Andrew Lam

reflections on the Vietnamese diaspora

Perfume dreams

A noted journalist and NPR commentator presents a collection of essays that reflect his lifelong struggle for identity as a Vietnamese national living abroad and what the Vietnam War means to Vietnamese people living in exile as they long for a homeland that no longer exists for them. Original.

Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora

Perfume Dreams

A lyrical and deeply satisfying fiction debut that extols and celebrates the troubled lives of those who fled Vietnam and remade themselves in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Stories

Birds of Paradise Lost

From the award-winning author of Perfume Dreams, a collection of thirteen short stories following Vietnamese immigrants new to the United States. 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. *Finalist for the California Book Award* “His stories are elegant and humane and funny and sad. Lam has instantly established himself as one of our finest fiction writers.” —Robert Olen Butler, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Perfume Mountain “Read Andrew Lam, and bask in his love of language, and his compassion for people, both those here and those far away.” —Maxine Hong Kingston, award-winning author of The Woman Warrior

“Compelling . . . Gritty in its historical detail . . . An eye-opening novel about a little known story at the far side of World War II” (Anita Shreve, New York Times–bestselling author of The Pilot’s Wife). Inspired by true events, Two Sons of China is a sweeping historical saga from a forgotten theater of World War II, an action-packed tale about an unlikely friendship between two soldiers—one American, the other, Communist Chinese—and the powerful forces that threaten to tear them apart. In 1944, American troops have arrived in China to help fight the Japanese. Lt. David Parker loathes his assignment to isolated Chungking. The war there is stalled because Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist government is corrupt and unwilling to fight. So when Parker hears of a special American mission venturing north to assist Mao Zedong’s Communist forces, he is desperate to join them. Rumors have spread that the Communists are fighting the Japanese with heroic zeal. Lin Yuen, a reclusive and skilled Communist guerilla leader, can scarcely hide his annoyance when Lieutenant Parker is assigned to join his next dangerous mission behind enemy lines. Both men have deeply held, clashing convictions, but the battles they fight, the horrors they witness, and the brotherhood they forge ultimately transform them both. As the end of World War II forces America to take sides in an impending Nationalist-Communist civil war, Parker and Yuen find their loyalties tested. Together, they must confront a final trial—one that imperils the honor they cherish and the people they love. “Two Sons of China takes you to WWII China, introduces you to a fascinating cast of characters, and spins a terrific tale of adventure and romance. If you love historical fiction, or any fiction, don’t miss it. A superb debut.” —William Martin, New York Times–bestselling author of Back Bay and The Lincoln Letter

A Novel of the Second World War

Two Sons of China

An Eye Surgeon's Look at Life Behind the Mask and the Heroes Who Changed the Way We See

Saving Sight

The award-winning author of Perfume Dreams and star of the 2004 documentary My Journey Home explores the unexpected consequences of the Vietnamese diaspora in 21 personal essays that explore topics ranging from cuisines and martial arts to sex and self-esteem.

Andrew Lam

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