Aimee Phan

Generally speaking, the Vietnamese families who came to the United States at the close of the tragic war in that country have, as a group, done well here. Their work ethic and devotion to education meant that most of them and their children would achieve financial security in remarkably short order. Easily overlooked, however, is what it was like for whole families forced to leave behind everything but what they could carry with them. Aimee Phan’s The Reeducation of Cherry Truong tells show more exactly what it was like for two of those families.

Spanning three generations and three countries (Vietnam, France, and the United States), The Reeducation of Cherry Truong is the story of interrelated families forever split because of a decision made by one man. Cherry (pronounced like the fruit) Truong, having grown up in Little Saigon, California, does not know what happened all those years ago, but her efforts to convince her brother to return to California will finally expose her family’s secrets. Under the leadership of Cherry’s maternal grandmother, Cherry and her cousins are living quite comfortably in California and have promising futures. Now, however, her grandmother worries that some of her weaker grandchildren are looking for shortcuts to the easy life.

Things have not gone quite as well in Paris for Cherry’s paternal grandparents and her uncles but, there too, her cousins are preparing themselves for what they hope will be brighter futures. Sadly, her grandfather is suffering from Alzheimer’s now, one of her aunts is unstable, and her grandmother has discovered a family secret on her own. After visits to Paris and Vietnam, Cherry Truong’s reeducation will be done and she will understand the full impact of the choice her grandfather made all those years ago.

The Reeducation of Cherry Truong is about secrets and the destruction they can cause, but along the way, it offers genuine insights into family life in Vietnam both during and after the war. Too, despite the fact that few of the book’s characters are especially likable, it is difficult not to admire what the two families achieve for their children. Particularly touching is the ever-widening generational gap that becomes obvious as the first generation immigrants struggle to maintain the old ways that seem less and less important to each succeeding generation.

Readers should, from the beginning, refer to the two family trees offered at the beginning of the book. Ms. Phan uses a series of old letters and flashbacks to several different points in time (and to all three countries mentioned earlier) to tell her story. Paying attention up front to the various relationships will make it all much easier to keep track of - and will provide the reader with a much more rewarding experience.

Rated at: 4.0 show less

Well-crafted and imaginative fantasy based on the Vietnamese legend of the Trung sisters, queens who led the Vietnamese army against the Han warriors. It is surprisingly difficult to find English literature, retellings, or translations on Vietnamese folk tales, and I actually never learned about the Trung sisters until last year.

Jolie is a high school student who’s a descendant of thầy bói (fortune tellers). She starts getting unsettling visions in her classes that become stronger after show more rescuing her classmate Huong during swim class. Soon, she finds her grandfather’s ever-changing book on Vietnamese myths, is finally able to understand Vietnamese, and can read other people’s minds.

This tale blends modern day San Jose with ancient Vietnam, magic, and dragons. Once the story gets moving, it doesn’t stop, and there’s an element of mystery surrounding the past that ropes you in. Plus, the cover for this book is absolutely breathtaking.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group, G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are independently my own. show less

There is so much about this novel that I loved, I hardly know where to begin. I was lucky enough to hear Ms. Phan read during my final MFA residency at Sierra Nevada College in Lake Tahoe this summer. I don't recall now if she read from this novel or another, but I knew from that reading that hers was writing I would greatly enjoy (and learn from) and this novel didn't disappoint.

I try not to include spoilers in my reviews because I hate that, so this review is shorter than I might show more otherwise write. This is a saga of a Vietnamese family and I was instantly drawn in by the strong characters. It was one of those rare novels wherein the characters are so well crafted that in my mind they are living, breathing people and I was really sad to have to let them go at the end of the novel. The language was lovely and the story seamless. It was truly a joy to read, I only wish it had been longer. The only difficulty I had with it was knowing that I was likely mispronouncing names and I wouldn't want that to happen if these were people I actually knew--they felt that real to me. But that says more about my ignorance than the writing.

Bottom line: Absolutely read this. show less

A heroine like no other, ancient magic unleashed, a fated epic battle--the first book in an enchanting YA fantasy duology inspired by Vietnamese lore, weaving magic, sisterhood, and self-discovery.

Jolie Lam, a high school sophomore in San Jose, is known for two things: her bizarre freakout at last year’s swim meet and her fortuneteller grandfather with visions of dragons and earthquakes. Friendless and ostracized, Jolie's life takes a dramatic turn for the better when she saves the show more school's it-girl, Huong Pham, during a haunting vision of her own. Taken under Huong's wing, Jolie's world transforms, in more ways than one.

As Jolie and Huong's bond deepens, they unlock long lost powers: telepathic abilities, fluency in Vietnamese, and eerie premonitions. This leads them to a shocking revelation: they have ties to legendary queens and goddesses of ancient Vietnam. While a thrilling discovery, it also sets them on a perilous journey.

The girls must navigate dreams and portals to piece together their past lives and reclaim their immortal elements before their ancient enemies strike again. But all is not what it seems, and Jolie must determine friend from foe, truth from lie, and ultimately right from wrong in this battle for all she loves and the fate of the world.

-Amazon description show less