Aloha Vietnam

I am so moved by the emotional and cultural honesty written in every page of this book that are both personal and universal to the Vietnamese-American experience. As a Child and Adolescent psychiatrist, I appreciated the balance in perspectives of both the main character, Anh, and her mother, Xuan. As a former refugee from Vietnam, I just cried for the mother 's and daughter's aching longings--for a culture, a place, a past, a future, a family, a home that could only exist in their memories and dreams. I didn't want Anh's journey to end.

Powered by story and strengthened by science, Dr. Elizabeth Nguyen, like Lisa Genova before her, has penned a gripping story of one family’s journey through the heartbreak of mental illness. A beautifully written coming-of-age story that details the highs and lows of bipolar disorder, against the cross-cultural grace and beauty of two Pacific locations – Vietnam and Hawaii. A poignant and moving novel.

Edge of your seat fixed reading: as soon as I settled with “Aloha Vietnam,” I was hooked on the raw emotion pouring deep from within the words. The pace of the story is perfect and it takes no time to feel connected to each of the characters. Elizabeth’s passion for her cultural roots bursts throughout this poignant encounter of a family both found and lost within their new experiences. I loved it.

This beautiful book tenderly pulls you into the pages, sharing the insights of a mother and daughter, both raised and managing their lives through two different cultures, loss, a mental health diagnosis and treatment. At the heart of this story, you are taken on a journey of the two women conveying resilience, strength, and hope to be found from the confusion, uncertainty, and mental health that arise within both of their worlds. I found myself transported into a world of fragility, tenderness, and hope, held by the exploration of painting and the power of the sea. This enchanting book is a potent mix of loss, strength, love, and healing.

The characters come to life. I felt myself drawn into the journey as the Nguyen family sorted out their daughter’s mental health issues and struggled to fit into American culture. I found myself clinging to the book to see how it resolved. I was there with Anh as she explored how to keep herself together through frightening changes and wanted to hold her hand through the journey. I lost myself in the story. Elizabeth Nguyen has an amazing way of sharing experiences, healing journeys and emotions in her work with vivid details and inspiring solutions to life’s challenges. Her vision of crossing cultures leaves the reader wanting to learn more.

In this gripping tale of two worlds, told from two perspectives, Elizabeth skillfully weaves relevant issues around mental health and coming of age, as well as cultural and generational clashes. At the heart of the story is the mother-daughter relationship told through the backdrop of the emotions of a lost culture, the grief of which can be tasted through the pages.

I was captured from the word go and felt myself effortlessly flowing into the worlds of Anh as her life unfolded, fell apart and with the 'right medicine', began her healing journey. From being horrified by her initial treatments to the relief of her finding compassion from others and for herself, I felt genuine happiness as she allowed herself to follow her creativity. The descriptions of her dreams and artwork painted a vision of hope for her future. Thank you Elizabeth, your story resonated with me on a number of levels, I am sure this is going to be beautiful medicine for many.

“Aloha Vietnam” tells the story of a Vietnamese American teenager who experiences a psychotic episode and is diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. Through the perspectives of Anh and her mother Xuan, the reader learns how the illness disrupts Anh’s life and how she and her mother struggle to come to terms with how their lives have changed. The novel also explores the losses that immigrants experience as well as the challenges they face while trying to bridge the gap between the cultures and traditions of their home country and those of their new country. Through a gradual acceptance of her illness and maintaining a connection to her home country, Anh discovers who she is and what brings her the most joy in life. As an Asian American child and adolescent psychiatrist, I highly recommend “Aloha Vietnam” not only for its sensitive portrayal of illness, but also for its moving depiction of an immigrant’s experience.