Great simple read but a good story especially at this time when we are demonizing "Boatpeople".

Easy to read rag to riches story. Anh Do comes across as a nice clever guy and his story is a credit to him and his family. Couldn't help but draw comparisons with Unpolished Gem by Alice Pung, another great (and very humorous) autobiography from an Australian of Asian descent. ( )

Summary: The exceptional tale of Anh Doh and his family as they grew up in Australia having fled war torn Vietnam.

Things I liked:

Great stories, touching stories, amazing stories; I can't really believe this is someone's real life but in that it is all of the proceeding things ... nuff said.

Things I thought could be improved:

Some of the stories felt they were included just because they were good stories, not because they actually needed to tell the greater story of Anh's journey. I'm not 100% (cause I did enjoy them), but I think they probably should have been left out.

Highlight: The revelation of Anh's Dad when he revealed the death story of his oldest brother . The way it tied together the whole philosophy of 'Right now and too late' which dominated and drove so many of the decisions that Anh made in his life was fantastic.

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Oh my goodness how beautiful. What a wonderful, sad story. Finished it in the day. Funny and yet made tears zing in my eyes. Just enough to not be too much, or too little of the incredible story of Anh and his family. My heart breaks and yet is so full for them. I had this book read to me and my classmates in Year 5, and it's been on my TBR since I got back into reading; even as a 20 year old now, it has still stuck with me. ( )

A very easy read. Good to get to know more about Anh. Remarkable energy, capability and tenacity. Great to see how positive he is and family oriented.
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