Book Review: American Dreamer by Tim Tran (Tran Manh Khiem) with Tom Fields-Meyer

How I Escaped Communist Vietnam and Built a Successful Life in Amercica

Review-Giveaway-Author Q&A

Book Description:

“American Dreamer” is an inspirational, first-hand account of the motivating power of an immigrant’s dream for a better life. From the rural Vietnam of Tim Tran’s childhood to his eventual escape to America and his rise as CFO of a multi-billion-dollar company, Tran’s memoir is a lesson in perseverance and ingenuity. After he initially left Vietnam in 1970 to attend American universities on a USAID scholarship, Tran’s sense of commitment led him home shortly before the fall of Saigon in 1975. Suspected of being a CIA agent, he found life under Communism increasingly difficult and dangerous and was forced to flee. During multiple attempts to escape, he encountered deceit, betrayal, and even murder. Finally, in 1979 Tran and his wife, Cathy, escaped with 350 others in a rickety, overcrowded boat, and faced pirate attacks and months in a Malaysian refugee camp before reaching their new home in Oregon. “American Dreamer,” written with passion, unflinching candor, and wit, is an extraordinary debut that confirms the American dream is alive and gives hope to anyone willing to work for a better life.

“My goal in life is to make a humble contribution to the society that accepted and helped me when I was a person without a country.” — Tim Tran

Details

• Book Title:  American Dreamer: How I Escaped Communist Vietnam and Built a Successful Life in America by Tim Tran (Tran Manh Khiem) with Tom Fields-Meyer
  • Publisher:  Pacific University Press
  • Publication Date: June 20, 2020
  • Category:  Non-Fiction (18 +),  390 pages
  • Genre:  Memoir
  • Format available for review:  print, mobi (for Kindle), epub, PDF
  • Content Rating:  PG + M: The book contains some bad language and recounts episodes of murder, rape, and suicide.
  • Tour dates: Jun 18 to Jul 8, 2020

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My Thoughts

I’m going to admit right off the bat that I’m not a history buff. More accurately, I’m not even a person who likes the word history. I’d like to blame some of that on teachers who left me equating history with memorizing dates. They just weren’t able to share what they must have loved in an exciting manner.

Until very recently I wouldn’t have cared to open historical fiction or even a book such as this. But little by little I’m finding my way into history. And loving it. I want to share that this book truly brings history to life. And by that, I mean that it’s a true story that is easy to read and quietly weaves history and Tim’s life together. The political leaders and what was happening becomes a story of interest. Not facts to memorize. No. This book is history at its best. I was eager to keep reading almost from the first page.

I learned about Tim’s family, who were well off, educated, and living in North Vietnam. Due to his father’s insight and position, his father realized the need for them to move to South Vietnam. While in South Vietnam, at least for some time, they were considered refugees. I learned what that meant and how it affected the family.

Tim’s story covers his education and dream to go to the U.S. We learn that his dream does come true when he is awarded a scholarship. But will he be accepted in a new country?

To me, this is a story that reads like an exciting novel. It’s interesting and full of characters that make it difficult to close the book.

My thanks to #iRead, and the author for an ARC and the ability to leave a review of my opinion.

What Concerned Me

Nothing

What I Liked Most

I highly recommend this for all who love to read about history and those who like a saga that follows the journey of a family from Vietnam.

Rating

Giveaway

Win 1 of 15 copies of American Dreamer (US and Canada) Ends July 15 Giveaway

About the Author and Q&A

In 1970, Tim (Khiem) and Cathy (Thuy) Tran were top international students from South Vietnam who were awarded scholarships to study in the United States. They studied for two years at Pacific University in Oregon, after which Tim pursued his undergraduate degree at the University of California, Berkeley, and Cathy finished her degree at the University of Oregon. Per the conditions of their scholarships, the two returned to South Vietnam in 1974. When Saigon was overrun by communist forces in 1975, the family endured great hardships. In 1979, Tim and Cathy managed to escape via boat. After a harrowing, life-threatening voyage they were placed in a refugee camp in Malaysia.

Eventually the Trans were able to immigrate to the United States and became naturalized citizens in 1986. Tim went on to become the Chief Financial Officer of Johnstone Supply, and Cathy worked for U.S. Bank, then Standard Insurance, and became an accounting manager. In 2017, the Trans established a Library Endowment Fund at Pacific University. In honor of their gift, the library building on the Pacific University Forest Grove campus was dedicated as the Tim and Cathy Tran Library.

Connect with the author:    website

Q&A

Author Interview: Tim Tran, Author of AMERICAN DREAMER

What do you appreciate most about living in the United States? What do you miss most about Vietnam?

What I appreciate most about living in the United States are: its diverse culture, beautiful scenery, excellent education system, great economic  opportunities, advanced healthcare, overall sense of optimism, and most important of all, democratic freedom.

What I miss most about living in Vietnam:  delicious and cheap food, affordable cost of living, laid-back atmosphere, warm weather, beautiful scenery, historic/cultural sites and interesting festivals (ex. Lunar New Year celebration or Tet)

What is your favorite Vietnamese food? What is your favorite American food?

My favorite Vietnamese food is pho (pronounced “fuh”), a steaming hot bowl of Vietnamese rice noodle soup made from bone-beef stock and spices to which thinly sliced beef , bean sprouts, green onion and  fresh herbs (basil, cilantro…) are added. My favorite American food is a cheeseburger; not the fast-food type (sorry!), but a restaurant-quality, juicy, thick beef patty with cheese, sharp onion, crunchy lettuce, sweet-tangy sauce, wrapped in a soft toasted bun!

Before writing your memoir, had you written anything else? Did you keep a journal/diary?

I have not kept a journal or a diary, but before writing my memoir, I had written a few pieces:

1. In November 1970, I wrote a short opinion piece for the literary journal Pacific Review, entitled “We Must Do Something,” calling for actions to stop war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law committed by both sides in the Vietnam conflict.
2. In the summer of 1972, I also wrote for Pacific Review a short story titled “Then One Day, When the War Is Over…” imagining what I would  see when returning to my village in South Vietnam after the war’s end.
3. As VP-Finance of Johnstone, in January 1995, I wrote for The [Johnstone] Journal an article “A ‘To Do’ List for a Lifetime” explaining the importance of financial planning and the tasks that should be done for each decade of one’s life.

What is one of the best memoirs (other than your own) that you have read? What made it compelling?

One of the best memoirs that I have read is “Dreams from My Father: A story of Race and Inheritance” by Barack Obama.  What made the book compelling to me was the similarity of our struggle in life. Both Obama and I faced a lot of challenges in our early life. Obama had to deal with his multi-cultural, biracial upbringing and the issue of race relations. In my life, I was caught in the middle of a shooting proxy war, political instability, and the helplessness of being a citizen of an underdeveloped, small country. Both of us strived for a better life through hard work and perseverance. We both had an interesting and captivating personal story to tell. Through our journeys, we overcame our difficulties and achieved some accomplishments.

What are lessons that you hope new or prospective immigrants to the U.S. would learn from your book?

That the American dream is attainable. It requires time, effort, tenacity, determination, and some luck. (Sometimes you can create your own luck!)