Thien Pham

Memories of an American from Vietnam

Family Style

🍲Chapters separated/themed by different food/meals

Sabrina D. 

🍲Excellent story telling

🍲Chapters separated/themed by different food/meals

🍲Highly Recommend

Ryan 

Told in vignettes, Family Style is a memoir told through the evocative details of Vietnamese and American dishes that ties back to the author's life. The book starts with Thien and his family taking refuge at an overseas camp (although there wasn't a reason behind it and might insinuate the Vietnam War). Later on, we find the family moving to San Jose, California and experience the American Dream the hard way, a reality that's not uncommon across immigrants. I did find these points across Pham's life quite powerful, in which his art has done a wonderful life painting both his life and his parents' struggles moving to America. I only bumped a star down because it took me a while to distinguish the characters in two different eras upon the latter half of the book. Family Style is a wonderful graphic memoir that bridges food and memory, sharing a universal experience on finding community for many immigrants.

Family Style Memories of an American from Vietnam

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