I just ended a wondrously tumultuous journey reading Lac Su’s I Love Yous are for White People. In his memoir, Su poignantly paints vivid picture after picture of his family’s escape from Vietnam and their subsequent survival in the US. While he isn’t able to divulge every single detail, the stories and the snapshots of his childhood he shares gives the reader an amply candid look into the (often harsh) reality of Su’s journey.
Su is more than wonderfully honest with his readers and every chapter feels as though he is sitting in front of me, sharing the stories as if we were life-long friends pouring our hearts out.
Usually in a book review, I like to refer back to certain chapters or sections and share how it struck me. But with Su’s book, I’d be talking about every chapter, every moment, every photo — from dumpster diving with his “Pa” who wanted to provide for them any way he could, to when he is jumped by gang members, to rubbing Tiger Balm on his little sister the morning after he spanked her, I could go on and on.
I really want to write a review that does this book justice, but I’m still reeling from the emotional journey Su took me on. Honestly, I just want to read more — I finished the book thinking, Is there more? Is he going to write more? I must have more! And I realize that my words may just be a feeble attempt to write a review about a book that is JUST THAT GOOD. All I know is, that I Love Yous are for White People is a more than spectacular memoir written by an honest man who had a more than tough journey. I can’t imagine the road he had to travel to write down some of the painful moments of his life, but I’m so glad he did. Not everyone’s journey is showered with blessings and ease. People may escape to America for a dream, but some dreams remain dreams and some dreams come at a severe price. And it’s another reminder that not all Asian immigrant kids go on to Ivy League schools on a road paved with straight As.
If it isn’t plainly clear by now that I LOVE this book and have come to love the man who wrote it. I don’t know what to tell you, except that you should totally check this book out.
NOTE: 8Asians.com is a community, and we thank you for being a part of it. While we welcome and appreciate differences in opinion, if you're rude or you're promoting spam, we have a right to edit or delete your comment. Read our comment policy for more information.
View Comments to “Book Review: I Love Yous Are For White People”
neaato wrote:
book brought back lots o' memories. i knew once i picked up the book i couldn't put it down. first chapter was a tear jerker. what i really liked about it was that nothing was really surgar coated to make other people look good. you know you're reading the honest truth, which i like.
just buy it and read it! it's like 10 bucks on amazon! http://www.amazon.com/Love-Yous-Are-White-Peopl...
Posted on 26-Sep-09 at 12:37 pm | Permalink
DavidNam811 wrote:
Looks like I know what book I'll be reading after my current one
Posted on 26-Sep-09 at 1:00 pm | Permalink
eforeric wrote:
I just bought this book, and am waiting for it to arrive so I can read.
Posted on 26-Sep-09 at 2:17 pm | Permalink
Sindy_Lim wrote:
I agree with Jee. I read this book in a day. Couldn't put it down. It was such an emotional roller coaster reading Su's book. He had me crying by the end of the first chapter and laughing out loud at 3 am in the morning. I think he mentioned why he had to end the book where it did. He said he wanted to write about his whole life in one book but there were too many stories. It would be like tipping over a Coke machine; it had to be rocked back and forth a couple of times. Nevetheless, I await his next book with great anticipation. Su is a great story-teller.
Posted on 29-Sep-09 at 12:03 am | Permalink
stephaniebui wrote:
This book finally arrived to Australia. I've been following this author ever since he entered a writing contest that won third place on myspace five years ago. I think he entered an excerpt from the “Five and Nine” chapter. I was captivated by his audacity to share so much intimate details about his family and life. Our Vietnamese International Club (VIC) is raising money to get Su out here to speak to us. Thank you 8Asians for putting the spotlight on a wonderful human being and writer.
Posted on 29-Sep-09 at 10:29 pm | Permalink
stephaniebui wrote:
This book finally arrived to Australia. I've been following this author ever since he entered a writing contest that won third place on myspace five years ago. I think he entered an excerpt from the “Five and Nine” chapter. I was captivated by his audacity to share so much intimate details about his family and life. Our Vietnamese International Club (VIC) is raising money to get Su out here to speak to us. Thank you 8Asians for putting the spotlight on a wonderful human being and writer.
Posted on 30-Sep-09 at 5:29 am | Permalink
8Asians.com » 8 Questions for Lac Su, Author of “I Love Yous Are For White People” wrote:
[...] few weeks ago, Jee wrote a rave review Lac Su’s new book I Love Yous Are For White People. Comments from other folks who have already read the book agree [...]
Posted on 06-Oct-09 at 10:32 am | Permalink
I Love Yous are for White People | Vietnam Talking Points wrote:
[...] from 8Asians.com. Tagged as: literature, [...]
Posted on 26-Oct-09 at 4:44 pm | Permalink
8Asians.com » Taking Care of Your Elderly Parents wrote:
[...] So I guess it should be no surprise to anyone, my younger sister was always my dad’s favorite, and I was always my mom’s. That much was obvious to anyone who knew our family. My parents didn’t hide it the way American families do. In another interesting aspect of the Cornell study, they found that the adult children in the study quite often incorrectly identified the favorite child in the family. Most often they’d say it was themselves, incorrectly. I guess that goes to show you, in American culture, there’s at least a facade of loving all the children equally. Being in America I think my parents at least attempted to do that, even if they didn’t succeed. Do your Asian parents play favorites? Is it obvious, or do they tell you all, they treat you all the same (I hesitate to use the word love as we all know Asians don’t use the word love and I love yous are for white people). [...]
Posted on 21-Nov-09 at 8:53 am | Permalink
8Asians.com » Giveaway: “I Love Yous Are For White People” T-shirt & Autographed Book wrote:
[...] isn’t an April Fools joke, yo! Thanks to the generosity of Lac Su, the author of “I Love Yous Are For White People,” we’ve got another great giveaway for 8Asians [...]
Posted on 09-Apr-10 at 7:32 pm | Permalink
8Asians.com » Remembering April 30th: The Fall of Saigon wrote:
[...] a journey of his past revisited after fifteen years. The inspiration for this short came from his memoir I Love Yous are for White People and how he had been affected during his transition from Vietnam to America. He also posted a great [...]
Posted on 30-Apr-10 at 6:42 pm | Permalink
Post a Comment