Boat Baby
A Memoir
Vicky Nguyen
- In
- a
- memoir
- where
- heroism
- meets
- humor,
- NBC
- News
- anchor
- and
- correspondent
- Vicky
- Nguyen
- tells
- the
- story
- of
- her
- family’s
- daring
- escape
- from
- communist
- Vietnam
- and
- her
- unlikely
- journey
- from
- refugee
- to
- reporter
- with
- laughter
- and
- fierce
- love.Starting
- in
- 1975,
- Vietnam’s
- “boat
- people”—desperate
- families
- seeking
- freedom—fled
- the
- Communist
- government
- and
- violence
- in
- their
- country
- any
- way
- they
- could,
- usually
- by
- boat
- across
- the
- South
- China
- Sea.
- Vicky
- Nguyen
- and
- her
- family
- were
- among
- them.
- Attacked
- at
- sea
- by
- pirates
- before
- reaching
- a
- refugee
- camp
- in
- Malaysia,
- Vicky’s
- family
- survived
- on
- rations
- and
- waited
- months
- until
- they
- were
- sponsored
- to
- go
- to
- America.But
- deciding
- to
- leave
- and
- start
- a
- new
- life
- in
- a
- new
- country
- is
- half
- the
- story…figuring
- out
- how
- to
- be
- American
- is
- the
- other.
- Boat
- Baby
- is
- Vicky’s
- memoir
- of
- growing
- up
- in
- America
- with
- unconventional
- Vietnamese
- parents
- who
- didn’t
- always
- know
- how
- to
- bridge
- the
- cultural
- gaps.
- It’s
- a
- childhood
- filled
- with
- misadventures
- and
- misunderstandings,
- from
- almost
- stabbing
- the
- neighborhood
- racist
- with
- a
- butter
- knife
- to
- getting
- caught
- stealing
- Cosmo
- in
- the
- hope
- of
- learning
- Do
- You
- Really
- Think
- You
- Know
- Everything
- About
- Sex?Vicky’s
- parents
- approached
- life
- with
- the
- attitude,
- “Why
- not
- us?”
- In
- the
- face
- of
- prejudice,
- they
- taught
- her
- to
- be
- gritty
- and
- resilient,
- skills
- Vicky
- used
- as
- she
- combatted
- stereotyping
- throughout
- her
- career,
- fending
- off
- the
- question
- “Aren’t
- you
- Connie
- Chung?”
- to
- become
- a
- leading
- Asian
- American
- journalist
- on
- television.
- She
- delivers
- a
- uniquely
- transparent
- account
- of
- her
- life,
- revealing
- how
- she
- negotiated
- her
- salary
- in
- a
- competitive
- industry,
- the
- challenges
- of
- starting
- a
- family,
- and
- the
- struggle
- to
- be
- a
- dutiful
- daughter.Funny,
- nostalgic,
- and
- poignant,
- Boat
- Baby
- is
- a
- testament
- to
- the
- messy
- glue
- that
- bonds
- a
- family.
- In
- the
- tradition
- of
- We
- Are
- Dreamers
- by
- Simu
- Liu
- and
- Dear
- Girls
- by
- Ali
- Wong,
- Vicky
- Nguyen
- offers
- an
- optimistic
- story
- full
- of
- heart
- that
- illuminates
- the
- promise
- of
- what
- America
- can be.
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