A Book Review by Stefanie Field

Blossoms on the Wind: A Memoir by Juliet Lac

Information:
Published 2008
Kensington Publishing Corp.
210 pages.

Overall Reaction

When I first received this book, I was working a minimum wage job at a Starbucks in southern America.  I tend to build a reputation for my interest in Asian studies or Asian history, so a coworker had suddenly brought this book for me.  Nonchalantly, she waved off the gift as a previous requirement for high school reading, although she had never read a single page of it nor would she ever plan to.  The book is a memoir of a Vietnamese refugee from the war and her inner struggle for identity and the ability to adapt with culture shock in a modern America.  Although it took me a couple years to finally pick it up from my shelf, I can honestly admit my coworker probably would not have been able to get past the first three chapters.  I, myself, struggled to finish this.  It is not a heavy book, but it is also not “a gripping tale” as the review on the front cover advertises.  A grand selection in the genre of memoirs (and fictional autobiographies) written by Asian authors tend to focus on their journeys of migration from one country to another and the difficulties they have ensued.  However, if I were to introduce high school students to the lives of refugees, this book would not draw their sympathy. 

Summary

Blossoms on the Wind start with the life of Dung Nguyen and ends with the refreshing story of Juliet Lac.  At a young age, Juliet endured days of missile attacks, bombings, and the threat of prolonged effects from war.  Her struggle for survival planted the seeds of isolation and depression in her personality that would affect her daily life until the age of 30.  She fought for life, for belonging, and for independence.  But she never sought forgiveness or her mother’s love.  These obstacles in life were only intensified by her status and experience as a refugee.

Analysis

Juliet, born as Dung Nguyen, has a stone-cold personality built from years of the independent need to survive and without a family member to support her.  Juliet’s mom adopted the same survival techniques, but neglected her daughter along the way and developed an addiction to gambling.  Although the book is primarily about Juliet’s struggles, the risks and difficulties that her mother experienced seem to far outweigh her own.  She had to abandon her daughter in order to save her and because of the war, the familial bond between them was severed in Vietnam before they even reached America.  Despite the lack of a strong connection, their personalities are alike in many ways and this was portrayed in a scene as the two sat as garden statues on the cramped, chaotic boat adrift in the sea.

During her many years of depression, the author commented that Vietnamese people never admit their vulnerabilities because it is looked down upon in their culture.  It was implied the nature of Asian values hindered her ability to find comfort in life and resolve her issues of personal loss.  I recognize the principle of non-confrontation in many Asian cultures, and thus the taboo of over-expressing any inner emotions.  It reinforced her loneliness, but as much as I acknowledge the difficulties she had to cope with, I found it difficult to sympathize with the author.  (I feel terrible for not having compassion for a refugee.)  For 100 pages, she suffered deep depression for various reasons.  Yet, she didn’t make much effort on her own to overcome it and her strong opinions blamed Vietnamese culture, the absence of men in her life, communist ideology, and her family.  Of course, as a refugee, most of her problems were caused by other actors, but the prolonged effect of her depression, which she suffered for several years, was only encouraged by her lack of action or willingness to reach out.  Is this really a result of Vietnamese culture?  Do non-Vietnamese refugees have a better experience after migrating?  I’m very curious.

As soon as the author moved to Paris, she was able to find strength in herself.  Juliet finally takes it upon herself to reach out to expat communities in Paris.  This is truly a task for all introverts and troubled persons.  The courage and ability to reach out and become involved with communities of similar interests paves a way for someone to move forward or improve their situation.  Maybe it was only at this point in her life that she realized she didn’t have to accept her surroundings.  While in Vietnam as a child, dodging missiles and pieces of shrapnel, she could not escape that war-torn environment.  And because of war, her adolescence did not experience innocence or happiness.  Her time in America may have been too soon or too chaotic of a period to adjust to a drastically different world.  But Paris would be a new chapter in her life, and the American cultural influence of several years would prompt her to chase after her dreams.

Comments

While I recognize the difficulties she had to pursue, and the losses she endured in her life, I did not find much compassion for her.  Much of my discontent probably stemmed from the many chapters of her depression.  Many times, she acknowledged she was making a poor decision, or an irrational one, while expecting the reader to feel sorry for her.  I felt more sympathy for the author’s mother.

 On a side note, the author’s band-aid solutions to her gloominess were often a vacation or random travel experience.  These trips certainly helped the author, but the context of her vacation itineraries did not contribute to her life story.  I often skipped pages of her short travels because she would detail the activities of her daily schedules which would have been more appropriate for a travel blog or guidebook. 

Rating

In the end, I give this book two stars (out of five).  I’m usually a fan of memoirs, especially from refugees.  But I could not enjoy this writing.  I struggled to maintain enough attention to finish it.  I feel guilty to judge this book so lowly.  There are several conditions which affect the post-resettlement life of a refugee, but I simply did not feel this author’s story was able to reach out to me.

Stefanie Field is a graduate student pursuing a Master’s Degree in International Relations in Bangkok, Thailand.