Happy Endings by Robin Pulver

Happy Endings by Robin Pulver

Vietnamese refugees fleeing the fall of South Vietnam faced a paradox. The same guilt-ridden America that only reluctantly accepted them expected, and rewarded, expressions of gratitude for their rescue. Meanwhile, their status as refugees--as opposed to willing immigrants--profoundly influenced their cultural identity.

Phuong Tran Nguyen examines the phenomenon of refugee nationalism among Vietnamese Americans in Southern California. Here, the residents of Little Saigon keep alive nostalgia for the old regime and, by extension, their claim to a lost statehood. Their refugee nationalism is less a refusal to assimilate than a mode of becoming, in essence, a distinct group of refugee Americans. Nguyen examines the factors that encouraged them to adopt this identity. His analysis also moves beyond the familiar rescue narrative to chart the intimate yet contentious relationship these Vietnamese Americans have with their adopted homeland. Nguyen sets their plight within the context of the Cold War, an era when Americans sought to atone for broken promises but also saw themselves as providing a sanctuary for people everywhere fleeing communism.

Robin Pulver is the author of many acclaimed picture books, including many language arts titles such as Punctuation Takes a Vacation and Nouns and Verbs Have a Field Day. Her website is www.robinpulver.com. She lives in upstate New York.

Stephanie Roth Sisson is the illustrator of many picture and chapter books. Kirkus Reviews has praised her artwork as delightful and emotional. Her website is https: //www.stephanitely.com.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780823424344
ISBN 10	0823424340
Title	Happy Endings
Author	Robin Pulver
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Holiday House Inc
Year published	2012-01-02
Number of pages	32
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.