trying to be seen, understood and accepted-trying to figure out who he is in the midst of racism and family violence.

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Jnnlb
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Pickpick

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ must read please see my full review at thejwordpress.wordpress.com

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BarbaraTheBibliophage
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Just a couple of things happening in my world. This lovely book arrived, with drawing by its author. (Won it in a virtual author event giveaway ...) I‘m looking forward to reading it, especially because I married into an Asian-American family. In other news, a new hummingbird feeder and my hibiscus bush gone wild!

Leftcoastzen Very cool! Hibiscus are gorgeous! Yay hummingbird feeder!! 4y
TheBookStacker I have this audiobook but haven‘t had time to start it! 4y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @Leftcoastzen Thanks! Now we just have to get some hummingbirds to find it! 4y
BarbaraTheBibliophage @TheBookStacker Hope we both like it! 4y
101 likes3 stack adds4 comments
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rachelm
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Pickpick

Wow. This is an outstanding memoir of youth, immigration, punk, and literature. Some parts were laugh-out-loud funny and others heart-rending. An absolute recommendation, especially if you like audiobooks (it‘s fabulous in that format).

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rachelm
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Methinks I might have to cut my #audiowalk short. Thunder and forty mile an hour winds!

Just started this memoir and it‘s great. Read by the author. A love letter to punk and the great books

tjwill Be safe! 4y
rachelm @tjwill made it home just as the skies opened up! 4y
Smrloomis I loved this book! ❤️❤️❤️ 4y
rachelm @Smrloomis I love it so far 4y
72 likes1 stack add4 comments
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sarahs.thoughts.on.books
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Pickpick

As a child of refugees from Cambodia, I try to learn more about refugee experience, and find it difficult to talk to my parents due to language barriers. While both journeys lead to diaspora, the refugee experience, is diff from immigrant experience. I found myself connecting to Tran's experience. In other ways, my experience didn't match. That's okay. Asian people are not a monolith. It does not stop me from enjoying the story, and being engaged.

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Smrloomis
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Pickpick

💓💓💓 This was excellent. Tran is a Vietnamese-American who grew up in a small town in Pennsylvania in the Eastern US. Really, really good and one I hope more people will read. 💕💕💕

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Smrloomis
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I‘m listening to this and so far, it‘s really, really good.

Megabooks I really enjoyed it! 4y
Smrloomis @Megabooks yeah, I didn‘t love the description but the memoir itself is great. 4y
52 likes2 comments
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UnabridgedPod
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Pickpick

"Do we want words to be powerful or powerless? We can‘t have it both ways. If we want them to be powerful, we have to act and speak accordingly, handling our words with the fastidious faith that they can do immeasurable good or irreparable harm. But if we want to say whatever we want—if we want to loose whatever words fly into our minds—then we render words powerless, ineffectual, and meaningless, like the playground bromide of ‘sticks and ⬇️

UnabridgedPod stones.‘ That childhood logic leads you to believe that suffering corporal trauma is worse than verbal trauma" (55).⠀

I was so sad to finish Phuc Tran's memoir Sigh, Gone: A Misfit's Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In--I could have read twice as many pages about Tran's experience as the son of immigrants from Vietnam in the late 1970s and 1980s. ⬇️
5y
UnabridgedPod He weaves his discoveries about himself, his parents, and his new country together with the works of literature that helped him to understand his place in the world. Tran is funny and honest and vulnerable, delving into his father's abuse, his mother's complicity, his love for his brother. He is desperate to fit in, to escape the racism that finds him everywhere, and he seeks refuge first in comic books, ⬇️ 5y
UnabridgedPod then in punk rock and its culture, and finally in academics. Children of the 80s will appreciate the memories of Star Wars, literature lovers will revel in his reflections on great books, and music lovers will get goosebumps with each new artist he connects with. ⠀

As I read, I alternated between listening to the audiobook, which Tran reads himself, and the ebook, and I loved both reading experiences. ⬇️
5y
UnabridgedPod As always, hearing a memoir through its author's voice is powerful, but reading with my eyes allowed me to hone in on those beautiful quotations that I couldn't help but highlight on almost every page.⠀

This is a powerful, funny, sad, inspiring book. I'll definitely be reading whatever Phuc Tran writes next.⠀

What's the last great memoir you read? or plan to read?
5y
17 likes4 comments
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Smrloomis
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Just started this. How did I not know this was coming out? So far so good.

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peaKnit
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On the deck listening to the tagged book with Leo, who, it turns out, also likes peonies. 🐶🌸

LiteraryinPA What a sweetie! (edited) 5y
Sace Awwww! So cute! 5y
25 likes2 comments
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Beatlefan129
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1. I think the goal of a good biography is to teach you something about the subject that you didn‘t know before, so yes, that can change how you feel.
2. The Contender. A biography of Marlon Brando
3. The tagged book about a Vietnamese immigrant‘s move to the US in 1975
#SundayFunday

BookmarkTavern I‘ve always wanted to read more about Marlon Brando! I‘ll have to look that up! Thanks for sharing. 5y
46 likes1 comment
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Megabooks
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Pickpick

Phuc‘s memoir covers escaping Vietnam in the 70s as a child through his graduation from high school in 1991. Each chapter has a book as its title and Phuc relates the struggles of that part of his life to the book.

In contrast to many American parents who never spank, Phuc‘s parents seem particularly violent & his alienation from them helps spur his search for his true identity as he evolves from a punk to a lit nerd. I hope he writes a sequel!

Megabooks @Cinfhen this is a good one!! 5y
Cinfhen It‘s been on my radar!!!! Thanks for the heads-up approval 😘 5y
Reviewsbylola Stacking! 5y
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Megabooks @Cinfhen @Reviewsbylola enjoy y‘all!! 👏🏻👏🏻 5y
Smrloomis I really want a sequel too! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 4y
Megabooks @Smrloomis 🤩🤩 4y
101 likes10 stack adds6 comments
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Liberty
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🎉IT‘S NEW BOOK DAY!🎉 Despite changes in pub dates, there are still a lot of great books out today. Here are some of today‘s new books! 📚
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There are many more out today that I am excited about but don‘t have physical copies to photograph, including A Thousand Moons, Girl Gone Viral, I'm Your Huckleberry, Home Baked, How to Pronounce Knife, The Silence of Bones, Warhol, Reproduction, and Ronan the Librarian. What are you excited to read? 📚❤️📚

TheNerdyProfessor Super excited for Pretty Things and The House of Deep Water! So many good releases this year! I've already ordered Pretty Things from the Penguin Bookshop in Pittsburgh #shoplocal #indiebookstore 5y
Graciouswarriorprincess Super excited about Ronan, Rick and the Book of Longing! 5y
marleed If I had your face is available for me to download - can‘t wait! 5y
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vlwelser Master Class is so good! New favorite author. 5y
ValerieAndBooks Sigh, Gone and the poems of Jane Kenyon! 5y
Branwen I'm waiting for my copy of Race the Sands to come in! So excited! 💕 5y
110 likes2 stack adds6 comments