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Sigh, Gone: A Misfit’s Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In
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Original price was: $19.99.$12.99Current price is: $12.99.
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For anyone who has ever felt like they don’t belong, Sigh, Gone shares an irreverent, funny, and moving tale of displacement and assimilation woven together with poignant themes from beloved works of classic literature.
In 1975, during the fall of Saigon, Phuc Tran immigrates to America along with his family. By sheer chance they land in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, a small town where the Trans struggle to assimilate into their new life. In this coming-of-age memoir told through the themes of great books such as The Metamorphosis, The Scarlet Letter, The Iliad, and more, Tran navigates the push and pull of finding and accepting himself despite the challenges of immigration, feelings of isolation, and teenage rebellion, all while attempting to meet the rigid expectations set by his immigrant parents.
Appealing to fans of coming-of-age memoirs such as Fresh Off the Boat, Running with Scissors, or tales of assimilation like Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Displaced and The Refugees, Sigh, Gone explores one man’s bewildering experiences of abuse, racism, and tragedy and reveals redemption and connection in books and punk rock. Against the hairspray-and-synthesizer backdrop of the ‘80s, he finds solace and kinship in the wisdom of classic literature, and in the subculture of punk rock, he finds affirmation and echoes of his disaffection. In his journey for self-discovery Tran ultimately finds refuge and inspiration in the art that shapes—and ultimately saves—him.
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Categories: Best Books of 2024 So Far
Product name:
Sigh, Gone: A Misfit’s Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In
Price:
Original price was: $19.99.$12.99Current price is: $12.99.
Tom Canlas-Wiedemann –
It is well written and easy to complete.
I was a bit disappointed, because I was hoping to revisit my own happy Punk past.
And this book did not offer much in that regard, except if Punk for you is Skater Punk without the political and social dimension.
I found the writer’s experiences as immigrant who’s looks stuck out from the locals quite interesting and could relate to some of it. As long as it stayed on the personal experience level, it was powerful and made me think.
Sadly, he often drifted off into the ideological, woke terminology and views. Those were the parts where I started to tune out…
Overall, it was an ok read – not as much about Punk as I had hoped, but with interesting immigrant views and well written.
Michael S. Cohen, O. D. –
I am currently embarked on writing my memoir. It’s hard! I heard about this book from a librarian friend of mine. I trusted her enough to take a flyer. I’m very glad I did. It is an amazing story of a young immigrant to America who defied the odds and somehow managed to pull himself up by his bootstraps and get a good education, survived child abuse by parents who lived through Hell in Iet am, a paint a picture that is incredibly entertaining. I highly recommend that you take time out to read this book!
Kellie Hooper –
I loved this book! It is witty and fun to read, while also building my own vocabulary. Phuc warns he wished to excel in this area in order to eviscerate his enemies when he was younger, I would say he most definitely succeeded. If you are looking for a memoir that finds personal growth in doing yoga with goats, throwing clay, or eating your way across a continent… this is not that book. However, if you are interested in getting a glimpse into another person’s childhood and thinking about the world from another perspective…this is the book you should read. Mr. Tran is a brilliant storyteller, which I believe might be the connection between his art(tattoos) and his writing. Can’t wait to read the other stories he is sure to tell.
Natalie Jenner –
Funny. Sad. Relatable. Hopeful. Real.
A book as important as it is entertaining. As a teen of the 80s, I identified with so much of the author’s school, family and friendship experiences. At the same time, this extremely well-written memoir showed me, with guts and honesty, just how different life can be from one person to the next. I learned so much I didn’t know before, I cried often, and I laughed more.
A perfect memoir.
Autumn Sun –
Phuc Tran and I were classmates in college, but I think even his closest friends didn’t know the full story of his life before college until this memoir. From fleeing Saigon as a 2-yr-old to finishing high school as the class speaker, Phuc’s story is dramatic and he tells it with bravery and brutal honesty. It wasn’t easy to grow up Asian in white, small town USA, and it wasn’t easy to grow up as his abusive father’s son. But Phuc’s remarkable resilience, ingenuity, and ability to look back with both heartbreak and humor make this a thoroughly engrossing story. I don’t think I’ve ever both laughed out loud and been brought to tears by a single book before. This is a deeply rewarding read and look into the all-American soul of a punk poet.
Maggie Mae –
Interesting reading….worth the read…
Dominika –
Loved it so much.
Maria –
Fantastic! Relatable in so many ways. Educational. Phuc Tran uses different works of literature to explain his life in small town America, finding ways to fit in as a teenager, as an Asian-American. So much of his journey is a lot like my own, where music and literature transcend race and age, and help you find your voice and your people. I loved the way everything was presented and his vulnerability bleeds through on each page. Yet, through all that, he still manages to make you laugh, cry, and, at times, cringe at typical high school embarrassment. Highly recommended for those also looking to find their voice.
JesstheBear –
I can’t say enough amazing things about this book. I read it back in August of last year. It’s my favorite memoir that I’ve read – not just because I can relate to it greatly, but because it is raw, honest, reflective, introspective, funny, and smart. Phuc’s relays the events of his life with great care and vulnerability. You feel like you know him and that he puts it all out on the table. I appreciate this, especially as an Asian American. I grew up in a house where I experienced many of the things Phuc talks about, was shamed, and made to feel that I wasn’t to talk about anything that happened outside of the house. Phuc touches on the things that happened to him – challenges with abuse, the threat of abandonment, cultural gaps, and generational trauma. But he doesn’t do in a way where he implores the reader to feel sorry for him or whines about the past. He tells it in a straightforward way, while also capturing his own feelings at the time and does the reader and himself a service by being able to reflect on the pain of those experiences while acknowledging that his parents were truly doing their best. He also acknowledges limitations in his ability to appreciate his parents based on how they show love and his own expectations, which is again, where the cultural barriers come in when your parents are raised in a different culture and you are brought up in America and the ideal family life is portrayed in the media and you get glimpses of how things “should” be with friends. Instead of reflecting on this with resentment and hurt, he does so with love and understanding. This is something I was inspired by and provoked me to rethink some of my own hurts. In one portion of the book, he notes: “But even if the past is unchangeable, maybe our perspective of the past can change. And maybe the way we see past events can change and if that can change, maybe the past even itself does change – not in action or outcome but in purpose and intent”. You go on a journey with him where he finds himself and threads all his experiences together to show you how he becomes who he is. I highly recommend this book, whether or not you are Asian American. It is a compelling ready of someone finding their way in spite of their challenges. It’s charming, relatable, and beyond funny at times. One of my favorites of all time!
Mr. Army Wife –
Another book about books, but about so much more. What happens to kids during war? Where do they go? What do they become? This book about a Vietnamese toddler, evacuated to Carlisle, PA during the Vietnam War is a story we didn’t hear as students learning our history, but it should have been, and I’m happy I read his personal story from his perspective.
Let’s face it, we don’t know what direction our lives are going to take. We can try and plan it out, but that means nothing. In Vietnam, his father was a lawyer. In America, he did whatever he could to make ends meet and provide a better life for his family. This created tensions, as did his families general attitudes and reservations about being so far from home, in turn, the author had to work through life, mostly on his own, making decisions that were smart, some that were dumb, but all of them leading to where he is today.
Once he discovered a love for reading, and the fact that stereotypes can be wide ranging and not as boxed in as he thought, he broke out of his shell and found a love that would carry him through high school and into adulthood. Still, this wasn’t without its issues and I’m sure that some of them have never been resolved. I felt pulled into his story, wanting to be his friend, and sharing some of the disappointments with him. Good read for sure.