The Repatriation of Henry Chin

by Isaac Ho

First They Came For The Chinese

Nightmare SciFi Novel THE REPATRIATION OF HENRY CHIN by Isaac Ho, tells a chilling tale of a world where paranoia rules, "security" camps are commonplace and freedom is a memory.

In a near future, amid growing hostilities between the USA and China, the new scifi novel THE REPATRIATION OF HENRY CHIN sees a paranoid president decide that the best course of action to deal with “potential”
domestic terrorists is to secure Chinese-Americans in specially built facilities for their “safety.” Mild-mannered pharmacist Henry Chin finds his life turned upside down as American turns on American.

Unwilling to submit to such a draconian security policy, Chin flees with his teen-age daughter across a nightmare America where neighbor has turned against neighbor. Now doggedly pursued by an ICE agent determined to bring this “potential future terrorist” in no matter the cost, Chin struggles to survive in a country where once cherished rights and liberties have been traded for a peace and security that is anything but.

THE REPATRIATION OF HENRY CHIN is the debut novel for Isaac Ho, SF Weekly Black Box Award-winning playwright of Along for the Ride and Stephen N. Gershenson Screenwriting Award-winning writer of 1,001 Ways to Enjoy the Missionary Position, a feature-film starring Amanda Plummer.

The idea for the novel came to Ho after seeing the breathless ease of numerous opinion wielders — many of them Asian American — invoke the idea of internment camps to deal with many of the issues of security facing our country.

“Did we learn nothing from the 1940s,” says Ho, referring to the camps created to house the Japanese during World War II and the suspicion German-Americans also had to endure. “We live in a world that is far too complex to be reduced to talking head sound bites and simple solutions to complex problems. REPATRIATION offers one alternative view of the consequences of sound bite solutions.”

“Isaac tells an important story, a cautionary tale we all need to keep in mind,” says Digital Fabulists’ co-publisher Jody Wheeler. “Not only is THE REPATRIATION OF HENRY CHIN an excellent debut novel, it’s also a thrilling read and, in the tradition of good science fiction, makes you pause and think as well.”

Isaac Ho is a graduate of the UCLA MFA Screenwriting program. He is the screenwriter for the indie film 1,001 Ways to Enjoy the Missionary Position, an Orwellian drama starring Amanda Plummer, and the play Along for the Ride. He’s won the SF Weekly Black Box Award for Best Play, the Stephen N. Gershenson Screenwriting Award and was a finalist for the CAPE USA New Writers Award for Television. THE REPATRIATION OF HENRY CHIN is his first novel.

206 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 29, 2011

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure why it is classed as a sci-fi novel. Not really any of them elements anywhere. I would have classed it as a thriller more than anything. I liked it the story was unique and well written. It did take me a while to get into the story, the first half felt a bit dull. It also took me a while to get used to the narrator, again the first half of the book felt dull and dry. It came across as a bit emotionless. Felt this was more to do with the narrator than the story.

I found I didn’t overall like most of the story just based on I didn’t like the racist tones to it. It was all part of the story so I couldn’t overall fault the Author for it. Just bugged me. But then again that was kind of the point, it should bug me and it should bother me. Citizens being treating like poop simply because part of their genres are from somewhere else.

(Disclaimer: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review)

[Amie's Book Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE REPATRIATION OF HENRY CHIN is terrifying in its possibility, especially with someone like Donald Trump in the Whitehouse. Plus, America has already forced one ethnic group into internment camps in the past. Don't think so? All a person needs to do is look back in American history to WWII when all Japanese Americans, despite where and when they were born, endured "...forced relocation and incarceration in camps in the western interior of the country of between 110,000 and 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry, most of whom lived on the Pacific coast. 62 percent of the internees were United States citizens. These actions were ordered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt shortly after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor...Those who were as little as 1/16 Japanese and orphaned infants with "one drop of Japanese blood" were placed in internment camps."

So, if it has happened once, with a President who was much less volatile and elitist than the current President, why couldn't it happen again? I don't think it will take long for the current American racial tinderbox to explode. What that will look like? We have no idea, but Isaac Ho has obviously thought the issue through.

Tackling important issues such as racism and domestic terrorism, this audiobook should be required listening.

Henry Chin is an ordinary guy, in fact, his life would be considered boring by most people. He has Chinese blood, but he is an American and always has been. In fact, eight generations of his family have lived in the United States. Eight generations in America is more than many white people can claim.

With The United States and China on the brink of war, racial divides in America begin to focus on an "Us vs. Them" mentality. On one side of that divide is anyone with even a single drop of Chinese blood and on the other side is the rest of the American citizens. The President decides to place all Chinese people into camps "to keep them safe."

Henry Chin wants no part of those camps and he and his daughter break out in spectacular fashion.

One gung-ho Immigration Agent decides that Henry must be a terrorist and fixates on capturing the father/daughter team.

Meanwhile, Henry is struggling to bond with his teenage daughter and hiking through a National Park is probably not the best way to do it.

This audiobook takes off like a rocket and the story gets more and more tense until listeners are literally on the edge of their seats.

Narrator, Anthony Lee was a superb choice for this story. His pacing is 100% perfect and his ability to voice different characters with varying accents is unparalleled. It is easy for the listener to distinguish between characters since each voice is unique and distinctive.

I rate this audiobook as 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and I will be recommending it to my friends and followers.

To read more of my reviews, visit my blog at http://Amiesbookreviews.wordpress.com

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** I received this audiobook at no-cost from the narrator. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion in any way.** 

[Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isaac Ho’s spellbinding political thriller is a wake-up call about the consequences of economic war between the U.S. and China.

What if China decided to impose economic sanctions on the United States? That’s a question that worried economists have been asking for years, and it’s the triggering event behind Isaac Ho’s foreboding novel. Set in the near future, where America is in only slightly more debt to China than it is currently, Beijing freezes $135 billion in American assets. After a bloodbath both on Wall Street and in the job sector, Chinese Americans became the victim of hate crimes across the nation. That’s only the beginning. Unless the U.S. President acquiesces to China’s demands, the American economy risks being brought to its knees.

Check out the rest of my review at BestThrillers.com

[Mari · Rating 3 out of 5]

A general good novel, but nothing too out of the ordinary, aside from subject matter. Reading level is young adult to me. IT's a little to obvious and 2D in some parts, but the main characters are pretty enthralling. In the middle of the book it escalates quickly, and I found it to be unrealistic, but the more I read, the more it seemed plausible, which was unsettling. It briefly mentions some important parts of Asian-American history, which are well know to me, but not to the average American. The book invokes fear, anger, and a sense of connection to the title character, which makes it worth the read.

[DubaiReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first abandoned book of 2019.
I have decided not to finish this audiobook.
It initially appealed to me because the author had a Chinese sounding name, the illustration on the cover featured a character with Chinese features, and I have always been fascinated by issues of culture and belonging.

It started out well enough, with a disagreement between the Chinese and the Americans, which resulted in all Chinese and Chinese-Americans, living in the US, being rounded up and placed in internment camps "for their own safety". Henry Chin, a pharmacist with high level military training in his past, decides to go on the run with his daughter, rather than succumbing to this indignancy. Supported by his army mate Clive, the three of them plan to hide out in the mountains, then skip to Canada once the heat has died down.

What I had not anticipated was a full scale description of guerrilla warfare in the mountains and Chin's backstory, involving more violence in the Panama War. When government incompetence was added to the mix I decided that 75% was was a good enough trial for a book and things were only going to go downhill from there. I think this book was a bad choice for me and is more suited to a male reader with an army background.
The whole was definitely not helped by a monotone narrator.
1.5 stars, rounded up.

[R.K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tw: rape

Plot was overall engaging in my opinion, but I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style.

I enjoyed the focus on Asian Americans and America's unglamorous past regarding race relations. Also, the author's choice to slowly intertwine Henry's flashbacks to the Panama mission throughout the novel was effective in demonstrating the parallel between the times in which Henry displayed uncharacteristic moments of uncontrollable rage when engaged in combat.

What I did not enjoy was Elizabeth becoming a "less sarcastic, more serious" woman after she was raped by the cray cray group camping out at the canyon. It really bothered me. Wouldn't the harsh reality shock that comes from traversing through the wilderness and being captured by crazy racists be enough to change anyone's uncooperative and spoiled demeanor?

Overall, I was very engaged while reading this book, but there were definitely certain aspects of the story that didn't sit well with me.

[Koji Sakai · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book. It is a powerful reminder of what could happen to us—as Americans—when we let our fears get the best of us. It’s scary to imagine an assembly center in this day and age at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Or just the idea that you can even lock up an entire group of people for no other crime than being the “wrong” race or ethnicity.

In the book, we follow Henry Chin, who was an ex-military guy turned pharmacist. He’s been trying to live low and raise a hapa daughter after a war traumatic war experience in Panama. However, when they start rounding up Chinese Americans, he refuses to comply. He takes his daughter and together they make a run for Canada through the Angeles Crest mountains—with the help of Henry’s army buddy.

Please note that I received this title for free in exchange for an unbiased review .

[Granny Weatherwax · Rating 2 out of 5]

i would've rated it higher except for the ending which I found unrealistic.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any speculative fiction based upon the "internment" experience is one I'll read.