Catfish and the Mandala: A Two-Wheeled Journey Through the Landscape and Memory of Vietnam was a very well-written and insightful account by Vietnamese-American author Andrew “An” X. Pham. His stories consist of first-hand accounts of the life of a young boy in Vietnam, leaving Vietnam during the fall of Saigon in 1975 with his refugee family, adapting to American life and culture, and his journey to return to his native country and see his family and the places of his childhood. You learn about the Pham family and Ans' other extended family, or clan as they say in the book, some arrived in America and others stayed in Vietnam. His mother, father, siblings and his relationships with them are major aspects of the story. Their early struggles as refugees leaving Vietnam are remarkable, some explaining broken family dynamics. As I read this book, it sometimes felt like An's memories were running everywhere, making connections between her current situation and her past throughout the book. His journey to return to Vietnam as a “Viet-Kieu” teaches him a lot about himself, the people he comes from, and the land he comes from. Some of the major themes I took away after reading this book were An's feeling of trying to discover his identity, the lasting effects of the Vietnam War on society (those in Vietnam and those in America), and An trying to understand its overall relationship. with his family. Overall, I think Catfish and Mandala gives an excellent first-hand account, from a very unique perspective of returning to a war-torn country and trying to discover one's roots. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Identity I found this to be a prevalent theme throughout reading this book. Early on, An talks about not living up to his father's expectations: “I can't be his Vietnamese American. I see their creeping humility, their concessions made before they are asked for shifts. I hate their slanted eyes. The quick gestures of humor, the nods of the head, always friendly, eager to please” (Pham 25). It's not that An is embarrassed by his origin but he sees how Asian men are treated in America and doesn't want to conform to a stereotype. . He was a straight-A student who had a degree in engineering, but you'd be mistaken to think we were ever interested in doing that from reading the book. An has faced racism since he was young in the United States, being Vietnamese. I think he is surprised at how differently he is treated as a Viet-Kieu. He immediately discovered how the Viet-Kiue were treated by those who remained in Vietnam after the war. Many people assume he is Korean or Japanese, sometimes he even plays along to avoid conflict, but usually when they find out he is Viet-Kiue they are not impressed or even upset. But not always, he is regularly asked for advice on becoming rich like Americans by poor Vietnamese who have heard of the American dream. An writes: “I am seen as a gold mine of free advice. I am used to entrepreneurs of all beliefs teasing me: what is it, brother, they all say, spill the beans. Leave the secret to us so we can roll in the dough” (Pham 154) He feels bad for these poor Vietnamese when he sees how little they have. He begins to feel a sense of guilt when he sees beggars who remind him of a childhood friend he never saw again. Even explainto these people the idea that he is on a cycling vacation in his country makes him feel guilty. He wants to interact with the Vietnamese people, but sometimes he can't because he sees through the people's intentions. I feel like as you delve deeper into An's journey throughout the book, more and more memories come back to him as he searches for his true identity. The lasting effects of the war were also present throughout the book. And family story of adapting to life in the American South and ultimately California, all the scarifications his family made to ensure their children would have a chance at a normal American life, and the struggles of his family who remained in Vietnam gave me the greatest insight into life after the war. A quote from his father about survival struck me: “The simplest lesson had always eluded him. A survivor does not have the luxury of counting his blessings.” (Pham 322) This resonated with me because as I read the stories of those who had made it to America and those who had not, I learned that everyone had to make sacrifices. People risked their lives to get their families out of the country and sold everything they had to pay. Many ended up abandoning their homes, belongings and loved ones while fleeing the communist regime. Those who had been associated with the United States and the Vietnamese Nationalist Army faced difficult times if arrested. His father had served a sentence in a labor camp that had lasting effects, lasting effects that would trickle down to his children. Many of the people An meets along the way are desperate to earn money to find a way to leave Vietnam and are curious about American life. Over the course of a few dates, An meets girls who he thinks are really interested in him, but they all turn out to be prostitutes. He says: “Who are these strangers? These Vietnamese, these people who want and want” (Pham 102). It feels like a lot of people want something from An once they realize he's Viet-Kiue. This makes me understand that the communist reunification of Vietnam was not an easy transition for the people and not everyone benefited from the newly liberated Vietnam. People who lived in the South and who had truly benefited from their work for and with the United States were left behind after our withdrawal. Without jobs, people had to find other ways to make ends meet and, as a last resort, become beggars. Most people in An Rencontre are very poor and barely earn any money, no matter what job they have. The third theme that stood out to me the most throughout reading this novel was the difficulties An had with her family and the relationships they had. And father, a tough and loving man, son of a violent aristocrat, the head of the house was never able to show his love to his children in a normal way. He was violent and imposed high standards on his children. And mother, backbone and breadwinner of the family. Some might argue that she was the head of the family due to her severity and boldness. He has two younger gay brothers who are afraid to tell their parents. Kay is his youngest sister and appears to be the most Americanized in the family. Then there is Chi/Mihn, with An describing “She became the great shame of the family, as if we had failed in some way – she had failed as we ourselves had failed” (Pham 215). Chi/Mihn was born transsexual and was never an accepted member of the family. An feels great resentment for not having tried to do something before.