Minutes May book: The Happiest Refugee

The Happiest Refugee

By Anh Do

(Chosen by Elster)

Theme: Inspiring and uplifting

Elster read at least four possible titles before making her choice. Some were based on bookshop or library recommendations. One, at least, was not at all inspiring and uplifting. She settled on this choice because it had a very 'happy' title and fitted the theme.

About the author:

Anh Do is one of Australia's leading comedians. He has also acted in television series and films, written screenplays and is a sought-after keynote speaker. His unique and inspirational experience leaving Vietnam as a toddler and growing up in Australia is the subject of his bestselling and award-winning memoir, The Happiest Refugee.

(general biographical detail from the publisher's website)

What the publisher says about the book:

Anh Do nearly didn't make it to Australia. His entire family came close to losing their lives on the sea as they escaped from war-torn Vietnam in an overcrowded boat. But nothing - not murderous pirates, nor the imminent threat of death by hunger, disease or dehydration as they drifted for days - could quench their desire to make a better life in a country where freedom existed. Life in Australia was hard, an endless succession of back-breaking work, crowded rooms, ruthless landlords and make-do everything. But there was a loving extended family, and always friends and play and something to laugh about for Anh, his brother Khoa and their sister Tram. Things got harder when their father left home when Anh was thirteen - they felt his loss very deeply and their mother struggled to support the family on her own. His mother's sacrifice was an inspiration to Anh and he worked hard during his teenage years to help her make ends meet, also managing to graduate high school and then university. Another inspiration was the comedian Anh met when he was about to sign on for a 60-hour a week corporate job. Anh asked how many hours he worked. 'Four,' the answer came back, and that was it. He was going to be a comedian! The Happiest Refugee tells the incredible, uplifting and inspiring life story of one of our favourite personalities. Tragedy, humour, heartache and unswerving determination - a big life with big dreams. Anh's story will move and amuse all who read it.

What we discussed about the book:

• What were the most profound themes of this book? (e.g. 'There's only two times in life. Now and too late')
• Given Anh's background as a comedian, how was humour used to tell the story? What was its tone? Was it underdone, overdone or just right?
• Whose story is this? Is it Anh's alone, or does he speak on behalf of others? Would their stories of the same events be different?
• Did this meet the 'uplifting and inspiring' brief? In what ways?  
• What we thought about Do's forgiveness of his father? What does that say about him as a person?
• How did we describe his father? What factors from his past contributed to his alcoholism?
• What was the tipping point for his father's behaviour?
• Is Anh's mother the hero of this story?
• The role of cooking and eating in family life.
• Why did some characters seem to appear and then disappear from the story? (e.g. Uncle Six)
• The scenes from the book that we loved; e.g. bringing the pig to the engagement party, the engagement party speech, the 50c fur coat.

And then we were sidetracked into:

• The Little Refugee - Anh Do's book for kids based on his experience. A great picture book for children.
• Working out exactly how big the boat was in comparison to the room we were sitting in. 
• The chronology of Vietnamese immigration post-1975
• Does the notion of 'family' loom larger for immigrants than for others?
• Is the use of the word 'refugee' in the title political? Are political points sometimes communicated best in a softly,softly or humorous manner?
• The recent story about the plight of Tamil refugees living in the suburbs of Melbourne. 
• What does this book teach us about the refugee experience, and what does it make us think about the issue moving forward?
• The term 'economic refugee'. What are the connotations of it?
• The role of self-deprecating humour. Are Australians losing the ability to laugh at ourselves?

In other news, we discussed:

• The types of voluntary community work being done by our kids.
• Greek banking fees
• The serving (or not) of pork products on Qantas/Emirates code-share flights
• The wearing of pants (trousers) vs skirts to church (or to court). At what point did the 'rules' change?

Ratings:
Range: 6.5 to 8.5
Average:  7.89

Next book: Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (chosen by Gypsy)