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A Two-Placed Heart
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.
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.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published September 24, 2024
2 people are currently reading
2654 people want to read
About the author
DoanPhuong Nguyen
3 books47 followersDoanPhuong Nguyen was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States when she was in elementary school. After growing up in the South, she settled in the Midwest. DoanPhuong loves anything pink and cute but enjoys writing incredibly sad, emotionally evocative novels. She received her MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts. This is her first middle grade novel. Find her at doanphuong.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
September 29, 2024
Blog Tour - 9/29
Thank you to Steph for bringing this book to my attention.
You think I'd get tired of Vietnamese diaspora books by this point. Nope. Still eating them up like bread and butter. Or rather, bánh mì bơ?
This is a story told in verse, about two sisters who flee South Vietnam with their parents. Sure, they encounter racism, but they also encounter different kinds of love.
In the acknowledgements, the author thanks her adopted white family, the neighbors who became friends who then became family. My mom has a very similar story with the first family she stayed with in the Chicago suburbs.
Book Recommendations Based on Book
🤍 Graphic Novels : The Magic Fish
🤍 Historical Fiction : Banyan Moon ; Wandering Souls
🤍 Memoirs : A Man of Two Faces
🤍 Middle Grade : When Clouds Touch Us
🤍 Picture Books : I Am Both
🤍 Poetry : Ghost Of ; Nothing Follows ; On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
📖 Thank you to Hear Our Voices and Tu Books
📱 Thank you to Edelweiss, Hear Our Voices, and Tu Books
Thank you to Steph for bringing this book to my attention.
You think I'd get tired of Vietnamese diaspora books by this point. Nope. Still eating them up like bread and butter. Or rather, bánh mì bơ?
This is a story told in verse, about two sisters who flee South Vietnam with their parents. Sure, they encounter racism, but they also encounter different kinds of love.
In the acknowledgements, the author thanks her adopted white family, the neighbors who became friends who then became family. My mom has a very similar story with the first family she stayed with in the Chicago suburbs.
Book Recommendations Based on Book
🤍 Graphic Novels : The Magic Fish
🤍 Historical Fiction : Banyan Moon ; Wandering Souls
🤍 Memoirs : A Man of Two Faces
🤍 Middle Grade : When Clouds Touch Us
🤍 Picture Books : I Am Both
🤍 Poetry : Ghost Of ; Nothing Follows ; On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
📖 Thank you to Hear Our Voices and Tu Books
📱 Thank you to Edelweiss, Hear Our Voices, and Tu Books
October 30, 2024
6 stars
a two-placed heart resonated with me on so many levels—as a child of immigrant vietnamese parents forced into marriage, as the oldest sibling, as a kid who would periodically move back to vietnam every year for about half the year, as a girl who thought america was vietnam until 4th grade when i had my first white teacher (i only lived in viet communities and went to schools where the teachers were/spoke vietnamese), as a student who was in ELD classes (now ESL) until middle school (age 11-12), as a vietnamese-american person. doan phuong nguyen ripped out my heart and i want to thank her for it. i love this book so much and i need it to be in everyone's libraries, regardless of whether or not they're vietnamese. everything from the intergenerational trauma to the racist bullying...augh, it was all so relatable. this book will nurture an empathy in readers that can't be easily replicated. i wish i could read this for the first time again.
a two-placed heart resonated with me on so many levels—as a child of immigrant vietnamese parents forced into marriage, as the oldest sibling, as a kid who would periodically move back to vietnam every year for about half the year, as a girl who thought america was vietnam until 4th grade when i had my first white teacher (i only lived in viet communities and went to schools where the teachers were/spoke vietnamese), as a student who was in ELD classes (now ESL) until middle school (age 11-12), as a vietnamese-american person. doan phuong nguyen ripped out my heart and i want to thank her for it. i love this book so much and i need it to be in everyone's libraries, regardless of whether or not they're vietnamese. everything from the intergenerational trauma to the racist bullying...augh, it was all so relatable. this book will nurture an empathy in readers that can't be easily replicated. i wish i could read this for the first time again.
October 11, 2024
Wow! This was such a heartfelt novel in verse!
As an immigrant who moved overseas at a young age, I can wholeheartedly relate to Bom's experiences living between two worlds and having to Americanize myself to fit in with my peers in grade school. I can see myself in both the MC and her sister, having experienced both viewpoints throughout my childhood (remembering and forgetting my roots).
I loved learning about the refugee experience. Growing up, I went to schools with a sizable Vietnamese and Hmong refugee community, not to mention refugee kids from other countries and communities too, so I vaguely understand the process (being sponsored and/or placed in different cities). But I really liked reading about it from another POV, even if this was a fictional memoir.
I know this is a children's/MG book, but I definitely think adults can learn a thing or two from this story. Being able to read about and understand (even if partially) someone else's lived experiences is always good practice when it comes to learning about sympathy and being a good human being.
Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for this arc.
As an immigrant who moved overseas at a young age, I can wholeheartedly relate to Bom's experiences living between two worlds and having to Americanize myself to fit in with my peers in grade school. I can see myself in both the MC and her sister, having experienced both viewpoints throughout my childhood (remembering and forgetting my roots).
I loved learning about the refugee experience. Growing up, I went to schools with a sizable Vietnamese and Hmong refugee community, not to mention refugee kids from other countries and communities too, so I vaguely understand the process (being sponsored and/or placed in different cities). But I really liked reading about it from another POV, even if this was a fictional memoir.
I know this is a children's/MG book, but I definitely think adults can learn a thing or two from this story. Being able to read about and understand (even if partially) someone else's lived experiences is always good practice when it comes to learning about sympathy and being a good human being.
Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley for this arc.
July 14, 2025
Audible audio
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May 2, 2024
“I put a new page into the typewriter,
keep typing,
wanting to remember,
needing to understand
who I have
become.”
This is such a wonderful, relatable and resonant read! I love the rich family history and how it’s celebrated, as well as Bom’s urgent need to document and memorialize this—not just for her sister, but herself. The epistolary structure with the address to the sister is so powerful. The verse structure works well for the content, though minor line-level choices like line breaks threw me out at times. The book touches on lots of different kinds of Vietnamese experiences—and the story on adoption and erasure of a home culture was particularly compelling and haunting. This book speaks to every kid who has multiple cultures or countries in them, the struggles and the joys, and the proud heritage they come from. It captures the universal struggles of belonging, figuring out one’s identity, and how to have a heart in two places at once. A highly recommended read!
keep typing,
wanting to remember,
needing to understand
who I have
become.”
This is such a wonderful, relatable and resonant read! I love the rich family history and how it’s celebrated, as well as Bom’s urgent need to document and memorialize this—not just for her sister, but herself. The epistolary structure with the address to the sister is so powerful. The verse structure works well for the content, though minor line-level choices like line breaks threw me out at times. The book touches on lots of different kinds of Vietnamese experiences—and the story on adoption and erasure of a home culture was particularly compelling and haunting. This book speaks to every kid who has multiple cultures or countries in them, the struggles and the joys, and the proud heritage they come from. It captures the universal struggles of belonging, figuring out one’s identity, and how to have a heart in two places at once. A highly recommended read!
October 14, 2024
This is one of the most beautiful verse novels I have ever read. It's packed full of emotion and opens the readers' eyes into what Vietnamese immigrants went through to find new homes in America, in this case told from the personal experience of the author.
The themes of identity, displacement, family, and sisterhood are so beautifully balanced and blended, it's hard to pick what aspect I loved most about this book. But it is now one of my favourites. And I'll read and reread many times over.
Such a great, important book told from an inspiring voice.
The themes of identity, displacement, family, and sisterhood are so beautifully balanced and blended, it's hard to pick what aspect I loved most about this book. But it is now one of my favourites. And I'll read and reread many times over.
Such a great, important book told from an inspiring voice.
October 23, 2024
This is such a beautiful, heartfelt little book. I’m half-Vietnamese and related to a lot of the culture and identity crises, although I’ve never been to Vietnam so I haven’t experienced it to the degree that the author/main character feels it. really loved the descriptions of Vietnam and Vietnamese culture. This book made me miss my Bà Ngoại, too. Absolutely lovely little book.
August 12, 2024
Bom is the oldest sister of a Vietnamese family who lived in Veitnam, but later moved to America. After living in America for some time, Bom asks her younger sister if she remembers anything from her time in Vietnam and of course, she doesn't. Bom's sister says that she is American. Bom has had more experience and memories living in Vietnam and is afraid she will lose her Vietnamese identity.
This book goes back and forth from the current time in America and the Bom's past time in Vietnam. You learn about her parents' lives were in Vietnam and how they waited so long just to move to America. When the family finally moves to America, Bom has a difficult time leaving Vietnam and not coming back. She has a hard time saying goodbye her to family and friends.
When they move to America, you learn that the family tries to learn English and how Bom feels like she is slowly losing her Vietnamese identity. She wants to write to her family in Vietnam, but it takes about 2+ months to get an answer back.
One day, Bom uses her dad's typewriter to write a love poem about Vietnam so that she never forgets that her heart is in two places. A part of her heart will always be in Vietnam with her Vietnamese roots and the other in America.
I really loved reading this book and while it is really sad to see the family leave Vietnam, it is for a better life. I loved reading about how the family adjusted and while they might have had some bumps in the road, they are all brave and strong to have gone through it. I loved the details of how they adjusted, such as learning about snow when the family lived in a tropical climate. It's those little details that none of us would have known if we didn't go through what Bom and her family had gone through.
This is a great book for everyone to read and it is a very touching story, but I think it is also a great reminder to be kind to others as you never know what they are going through.
This book goes back and forth from the current time in America and the Bom's past time in Vietnam. You learn about her parents' lives were in Vietnam and how they waited so long just to move to America. When the family finally moves to America, Bom has a difficult time leaving Vietnam and not coming back. She has a hard time saying goodbye her to family and friends.
When they move to America, you learn that the family tries to learn English and how Bom feels like she is slowly losing her Vietnamese identity. She wants to write to her family in Vietnam, but it takes about 2+ months to get an answer back.
One day, Bom uses her dad's typewriter to write a love poem about Vietnam so that she never forgets that her heart is in two places. A part of her heart will always be in Vietnam with her Vietnamese roots and the other in America.
I really loved reading this book and while it is really sad to see the family leave Vietnam, it is for a better life. I loved reading about how the family adjusted and while they might have had some bumps in the road, they are all brave and strong to have gone through it. I loved the details of how they adjusted, such as learning about snow when the family lived in a tropical climate. It's those little details that none of us would have known if we didn't go through what Bom and her family had gone through.
This is a great book for everyone to read and it is a very touching story, but I think it is also a great reminder to be kind to others as you never know what they are going through.
September 28, 2024
This was a heartwarming story, written and full of beautiful verses, about twelve-year-old Bom who helps her younger sister remember her Vietnamese roots. This was all about sisterhood and the importance of identity. I loved how Bom did everything she could for her and her sister to maintain a connection to Vietnam. Another great read from this author!
July 9, 2024
A lovely middle grade novel-in-verse including multiple time periods, perspective, and beautiful memories of culture and home.
June 8, 2024
I had the pleasure of meeting this author a couple of months ago at our annual statewide school librarian convention. First of all, I have to stop and say that she is the cutest and most delightful person. I met her during an author meet and greet during which I was feeling super awkward, and she was just so approachable and kind. She mentioned to me that she had a Middle Grade memoir-in-verse publishing this fall about her experiences as an American immigrant from Vietnam in the 90s and I was all WHERE CAN I GET AN ARC I NEED TO READ THIS IMMEDIATELY (again, super awkward)! Luckily I was able to request it online and got approved!
I read The Women earlier this year, and one of the many things I took away from that book is that I know so little about Vietnam, not only regarding the war but also its people and culture, and I wanted to learn more. To get to dive into this topic with my favorite novel format just felt like such a treat - and it absolutely was. I LOVED this book. The story itself is fascinating and heart wrenching - both learning about what life was like in Vietnam after the war and also about their immigration process and how difficult it was to acclimate to American culture (and how the kids she went to school with were horrible jerks, but I digress).
One thing I found especially clever about this book was the framework of an older sister compiling her memories so that her younger sister wouldn’t forget their family history. While that particular storyline wasn’t actually autobiographical, I thought it was a brilliant way to seamlessly change from the past to the present in the story.
I’m preordering two copies of this book - one for my home and another for my school library, and I would absolutely encourage others to do the same!
I read The Women earlier this year, and one of the many things I took away from that book is that I know so little about Vietnam, not only regarding the war but also its people and culture, and I wanted to learn more. To get to dive into this topic with my favorite novel format just felt like such a treat - and it absolutely was. I LOVED this book. The story itself is fascinating and heart wrenching - both learning about what life was like in Vietnam after the war and also about their immigration process and how difficult it was to acclimate to American culture (and how the kids she went to school with were horrible jerks, but I digress).
One thing I found especially clever about this book was the framework of an older sister compiling her memories so that her younger sister wouldn’t forget their family history. While that particular storyline wasn’t actually autobiographical, I thought it was a brilliant way to seamlessly change from the past to the present in the story.
I’m preordering two copies of this book - one for my home and another for my school library, and I would absolutely encourage others to do the same!
September 26, 2024
°hearourvoicestour°
A Two-Placed Heart by Doan-Phuong Nguyen Lee follows twelve-year-old Bom as she navigates the complexities of cultural identity and sisterhood. Bom writes a poetic memoir to help her and her sister remember their Vietnamese heritage amidst their new life in America. This heartfelt story captures the essence of family, memory, and the struggle to hold onto one's roots.
This book is beautifully written in verse. I loved how short they were and how every sentence had utmost importance that you can't miss anything.
It has a great concept and is perfect for people of every culture and resonates deeply with anyone who has ever felt caught between two worlds. It talks about how not to forget our heritage and not let others affect us.
The heavy topic was handled with utmost care and I loved how this was a fictional memoir of the author's own life. It was emotional and natural. The lyrical prose and vivid imagery make Bom's journey both touching and relatable. Nguyen's ability to convey the emotional turmoil of growing up in a new country while trying to preserve one's cultural identity is truly remarkable.
This book is perfect for readers who enjoy stories about family, cultural identity, and the immigrant experience.
💬 *Favorite Quotes*:
"The past bleeds into the present, shapes our future. But to know who we are, we have to look back."
"Words make a story come alive."
"The missing gets easier, Ba says, and one day, I will adjust and forget about the lump in my throat."
"Change is like a little wave in the ocean for my sister, but for me, it feels like a typhoon that’s about to wash me away."
"I don’t know whether it’s fate that has led us to this moment , or mere coincidence that history unfolds the way that it does, fair or unfair, because life is unfair, but you are alive because of what’s happened —the past bleeds into the present and the future."
A Two-Placed Heart by Doan-Phuong Nguyen Lee follows twelve-year-old Bom as she navigates the complexities of cultural identity and sisterhood. Bom writes a poetic memoir to help her and her sister remember their Vietnamese heritage amidst their new life in America. This heartfelt story captures the essence of family, memory, and the struggle to hold onto one's roots.
This book is beautifully written in verse. I loved how short they were and how every sentence had utmost importance that you can't miss anything.
It has a great concept and is perfect for people of every culture and resonates deeply with anyone who has ever felt caught between two worlds. It talks about how not to forget our heritage and not let others affect us.
The heavy topic was handled with utmost care and I loved how this was a fictional memoir of the author's own life. It was emotional and natural. The lyrical prose and vivid imagery make Bom's journey both touching and relatable. Nguyen's ability to convey the emotional turmoil of growing up in a new country while trying to preserve one's cultural identity is truly remarkable.
This book is perfect for readers who enjoy stories about family, cultural identity, and the immigrant experience.
💬 *Favorite Quotes*:
"The past bleeds into the present, shapes our future. But to know who we are, we have to look back."
"Words make a story come alive."
"The missing gets easier, Ba says, and one day, I will adjust and forget about the lump in my throat."
"Change is like a little wave in the ocean for my sister, but for me, it feels like a typhoon that’s about to wash me away."
"I don’t know whether it’s fate that has led us to this moment , or mere coincidence that history unfolds the way that it does, fair or unfair, because life is unfair, but you are alive because of what’s happened —the past bleeds into the present and the future."
January 3, 2025
Loved everything about this novel in verse! Highly recommend.
September 27, 2024
This is a middle-grade, almost autobiographical poetic memoir describing a young girl's experiences with Vietnamese diaspora.
💫 The poetry is deeply beautiful and bittersweet and heart-wrenching -- it made me feel really emotional.
💫 The poems are written and narrated by a young girl who moved from Vietnam to the US with her family around the age of 8-10. She struggles with the loss of familiarity and the sudden loss of her extended family, while also having to adapt to the different culture and language in the US. She's writing these poems to remind her younger sister (who's almost forgotten Vietnam) about their Vietnamese identity.
💫 I really loved the storytelling style, the scene and the characters were set really well, and it felt like I was living the MC's life.
I definitely recommend that people pick up this book, there's a lot of empathy and understanding conveyed by it. The book starts from the past, a little before the MC's birth, and goes on till a few years after she's landed in the US. If the author ever decides to continue this memoir by writing more verse for the future years, I'll BE there to read it 🥲
-- ty to the author, the publisher and @hearourvoicestours for an advanced copy!
💫 The poetry is deeply beautiful and bittersweet and heart-wrenching -- it made me feel really emotional.
💫 The poems are written and narrated by a young girl who moved from Vietnam to the US with her family around the age of 8-10. She struggles with the loss of familiarity and the sudden loss of her extended family, while also having to adapt to the different culture and language in the US. She's writing these poems to remind her younger sister (who's almost forgotten Vietnam) about their Vietnamese identity.
💫 I really loved the storytelling style, the scene and the characters were set really well, and it felt like I was living the MC's life.
I definitely recommend that people pick up this book, there's a lot of empathy and understanding conveyed by it. The book starts from the past, a little before the MC's birth, and goes on till a few years after she's landed in the US. If the author ever decides to continue this memoir by writing more verse for the future years, I'll BE there to read it 🥲
-- ty to the author, the publisher and @hearourvoicestours for an advanced copy!
October 2, 2024
Thank you to Hear Our Voices Tours and Lee and Low for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review
A TWO-PLACED HEART is an earnest middle-grade novel-in-verse partially based on the author’s own experience of being a child in Việt Nam, emigrating to the US, and growing up in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s written as a long letter from Bom to her younger sister, Bo, who adamantly proclaims that she is fully American and has no memories of Việt Nam. It doesn’t really tread new ground, and I suppose I may be getting a bit tired of this book genre, but this will be a good read for those new to books about the Việt/Việt Kiều emigration/integration experience, or for those who can never get enough.
A TWO-PLACED HEART starts in 1996, when middle-school-aged “Bom” (whose real name is DoanPhuong) and her younger sister Bo argue over whether they are Vietnamese and American. Bom can’t wrap her head around the idea that Bo feels completely American, when she herself always feels split, never wholly one or the other—a “two-placed heart”.
As Bom begins writing out her memories on her father’s typewriter, she takes us back to Vietnam, with a bit of family backstory—her family apparently descended from the court of the last Vietnamese dynasty, and held high positions during the French-ruled colony years—including her father’s imprisonment at a Communist “reeducation camp,” a childhood growing up with a massive extended family, struggling during periods of food deprivation, etc. A lot of these descriptions are ones I’ve read before, many times over, which was unfortunate as it led me to skim large parts of it.
Bom’s father decides to emigrate to the US to escape further persecution under the Communist government. His application takes years to approve, and a last-minute mixup means they end up being sponsored by some white church members in Nashville (instead of their relative in Texas). Fortunately, these good samaritans are genuinely caring of the Nguyens, and teach them many Americanisms while they were one of the few Asian families around.
Bom’s experiences as an Asian immigrant in the US in the early ‘90s was also like many accounts that I’ve read before. Bom, an anxious and insecure child, experiences racial microaggressions especially when people repeatedly mispronounce her name, which makes her even more insecure and reserved. She learns that racism is a thing that she has to worry about in the US (this is done, I felt, in an unfortunately too “neat” way, in which Bom gets racism done to her and explained to her, but doesn’t reckon with the ways in which she herself, and the larger Vietnamese community, can also be racist). It was all just… familiar, I guess?
The book doesn’t even resolve in any particular way, either. The author’s note mentions that she was only able to begin resolving her identity struggles when she was finally able to return to Vietnam for a visit aged 18; I kind of wish that had been the focus of the book instead. Even Bo, much more assertive and assured than her sister, would have made for a more compelling MC.
The “meta-fiction” of this book makes it an awkward one to review. Nguyen states it’s not a memoir, but her MC’s real name is DoanPhuong (same as her own); she also has a younger sister who feels completely American; and many members of the “American family” that takes care of Bom’s family when they come to Nashville have the same names as those who took care of the author’s own family when they arrived. So… it feels awkward to critique her writing, because am I critiquing her craft or her memories? I didn’t feel like the writing was particularly poetic, unique, or memorable. The novel-in-verse format is almost unnecessary, because “Bom’s” (Nguyen’s? I am confused???) writing style is a very straightforward recounting of events that reads like memoir-ish prose.
A TWO-PLACED HEART is an earnest middle-grade novel-in-verse partially based on the author’s own experience of being a child in Việt Nam, emigrating to the US, and growing up in Nashville, Tennessee. It’s written as a long letter from Bom to her younger sister, Bo, who adamantly proclaims that she is fully American and has no memories of Việt Nam. It doesn’t really tread new ground, and I suppose I may be getting a bit tired of this book genre, but this will be a good read for those new to books about the Việt/Việt Kiều emigration/integration experience, or for those who can never get enough.
A TWO-PLACED HEART starts in 1996, when middle-school-aged “Bom” (whose real name is DoanPhuong) and her younger sister Bo argue over whether they are Vietnamese and American. Bom can’t wrap her head around the idea that Bo feels completely American, when she herself always feels split, never wholly one or the other—a “two-placed heart”.
As Bom begins writing out her memories on her father’s typewriter, she takes us back to Vietnam, with a bit of family backstory—her family apparently descended from the court of the last Vietnamese dynasty, and held high positions during the French-ruled colony years—including her father’s imprisonment at a Communist “reeducation camp,” a childhood growing up with a massive extended family, struggling during periods of food deprivation, etc. A lot of these descriptions are ones I’ve read before, many times over, which was unfortunate as it led me to skim large parts of it.
Bom’s father decides to emigrate to the US to escape further persecution under the Communist government. His application takes years to approve, and a last-minute mixup means they end up being sponsored by some white church members in Nashville (instead of their relative in Texas). Fortunately, these good samaritans are genuinely caring of the Nguyens, and teach them many Americanisms while they were one of the few Asian families around.
Bom’s experiences as an Asian immigrant in the US in the early ‘90s was also like many accounts that I’ve read before. Bom, an anxious and insecure child, experiences racial microaggressions especially when people repeatedly mispronounce her name, which makes her even more insecure and reserved. She learns that racism is a thing that she has to worry about in the US (this is done, I felt, in an unfortunately too “neat” way, in which Bom gets racism done to her and explained to her, but doesn’t reckon with the ways in which she herself, and the larger Vietnamese community, can also be racist). It was all just… familiar, I guess?
The book doesn’t even resolve in any particular way, either. The author’s note mentions that she was only able to begin resolving her identity struggles when she was finally able to return to Vietnam for a visit aged 18; I kind of wish that had been the focus of the book instead. Even Bo, much more assertive and assured than her sister, would have made for a more compelling MC.
The “meta-fiction” of this book makes it an awkward one to review. Nguyen states it’s not a memoir, but her MC’s real name is DoanPhuong (same as her own); she also has a younger sister who feels completely American; and many members of the “American family” that takes care of Bom’s family when they come to Nashville have the same names as those who took care of the author’s own family when they arrived. So… it feels awkward to critique her writing, because am I critiquing her craft or her memories? I didn’t feel like the writing was particularly poetic, unique, or memorable. The novel-in-verse format is almost unnecessary, because “Bom’s” (Nguyen’s? I am confused???) writing style is a very straightforward recounting of events that reads like memoir-ish prose.
September 11, 2025
3.5 stars for me...this was a good story that I personally didn't really connect with but I feel like there are so many people who would and I'm so happy this book exists. I don't see myself picking this one up again to reread...but I wouldn't be against it either.
January 25, 2025
SUCH a good book!!!
It was really heartbreaking to read about the authors fathers life, the punishment he received from the communists for his involvement in the Vietnam war. And I think I just had my jaw absolutely drop when she was growing up and had “mushy bones” due to malnutrition due to the famine that gripped the country. Hopefully lots of people can read this story and learn the difficult journeys that immigrants take to get to our country and how those of us that have been born and raised in America so frequently make it unnecessarily more challenging and heartbreaking to find freedom in a better life.
Highly recommended.
It was really heartbreaking to read about the authors fathers life, the punishment he received from the communists for his involvement in the Vietnam war. And I think I just had my jaw absolutely drop when she was growing up and had “mushy bones” due to malnutrition due to the famine that gripped the country. Hopefully lots of people can read this story and learn the difficult journeys that immigrants take to get to our country and how those of us that have been born and raised in America so frequently make it unnecessarily more challenging and heartbreaking to find freedom in a better life.
Highly recommended.
February 2, 2025
A Two-Placed Heart by Doan Phuong Nguyen is a beautifully written book and was especially poignant for me being thematically close to my own immigrant experience. Bom, the narrator and main character, and I are the essence of the hyphenated American, with a foot in two countries and two cultures. Although I did not come from a war-torn Vietnam, I did immigrate with my family as the oldest child, so like Bom, and her little sister, my memories of my before-and-after immigration-life are quite sharp, while my brother, who came at the age of two, not so much. This similarity gave me a very personal insight into reading this book. The little sister claims she has lost all contact with her roots and is completely American, while Bom resists assimilating and fears losing all contact with her roots. This is an approach the author used to contrast between completely assimilating and resisting assimilation. Children of immigrants try both ways, but very soon learn neither is possible.
Bom’s fear of forgetting her Vietnam background is unfounded although the author never truly reveals that, and the reader is left to assume Bom has kept her two-placed heart because of an immense effort on her part. Having immigrant parents speaking the native language at home, eating the native food, and passing on their own cultural norms makes it impossible not to have your heart in two places, whether you like it or not. The author must know that, yet she creates an intense contrast between the two sisters, focusing on the two possible extremes to the child’s immigrant experience, neither of which is completely authentic. Grant it, it is fiction, and the dramatic requirement to have the main character steer her own life is to be expected and maybe even encouraged by the editor. If I hadn’t had such a similar situation to the protagonist, I would not have noticed this. However, I couldn’t shake the knowledge that no amount effort from either outside forces or internal decisions really make that much, if any difference in assimilation of the first generation, no matter their age on arrival.
Despite that, the author’s lyrical language and her and her parents’ remarkable experiences made it a great read, and I would recommend it to any child who likes to read.
Bom’s fear of forgetting her Vietnam background is unfounded although the author never truly reveals that, and the reader is left to assume Bom has kept her two-placed heart because of an immense effort on her part. Having immigrant parents speaking the native language at home, eating the native food, and passing on their own cultural norms makes it impossible not to have your heart in two places, whether you like it or not. The author must know that, yet she creates an intense contrast between the two sisters, focusing on the two possible extremes to the child’s immigrant experience, neither of which is completely authentic. Grant it, it is fiction, and the dramatic requirement to have the main character steer her own life is to be expected and maybe even encouraged by the editor. If I hadn’t had such a similar situation to the protagonist, I would not have noticed this. However, I couldn’t shake the knowledge that no amount effort from either outside forces or internal decisions really make that much, if any difference in assimilation of the first generation, no matter their age on arrival.
Despite that, the author’s lyrical language and her and her parents’ remarkable experiences made it a great read, and I would recommend it to any child who likes to read.
October 2, 2024
A Two-Placed Heart by DoanPhuong Nguyen was a sweet love story to the main character's past, to a culture she still remembers, but moved away from. Bom takes up to writing poems to help her sister, Bo, remember their life in Vietnam, before they moved to the United States.
I am not an immigrant. I was born in the United States and most of my childhood, I bounced between rural areas and suburbs. My experiences in life are not the same, but I still found myself relating deeply to Bom. The rural aspects of Bom's life in Vietnam, the multitude of cousins to play with, climbing trees, and picking fruit to eat, those poems brought back a lot of sweet and happy memories of my childhood on my grandparent's farm. I grew up living mostly in a trailer as well, so the variety and spectrum of people that Bom describes was so accurate. The sirens, the weird, different people coming and going and staying shut in their house. It felt so very familiar to my own life. Bom's shyness and her determination to write and express herself through writing. I saw myself in her, as a child, just writing to escape the cruelty of relentless bullying and teasing. Super Phuong was such a fun character, reminding me of my own heroes that I'd create when I was little.
This story is such a love letter to family and to telling your story. I LOVE that it gives this from an immigrant, Vietnamese lens, because we don't often get to see that. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a heartwarming story about a girl just trying to find her way in a new country, and trying to get her sister to remember the life they lived before they made it to America.
I am not an immigrant. I was born in the United States and most of my childhood, I bounced between rural areas and suburbs. My experiences in life are not the same, but I still found myself relating deeply to Bom. The rural aspects of Bom's life in Vietnam, the multitude of cousins to play with, climbing trees, and picking fruit to eat, those poems brought back a lot of sweet and happy memories of my childhood on my grandparent's farm. I grew up living mostly in a trailer as well, so the variety and spectrum of people that Bom describes was so accurate. The sirens, the weird, different people coming and going and staying shut in their house. It felt so very familiar to my own life. Bom's shyness and her determination to write and express herself through writing. I saw myself in her, as a child, just writing to escape the cruelty of relentless bullying and teasing. Super Phuong was such a fun character, reminding me of my own heroes that I'd create when I was little.
This story is such a love letter to family and to telling your story. I LOVE that it gives this from an immigrant, Vietnamese lens, because we don't often get to see that. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a heartwarming story about a girl just trying to find her way in a new country, and trying to get her sister to remember the life they lived before they made it to America.
June 12, 2024
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Phuong was born in Vietnam in 1984, and came to the US with her parents and younger sister Bo in the early 1990s. Her father was a spy for the Republic of Vietnam, and was sent to a reeducation camp for seven years. Things were very bad for his entire family, with several of his siblings being killed. A great Aunt in Texas told him about the Orderly Departure Program, and he applies for it, but by the time he is accepted, he has a wife, Phuong, and another child on the way. At some point, the Aunt is no longer their sponsor, but a woman named Martha Bess in Tennessee is. Eventually, the family ends up there. The mother gets a job sewing uniforms in a factory, and the father works as a valet. Even though Phuong misses her family in Vietnam, she has a found family in Tennessee, with Pat and Miss Helen acting like a supportive uncle and Aunt. The language is somewhat difficult, but eventually Phuong is irritated that her father makes her and Bo speak Vietnamese at home. She's also angry with her sister, who doesn't feel at all Vietnamese, while Phuong is struggling with her personal identity. The father eventually goes to college, and the family learns to adjust to their life in the US.
This is a fictionalized memoir in verse, based on the author's own experiences. It goes back and forth in time, with the chapters often labels with when the action is occurring. This is a good read like for Kuo's In a Beautiful Country or Lai's Inside Out and Back Again.
Phuong was born in Vietnam in 1984, and came to the US with her parents and younger sister Bo in the early 1990s. Her father was a spy for the Republic of Vietnam, and was sent to a reeducation camp for seven years. Things were very bad for his entire family, with several of his siblings being killed. A great Aunt in Texas told him about the Orderly Departure Program, and he applies for it, but by the time he is accepted, he has a wife, Phuong, and another child on the way. At some point, the Aunt is no longer their sponsor, but a woman named Martha Bess in Tennessee is. Eventually, the family ends up there. The mother gets a job sewing uniforms in a factory, and the father works as a valet. Even though Phuong misses her family in Vietnam, she has a found family in Tennessee, with Pat and Miss Helen acting like a supportive uncle and Aunt. The language is somewhat difficult, but eventually Phuong is irritated that her father makes her and Bo speak Vietnamese at home. She's also angry with her sister, who doesn't feel at all Vietnamese, while Phuong is struggling with her personal identity. The father eventually goes to college, and the family learns to adjust to their life in the US.
This is a fictionalized memoir in verse, based on the author's own experiences. It goes back and forth in time, with the chapters often labels with when the action is occurring. This is a good read like for Kuo's In a Beautiful Country or Lai's Inside Out and Back Again.
January 6, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed Doan Phong's memoir book, which presents a uniquely creative and poetic story appealing to young middle schoolers. The writing is engaging and addictive, making me eager to explore more of her works.
The main character, Bom, has an immigrant story that resonated with me personally. While aimed at older elementary and young middle school readers, the book is also for anyone interested in a child's immigrant journey. It effectively conveys the challenges of learning a second language and adapting to American culture.
Bom, born in Vietnam and raised in Nashville, struggles with her identity, especially compared to her younger sister, Bo, who embraces her American identity. Throughout the book, she expresses her frustrations and sadness over what she sees as a loss of her Vietnamese identity, compounded by her grandmother's distance in Vietnam and the mispronunciation of her name. Bom shares joyful memories of her connections with family and friends, drawing from the author's own experiences.
I highly recommend this book for both adults and children seeking to understand a child's navigation of different cultures in a new country. The writing style, which may not always follow traditional chapter formats, is beautifully poetic.
#ReadYourWorld #gifted
The main character, Bom, has an immigrant story that resonated with me personally. While aimed at older elementary and young middle school readers, the book is also for anyone interested in a child's immigrant journey. It effectively conveys the challenges of learning a second language and adapting to American culture.
Bom, born in Vietnam and raised in Nashville, struggles with her identity, especially compared to her younger sister, Bo, who embraces her American identity. Throughout the book, she expresses her frustrations and sadness over what she sees as a loss of her Vietnamese identity, compounded by her grandmother's distance in Vietnam and the mispronunciation of her name. Bom shares joyful memories of her connections with family and friends, drawing from the author's own experiences.
I highly recommend this book for both adults and children seeking to understand a child's navigation of different cultures in a new country. The writing style, which may not always follow traditional chapter formats, is beautifully poetic.
#ReadYourWorld #gifted
June 23, 2025
A Two-Placed Heart is a beautifully written novel that explores identity, family, and belonging through the eyes of a Vietnamese American girl navigating life between two cultures. Set in both Vietnam and the U.S., the story follows Mỹ Lan as she returns to Vietnam for the summer and is forced to confront parts of herself and her family’s past that she’s tried to ignore. It’s emotional, lyrical, and full of heart.
What really stuck with me was how layered Mỹ Lan’s character is—caught between wanting to be “American enough” while still holding onto her Vietnamese roots. The descriptions of Vietnam are vivid, and the emotional struggles feel real. This book gently explores grief, cultural expectations, and what it means to truly come of age with two homes in your heart.
I recommend this for grades 6–9. It would be a great addition to a unit on identity, immigration, or family stories. It pairs well with memoir or realistic fiction and opens up space for students—especially those from immigrant backgrounds—to see themselves and reflect on their own stories. There are lots of opportunities for writing prompts, discussions about cultural duality, and making connections to students’ lives and family histories.
What really stuck with me was how layered Mỹ Lan’s character is—caught between wanting to be “American enough” while still holding onto her Vietnamese roots. The descriptions of Vietnam are vivid, and the emotional struggles feel real. This book gently explores grief, cultural expectations, and what it means to truly come of age with two homes in your heart.
I recommend this for grades 6–9. It would be a great addition to a unit on identity, immigration, or family stories. It pairs well with memoir or realistic fiction and opens up space for students—especially those from immigrant backgrounds—to see themselves and reflect on their own stories. There are lots of opportunities for writing prompts, discussions about cultural duality, and making connections to students’ lives and family histories.
December 27, 2025
Nguyen's middle grade verse novel about her experiences as a Vietnamese child that ends up moving to the United States (Nashville, Tennessee specifically) after the upheaval of politics and war which imprisoned her father for many years is so well done for its audience.
Using the theme of not feeling Asian nor American enough (the two-placed heart), any kid can empathize with Nguyen's feelings. The autonomy of youth versus the rigidity of impending teenagedom in a different country messes with her from feeling like she's losing the language (though resentful for having to speak Vietnamese at home) to the changes in living from their open-aired humble home versus the stuffy (and cold) US. Friendship dynamics are different. Even her relationship with her sister is different. Her name makes her annoyed that no one can pronounce it and the realization of prejudice becomes more apparent as she grows up.
The book places time well to understand what unfolded in Vietnam and the process for her family to move to the United States including the abuse suffered by her father. There isn't a lot of specifics about the 80s and 90s that makes it feel super dated, it's more general which I appreciated.
A well-suited memoir in verse about Vietnamese emigrees.
Using the theme of not feeling Asian nor American enough (the two-placed heart), any kid can empathize with Nguyen's feelings. The autonomy of youth versus the rigidity of impending teenagedom in a different country messes with her from feeling like she's losing the language (though resentful for having to speak Vietnamese at home) to the changes in living from their open-aired humble home versus the stuffy (and cold) US. Friendship dynamics are different. Even her relationship with her sister is different. Her name makes her annoyed that no one can pronounce it and the realization of prejudice becomes more apparent as she grows up.
The book places time well to understand what unfolded in Vietnam and the process for her family to move to the United States including the abuse suffered by her father. There isn't a lot of specifics about the 80s and 90s that makes it feel super dated, it's more general which I appreciated.
A well-suited memoir in verse about Vietnamese emigrees.
October 4, 2024
A two-placed heart is a novella in the form of fictionalized memoir where the author talks to her younger sister who isn't able to relate to her Vietnamese part of her identity when the author decides to write the book dedicating it to her and telling about the time they lived in Vietnam and the culture they were surrounded by. The book also pays attention to how the government of Vietnam and America had such a strong hold over the citizens and how their position in the cycle reduces to being scared for every moment and the many calamities they faced when the author herself was a young girl.
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She further goes to talk about how when the family decided to immigrate and the way they had to wait for that lucky day or opportunity that would change things for them.
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This journal style entry is an author's attempt to every Vietnamese immigrant who searches for identity when she believes we can belong to both America and Vietnam. The book is a touching book as you can actually see the author going back memory lane and laughing through tears you revisit the nightmare & poverty many Vietnamese families went through in Vietnam and America.
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Being a South-east asian, knowing so many stories of the Indian diaspora I really could relate to the want of a better life, better financial situations. It reminded me also of Dunki starring shahrukhkhan and why so many families still want to leave their country for a better life. It's poverty. It's helplessness.
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She further goes to talk about how when the family decided to immigrate and the way they had to wait for that lucky day or opportunity that would change things for them.
.
This journal style entry is an author's attempt to every Vietnamese immigrant who searches for identity when she believes we can belong to both America and Vietnam. The book is a touching book as you can actually see the author going back memory lane and laughing through tears you revisit the nightmare & poverty many Vietnamese families went through in Vietnam and America.
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Being a South-east asian, knowing so many stories of the Indian diaspora I really could relate to the want of a better life, better financial situations. It reminded me also of Dunki starring shahrukhkhan and why so many families still want to leave their country for a better life. It's poverty. It's helplessness.
October 9, 2025
Two-Placed Heart is a fictionalized verse memoir that recounts a political refugee family’s experiences during the Vietnam War and their post-war asylum life in America. The story centers on two sisters: the younger, who is gradually forgetting her Vietnamese heritage as she becomes Americanized, and the older, who believes in the power of storytelling and decides to record their memories of Vietnam and childhood.
The writing feels deeply authentic, expressing the author’s quiet resistance to the “melting pot” ideal of assimilation—the intestine worms from Vietnam, the decayed tooth from fluoride-free water back home—symbols of her ties to home. The narrative also explores bullying, racial discrimination, and the identity struggles of an immigrant family, while the father’s gentle wisdom embodies resilience and pride in their roots. I especially appreciate the heartfelt portrayal of family bonds between parents and daughters, grandmother and granddaughter, churchmates, all adds warmth and sentimental values and emotional depth to the story.
The writing feels deeply authentic, expressing the author’s quiet resistance to the “melting pot” ideal of assimilation—the intestine worms from Vietnam, the decayed tooth from fluoride-free water back home—symbols of her ties to home. The narrative also explores bullying, racial discrimination, and the identity struggles of an immigrant family, while the father’s gentle wisdom embodies resilience and pride in their roots. I especially appreciate the heartfelt portrayal of family bonds between parents and daughters, grandmother and granddaughter, churchmates, all adds warmth and sentimental values and emotional depth to the story.
September 23, 2024
This middle grade novel in verse is just wonderful! It is described in the author’s note at the end as a fictionalized memoir. It is the true story of the author’s life as a Vietnamese immigrant in the US in the 1990s, but she did fictionalize and meld some aspects of her life to make the narrative work.
Some important points that aren’t fictionalized: her family history in Vietnam. She began with their experience in pre-war French-occupied Vietnam and showed us the lasting effects of the war as he family still wasn’t safe when they were finally able to leave in the 1990s. Her experience as an immigrant in Tennessee was also true and heart-wrenching as she wrestled with holding onto her Vietnamese memories while trying to fit into her new country.
I highly recommended reading this book (did I mention it’s written in verse?! My favorite!) as now more than ever we need to read and learn from immigrant stories.
Some important points that aren’t fictionalized: her family history in Vietnam. She began with their experience in pre-war French-occupied Vietnam and showed us the lasting effects of the war as he family still wasn’t safe when they were finally able to leave in the 1990s. Her experience as an immigrant in Tennessee was also true and heart-wrenching as she wrestled with holding onto her Vietnamese memories while trying to fit into her new country.
I highly recommended reading this book (did I mention it’s written in verse?! My favorite!) as now more than ever we need to read and learn from immigrant stories.
September 28, 2024
" I put a new page into the typewriter,
keep typing, wanting to remember,
needing to understand who I have
become.”
A beautiful story written in verse. Bom, a twelve-year-old girl, writes a story to remind her and her sister of their Vietnamese heritage. An emotional and touching story that tells about the life of Vietnamese immigrants before they started a new life here in America. It's like reading a fictional memoir because the life Bom was narrating is pretty much the same story a friend shared with me. I love how Bom wrote it so she and her sister wouldn't forget their country and family history, the hardship their family went through, and for them to remember that these stories are part of their identity. A middle grade book written in short, beautiful verses that will capture your heart and remind you to never forget who you are, embrace your culture, and appreciate your family and life.
keep typing, wanting to remember,
needing to understand who I have
become.”
A beautiful story written in verse. Bom, a twelve-year-old girl, writes a story to remind her and her sister of their Vietnamese heritage. An emotional and touching story that tells about the life of Vietnamese immigrants before they started a new life here in America. It's like reading a fictional memoir because the life Bom was narrating is pretty much the same story a friend shared with me. I love how Bom wrote it so she and her sister wouldn't forget their country and family history, the hardship their family went through, and for them to remember that these stories are part of their identity. A middle grade book written in short, beautiful verses that will capture your heart and remind you to never forget who you are, embrace your culture, and appreciate your family and life.
July 24, 2024
👦🏻reviews: Found this on our TBR pile and grappled with the idea if whether I wanted to read this or not. I am glad I did because it is a game changer. The cover of the book, not my typical book to read, but the content of the story is amazing. This is about Bom, her sister and family’s struggled with migrations, discriminations and overcoming years of war while dealing with her father being accused of a spy gave this book another side of the story we don’t usually get to hear from refugees departing their homes. I learned many things about the Vietnamese refugees adopting to the new world and surviving the conflict and acceptance in the society that they wanted to call home. This is such an awesome book and for me it is an eye opener to see Bom’s bravery and dedication to continue her heritage. Great book!!!
July 3, 2024
A beautiful memoir that gave me an understanding of the Vietnamese immigrant experience and life in post-war Vietnam. It was interesting to learn about the author and her family’s transition to American culture after their immigration to Knoxville. As an African American I could identity with Doan’s childhood experiences dealing with racism in mostly white environments. The specific examples are universal to many minorities in the U.S. and should foster empathy and understanding from young readers. I enjoyed seeing the strong bonds Doan had with her relatives back in Vietnam, her relationship with her younger sister and parents and the loving “found” family she made in her new home. The verse writing is powerful and affecting. I couldn’t stop reading. This is a story I’ll hold in my heart.
August 25, 2024
I received a copy of this in a Goodreads giveaway and I really enjoyed it.
I lived in Japan from age 8-12, so I understood having culture shock like the author. I also have struggled with various parts of my identity during my 31 years on this Earth, so I understood that broad theme as well. I like novels in verse, and I think this book worked well in verse. I liked learning more about Vietnam and the historical context because it's not a historical topic I know as much about, despite majoring in history in undergrad.
I liked seeing the mental turmoil the main character struggled with when she felt like she was losing her culture. I am glad I won this book in a giveaway, and I would recommend it to anyone who also has struggled with their identity in any way.
I lived in Japan from age 8-12, so I understood having culture shock like the author. I also have struggled with various parts of my identity during my 31 years on this Earth, so I understood that broad theme as well. I like novels in verse, and I think this book worked well in verse. I liked learning more about Vietnam and the historical context because it's not a historical topic I know as much about, despite majoring in history in undergrad.
I liked seeing the mental turmoil the main character struggled with when she felt like she was losing her culture. I am glad I won this book in a giveaway, and I would recommend it to anyone who also has struggled with their identity in any way.
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