The Crappiest Refugee

by Hung Le

On the last day of the Vietnam War, nine-year-old Hung jumped on a leaking prawn trawler on the Saigon River, somehow cheating death to become one of the first Vietnamese boat people to arrive Australia, a land where a young man’s potential is limited only by his imagination – that is unless you’re Hung Le.Defying the stereotype, Hung wasn’t a math or computer whizz, he had no doctoring or lawyering abilities, spoke Vietnamese with an Australian accent, and couldn’t even play the violin. But what he was blessed with was funny bones, and through winning Red Faces on Hey Hey It’s Saturday he managed to make an international career playing the violin out of tune.The Crappiest Refugee is an hilarious and endearing memoir about a boat person who never found his land legs, but who has always seen the funny side.

Genres: Biography

Paperback

Reviews

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

It sounds odd, but I’ve been a fan of Hung Le since I was a kid and my dad read me ‘The Yellow Peril from Sin City’ (I still have my copy). The beginning of this book is familiar for anyone who’s read Yellow Peril, but more detailed. I enjoyed the first 30 chapters of this book but the end seemed to drift a little.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hilarious! I hadn't heard about Hung Le before, but I really enjoyed his look back on his life and his self-depricating sense of humour.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s all about the story and in this case it’s all about the story – not the writing.

A memoir, a riot, a laugh out loud collection of memories and experiences. It’s raw, confronting and very funny. This is not a story served on a tidy dinner plate it is a pot of noodles - messy, entangled and chaotic.

Hung Le has managed to capture so much humanity, loss, grief, fun, experience and all-round chaos. Never go anywhere with a plan but always imbibe all that is on offer and leave them laughing. Maybe even seeing the possibility of experiencing people with a new understanding. Break all the rules and keep breaking them!!

In many ways this is an unsettling memoir so much is offered in humour while all the time the individual is offering their raw selves on stage. But what a journey, what a family and what a wonderful addition to the 'Aussie Story'!

A window into Vietnamese post war refugee dislocation in a way I have not previously experienced. His love of his birth country is palpable and his dislocation is just as tangible.

[Xanthi · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, I’ve not heard of the author before. The reason I chose to read this book was because of the blurb. It made me laugh. In fact, nearly all of the book did. I say ‘nearly’ because there were parts that made me pretty uncomfortable - the animal cruelty and the drug abuse. He mentions using crack in a very glib manner and only briefly before moving onto his next topic of merriment. I did a double take. Yep. Crack. O-Kay.
I did like his parts about his father. The affection he had for him really stands out in this book, along with his respect for his artistic talent.
Read this book if you want a good laugh. Expect to feel uncomfortable quite a lot. Then look up the author if you’ve never heard of him.

[Rania T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hung Le used to sometimes appear on TV in the 1990s making jokes about Banh Mi Pork Rolls. In his memoir he sets out to explain to readers why he is "the crappiest refugee" rather than the happiest. One thing apparently being the first Asian to be kicked out Melbourne Uni. An interesting read overall, if you are a fan of dark Aussie immigrant humour.

[Peter Bucknell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful window into the sometimes ridiculous life of Hung. I laughed and cried my way through it. Written in colloquial style, it's an easy read.
He's a great story teller.
It's available as an eBook. I found it on iBooks

[Kelly McLaren · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun easy read

I saw Hung Le on my last cruise and bought the book that night. A week later I have finished and was not disappointed.
I found myself reading parts out loud to my husband and now he, a non reader, is about to start the book.

Thanks Hung

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very funny at times, liked the way he wrote about his life and the witty zingers put in here and there through the book.
Admit a few had me giggling.