Andrew Lam (1) (1964–)

Lam's collection of essays are a thoughtful attempt to negotiate what it means to be an immigrant, particularly a Vietnamese immigrant, living in the culturally diverse city of San Francisco, and in a larger sense, in America itself.

The subjects of the chapters are disparate, ranging from food - which crops up several times, to cultural trends both in the East and the West, and the mixture and blending of cultures. Unfortunately, this can make it seem disjointed at parts and lacking a central underlying theme. There was one there, but the line was lost a few times that made me wonder why certain chapters were included, particularly near the end.

His writing, too, can seem flowery at parts and ranges into poetical, but with the brusque style endemic to journalists. His strength, both conceptually and in his writing, is when he focused on either a more academic look at his subject, or when he relates very concrete, personal recollections. His chapter regarding the Vietnam War memorial erected in San Francisco and his recollections of fleeing the country when he was young are the most moving and memorable chapters. The Vietnam War has perhaps lost its cultural impact with my generation, and most certainly with the upcoming generation, but Lam's memories and stories were poignant in an understated way.

The book also may invite criticism from other areas. A common complaint levied against multiculturalism is the emphasis on food. Rightfully, I think, critics believe that appreciating food is not indicative of acceptance, or even tolerance, as a whole, and Lam's preoccupation with the subject would seem to suggest that he believes that accepting food is indicative of a larger move toward embracing other cultures. This is more evident when he speaks of San Francisco. At other times, like a wonderful chapter on finding pho in the most unlikely places, simply suggest the comfort of finding a familiar comfort food and what a diaspora looks like.

His chapter on refugees and the optimism of Obama's election also may smack of naivete, particularly in the current political clime. Still, maybe it's good to read that optimism and remember what we are working toward.… (plus d'informations)

Mocking his Catholic grandmother's rosary praying, Lam is a whiner from page one. America is bad, it lost the Vietnam War, it's superficial, wasteful and not in favor of open borders. I was looking forward to reading this book on the Vietnamese experience in America but it turned out to be tedious and naive about world affairs. Vietnam still persecutes it's own people today. Catholics are still unable to practice their religion in Vietnam and Vietnam is currently asking for US help to stand militarily against China. This book was written in 2005 and does not stand the test of the intervening years. In fact, it shows how weak of a thinker he is. He is a decent writer, however.
Vietnamese Americans have brought incredible talent and patriotism to the US and America would be less had they not have been welcomed here. Luckily, the whole Vietnamese experience is not covered in these essays. Lam does not claim any religion and grudgingly barely even claims his US citizenship. He's confused and will always be so as this seems to be the only role given to him to play out from his white liberal associates. He never seems to have questioned why they want him to play their charity case project. It's a living, I guess, if selling your soul is up for sale.
Richard Rodriguez (Forward) made a name for himself years back with books about antiaffirmative action. Rodriguez gave a well attended lecture at St. John's Seminary, Camarillo, Calif. which I heard.
I would not recommend Lam's book, but I need to find others on the same subject which I would. Southern California has most of the accomplished Vietnamese immigrants living outside of Vietnam.… (plus d'informations)

The thirteen stories in Birds of Paradise Lost shimmer with humor and pathos as they chronicle the anguish and joy and bravery of America’s newest Americans, the troubled lives of those who fled Vietnam and remade themselves in the San Francisco Bay Area. The past—memories of war and its aftermath, of murder, arrest, re-education camps and new economic zones, of escape and shipwreck and atrocity—is ever present in these wise and compassionate stories. It plays itself out in surprising ways in the lives of people who thought they had moved beyond the nightmares of war and exodus. It comes back on TV in the form of a confession from a cannibal; it enters the Vietnamese restaurant as a Vietnam Vet with a shameful secret; it articulates itself in the peculiar tics of a man with Tourette’s Syndrome who struggles to deal with a profound tragedy. Birds of Paradise Lost is an emotional tour de force, intricately rendering the false starts and revelations in the struggle for integration, and in so doing, the human heart.… (plus d'informations)