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Title details for A Two-Placed Heart by Doan Phuong Nguyen - Available

A Two-Placed Heart

by Doan Phuong Nguyen
VyVy Nguyen
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available
Afraid her sister (and maybe even herself) could lose sight of their Vietnamese identity, twelve-year-old Bom writes a poetic memoir to help them both remember—a love letter in verse to sisterhood and the places we leave behind. Bom can't believe that her sister doesn't see herself as Vietnamese, only American. She says she doesn't remember Vietnam or their lives there, their family there, their house and friends. How could her sister forget the terrible journey through Saigon and the airplanes and . . . everything? And what about Bom? She remembers now, but how long will she keep her memories? She always found comfort in the sound of her father's typewriter. Clickity-clack, clickity-clack. So she has an idea. She'll write down all that she can remember: the time when her father was a spy, when her mother was nicknamed a "radio," when they were so hungry Bom couldn't walk well, when the family all said goodbye. Bom will even tell her sister, and herself, about what it was like moving to Tennessee. The ESL classes, bullies, strange new foods, icy weather, friendships, and crushes—and how her family worked to keep their heritage alive. She'll type one poem at a time, until they'll never forget again.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    October 15, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9798855540772
      • File size: 124138 KB
      • Duration: 04:18:37

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 17, 2024
      In this yearning verse novel by Nguyen (Mèo and Bé), an older sister endeavors to connect her sibling to their Vietnamese heritage. Twelve-year-old Bom is concerned by her younger sister Bo’s fading memories of Vietnam. The siblings communicate in English despite Ba’s scolding and the fact that Má “doesn’t understand/ the English words we use.” Noticing that “my tiêng Viêt disappears/ a little at a time,” Bom wonders “what kind of person doesn’t know/ their own language?” As an aspiring writer, Bom decides to transcribe her
      family’s history, addressing her writings to Bo. Bom recalls the hardships her
      family endured in Vietnam, describing what she knows of her father’s seven-year imprisonment in 1975 after the Vietnam War, her parents’ subsequent arranged marriage, and her and Bo’s births. She goes on to chronicle their new life in 1996 Tennessee, following their sponsorship from a Nashville Presbyterian church in 1991. Nguyen’s touching fictionalization of personal experiences, as addressed in an author’s note, reflects the push-pull of a young immigrant’s fear that with acclimation comes loss of cultural identity. Includes a pronunciation guide, glossary, and family tree. Ages 9–13. Agent: Sara Megibow, KT Literary.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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