Hooked on Books discussion

Members Starting the BR: Teddie & Trisha
Challenge: Time Travelers Challenge
Book: Mỹ Documents by Kevin Nguyen

Anyone is free to join in this Buddy Read! Happy Reading!

planning to start tomorrow, 2/13

Through Parts 1 & 2

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Ugh, painful. these detention centers - like we have now. it's just heartbreaking. and we know all nationalities are in these centers.

but the story is interesting. Especially the one guy who Google fought to keep out. I wonder what that will mean

I'm sad that she's ignoring Ursula too.
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this is a tough read so far - but good!

I'm about where you are. Crazy how much this is reflecting today's climate. Shameful actually.

I'm finding many aspects of this book interesting so far - one thing that jumped out at me a little, was the theory that it was Chinese terrorists, posing as Vietnamese. I remember this idea coming up in The Golden Gate too. The incarceration happening in the book - and in T detention centers today - is reprehensible. I'm also interested in learning more about the Viet diaspora culture here. Fun fact: my brother and I are both adopted, but his story is way more interesting - so much so that my mom wrote a little book about it! :) Adopting Joe: A Black Vietnamese Child (That's my violin that he's carrying - lol.)

Great title too in that Mỹ translates to America.

Wow, your mom wrote a book! That's so cool!

I know, there is so much that mirrors today that it's almost too hard to read. . .I'm so sad - and feel just so helpless.

I'm through Part 3 & 4

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I hate that reporting what was going on - you would think they wouldn't report on the stuff getting into the camps so it could continue! Why report on the good stuff?

The line about the news cycle starting to lose interest in the camps year after year - I hope we never do that. I hope we keep these missing people and detention camps in the forefront until they are not like this anymore!

I'm so sad Jen was eventually hurt - especially by someone who was providing lies. Sure, it may have been a comfort but he could have done feel good stories - about those in camp! or the like the girl with the cooking game! Why make up lies? Just heartbreaking.

and now, oh god, Duncan 😭😭

all of this is just too awful to imagine and yet, I know it's the reality (and worse) to thousands right now, all across our states

and outside, I'm glad Ursula is there for her brother and I'm a bit sad he just gave all his money to his dad for his dad to leave again. . .I get why he's on the run (he doesn't want to go into one of the camps) but why involve a son you never visited before this either. . .it feels like another selfish move (hide spoiler)]

Teddie wrote: "Great title too in that Mỹ translates to America."

that's such a great addition!

and done

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ugh, this was hard

so glad we left Jen trying to find herself

and I'm glad Ursula made it out okay in all that but I hate that her success and ability to be out was based so much on her ability to 'pass' for white and piggy backed on Duncan's death and Jen's time in there

interesting that Jen reached out to the dad. I like that ending too
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Going back and forth between listening to this book and reading current events - a little surreal.

I disliked Ursula by the end of the book. I think she initially wanted to make things better for her incarcerated Viet family members, but by the end, it was all about her.

Ultimately, I think this book was about how people often delude themselves in order to survive, whatever the situation. I found it interesting that one of the most pliable characters in the book, June, turned out to be the one who just couldn't, who couldn't distract herself with some of the trappings and normalized definitions of success america has to offer.

I found the whole scene with Dan and his discovery of the Sims interesting.

This book definitely makes me think though. Glad I read it.