Author Biography | Interview | Books by this Author | Readalikes
How to pronounce Kien Nguyen: Key-en Nwen (pronunciations vary, Nguyen can also be closer to When)
Kien Nguyen grew up an outsider in his native land. His once wealthy family, thrust into poverty at the dawn of a new political regime, lived among neighbors who treated them as pariahs, unwelcome remnants the colonialist past. Nguyen, himself a child of mixed race (his father was American), was among the most unwanted. He left Vietnam in 1985 through the United Nations "Orderly Departure Program." After spending time at a refugee camp in the Philippines, Nguyen arrived in the United States.
Nguyen's memoir, The Unwanted, tells of his experience. He has written two other books, The Tapestries and Le Colonial. He lives in New York City.
This bio was last updated on 06/26/2017. We try to keep BookBrowse's biographies both up to date and accurate, but with many thousands of lives to keep track of it's a tough task. So, please help us - if the information about this author is out of date or inaccurate, and you know of a more complete source, please let us know. Authors and publishers: If you wish to make changes to a bio, send the complete biography as you would like it displayed so that we can replace the old with the new.
I was six days old when my grandfather first told me his life stories. I was lying in a small bamboo cradle suspended by ropes from a high
wooden beam. From the window, the summer sky shone like an
inverted ocean, motionless except for a few distant clouds. Hummingbirds
fluttered over the garden fountain, then disappeared into
the pomegranate trees.
While the ceiling swayed he would speak to me in a melodic tone,
always with the same introduction: "During the winter months, the
Perfume River was chilly, especially at dawn." In my recollection, the
world of my grandfather was simple, irregular, and deliberately void
of anything material. No photo albums or mementos helped illustrate
his tales, only his soothing voice, flowing in the river of his memory.
At times, my grandmother would join him. In the background, she
would pluck the strings of her lute and sing Vietnamese folk songs.
Between the two of them, my childhood was filled with wonder. I
could always close my eyes and allow myself to be transported back
to a time when my grandfather was a child. While in the rest of the
world, children grew up with fairy tales, I lived in my grandfather's
stream of consciousness, feasting on his thoughts, feeling ...
Become a Member and discover books that entertain, engage & enlighten.
Black Widows
by Cate Quinn
A brilliant joyride in the company of three sister-wives with nothing in common except their dead husband.
Reader ReviewsBand of Sisters
by Lauren Willig
"A crackling portrayal of everyday American heroines…A triumph."
— Fiona Davis
Visitors can view some of BookBrowse for free. Full access is for members only.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.