I Am Both: A Vietnamese Refugee Story

Leaning into onomatopoeia and desaturated images of daily rhythms, Greene, per an author’s note, bases this tale of a Vietnamese family escaping from Saigon on her family’s 1975 experiences. H˘uo˘ng is one of 10 siblings growing up in a bustling unnamed city filled with street vendors selling bánh mì and durian. At school one day, bombs continually shake the earth, but eating a bowl of pho back at home results in “SIPPING SLURPING MUNCHING drown[ing] out the worries of the day.” In the middle of the night, a sudden “SHAKE SHAKE” precipitates the family’s flight via a plane headed to America, where the protagonist takes a new name and where sounds new and familiar recur throughout a life in which “I am both Vietnamese and American. I am proud to be me.” Though the story lacks historical context for young readers, it effectively presents the constant sounds of war and home life as part of the everyday. Ages 4–8. (Apr.)