The Unwanted: A Memoir of Childhood

The author painted vivid word pictures of his life as an Amerasian child in post-war Vietnam. The book was fluid and engaging. It is amazing that he survived and transcended his brutal experiences. The story needed to be told to end his nightmares. We are fortunate that he published it and gave us a window into his life as a "half-breed " in Vietnam.

Excellent read from a perspective not often written from. Please read!

A very moving and sad story that must apply to so many children in war torn Vietnam. This book must remind us of what humanity is meant to be yet the world continues to produce 'unwanted' because of war. A must read.

I loved this book. It is a tough read but important. I cannot believe the brutality this poor boy had to endure. His strength of spirit is incredible. I am so glad he was able to overcome the many obstacles put in his path. I highly recommend this book.

An incredible tale of resilience and survival , well told in the voice of a child whose family loses everything. A young boy and his family who are discriminated against because they are different because they are of mixed American Vietnamese blood because they were once of the upper class. I loved it.

I started writing a fiction story and my characters led me to the conflict in Vietnam. I had read that characters can lead you into unknown territory so I stopped writing and instead began researching the plight of Amerasians from the standpoint of a woman who fell in love with an American serviceman. I read many nonfiction articles and first hand interviews and ultimately was led to read this book. It filled in so many gaps and was written in such a way that I felt I traveled the journey alongside the author. It is a story that needed to be told and I was given insights that allowed me to go back to my own writing. I recommend this book as not only entertaining but a resource for anyone who has not understood the sacrifices of our refugees who safely landed in America.

I have this three stars because it was so detailed it was almost unbearable. The story is interesting and the Amerasian children born during the Vietnam War is an interesting topic. Also acknowledge the author wrote this as therapy for himself. The great ending is the escaping Vietnam but I had so many questions at the end!

Beautifully written. The writer "takes you there" into his experiences both in mind and heart. May we never take our freedoms for granted.

Very moving book by an American Vietnamese author. I was looking for it a long time as a friend refused to return it and I wanted to have a copy. I'm pleased to have found it on Amazon. As far as I know he is a dentist now - what a shame he doesn't write anymore. This book would make a great movie!

Commandé et arrivé très vite. En anglais mais très facile à lire.Cette autobiographie est superbe, elle raconte l'enfance au Vietnam de Kien, un Amérasien né d'un soldat américain et d'une mère vietnamienne pendant la Guerre du Vietnam. Kien a vécu la Guerre du Vietnam, la Chute de Saigon, la vie en tant que métis dans un Vietnam d'après guerre sous le nouveau régime Communiste et enfin, sa fuite vers le pays de son père inconnu, les Etats-Unis, où il vit actuellement.Kien nous plonge dans les paysages, les odeurs, les joies et les malheurs qu'il a vécu au Vietnam.

amazing insight into vietnam and the after war impact on vietnam society - i read it will travelling the length of Vietnam from Saigon to Hanoi

I have not read a book in along time, as reading is not one of my hobby. However, being a British-Vietnamese, I was not aware of Amerasian in Vietnam untill my adult life. Since I was recommended to read this, I could not put the book down. This book has taken me less than a week to read. Similar book to this I have read are Lion and The kite runner. Which took me along time to finish.

I have to admit that I normally strongly dislike memoirs of any kind and have quit reading for at least the past 15 or more years. Our book club selected this one and I now have to eat a bit of crow to say that I really enjoyed this memoir -- a lot.One of the (many) reasons why I quit reading memoirs besides the fact they're all so self serving, is because the writing is never anything to write home about and failed to keep me interested. I found this one to be a page turner! I kept wanting to know more, learn more, find out what happened next, and had a hard time putting it down.Not only is Kien Nguyen's story of life in Vietnam as a 'half breed', as he was called, an insight into life during and after the fall of Saigon to the Vietcong but it allows the reader to truly understand the emotions and difficulties of people's lives during that time. Kien and his family endured loss, humiliation, pain, and a struggle for survival that we have no concept of here in North America.The the strong point to this memoir is Nguyen's writing. He is a gifted writer in that he tells a story with ease (at least to the reader) and his use of such literary tools as vivid imagery, simile and metaphor are all with a deft hand. A fine writer. I will be seeking out any other writing he may do in future.