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My Documents
My Documents: A Novel | Kevin Nguyen
4 posts | 2 read | 5 to read
The paths of four family members diverge drastically when the U.S. government begins detaining Vietnamese Americans, in this sharp and touching novel about growing up at the intersection of ambition and assimilation. Ursula, Alvin, Jen, and Duncan grew up as cousins in the sprawling Nguyen family, but the truth about their family is much more complicated. As young adults, they're on the precipice of new venturesUrsula as a budding journalist in Manhattan, Alvin as an engineering intern for Google, Jen as a naive freshman at NYU, and Duncan as a promising newcomer on his high school football team. Their lives are upended when a series of violent, senseless attacks across America create a national panic, prompting a government policy forcing Vietnamese Americans into internment camps. Jen and Duncan are sent with their mother to Camp Tacoma while Ursula and Alvin receive exemptions. Cut off entirely from the outside world, Jen and Duncan try to withstand long dusty days in camp, forced to work jobs they hate and acclimate to life without the internet. That is until Jen discovers a way to get messages to the outside. Her first instinct is to reach out to Ursula, who sees this as an opportunity to tell the world about the horrors of detentionand bolster her own reporting career in the process. Informed by real-life events from Japanese incarceration, the Vietnam War, and modern-day immigrant detention, Kevin Nguyen gives us a version of reality only a few degrees away from our ownmuch too close for comfort. Moving and finely attuned to both the brutalities and mundanities of racism in America, M? Documents is a strangely funny and touching portrait of American ambition, fear, and family. The story of the Nguyens is one of resilience and how we return to each other, and to ourselves, after tragedy.
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BarbaraBB
My Documents: A Novel | Kevin Nguyen
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Pickpick

After a series of terrorist attacks by Vietnamese Americans, the government sets up I#detention camps across the US for all Vietnamese Americans. The story is about life inside one of the camps and about life going on outside.

I loved the premise of this novel and I loved the writing and the first half but the book was a bit too long for me in the end and less interesting. Still a pick though.

charl08 I want to read this (from the library though!) 1w
Amiable What a mesmerizing cover image! 1w
BarbaraBB @Amiable It‘s a beautiful cover indeed 1w
TrishB Thanks for tagging 👍🏻 I‘ll read this definitely at some point 😁 1w
71 likes2 stack adds4 comments
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BarbaraBB
My Documents: A Novel | Kevin Nguyen
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Okay, one more. Another gem of a quote and so true.

sarahbarnes Wow, glad to see you are loving this one. 1w
41 likes1 comment
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BarbaraBB
My Documents: A Novel | Kevin Nguyen
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This book…. 😱

Librarybelle Oh! That‘s a good insight on history. I do say that history is written by the victors, or those with the loudest voice in the room. But, power is a more descriptive word. 1w
lil1inblue 🩵🩵🩵 1w
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vlwelser
My Documents: A Novel | Kevin Nguyen
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Pickpick

This one made my head explode. The author combines the tragedy of fleeing Vietnam during the war with refugee camps and turns to internment camps and does a great job of depicting what it's like to basically lose 3 years of your life to something you have no control over. 5 out of 5 stars. Definitely recommend.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

Pub date is 4/8/25
#ARC #Netgalley

TheAromaofBooks Great review!! 5mo
42 likes1 comment