Purchase to Support Our Program

“A moving coming-of-age memoir by a young Vietnamese American girl growing up in New York City. “We arrive in the blizzard of 1993, coming from rice paddies, mango trees, and the sun to February in the Empire State,” writes Tran in the opening passage, recounting how she came to the U.S. with her parents and three siblings. With very little English and almost no money, as well as a father who suffered from PTSD due to his time as a prisoner of war, the family had limited prospects. As she chronicles the significant obstacles her family faced, Tran also shows their grit and determination to survive and thrive…[A] sharp examination of the unique cultural and social issues facing immigrants from Southeast Asia, the narrative also speaks to the hardships that non-White women endure under the double yoke of sexism and racism.”

– Kirkus Reviews

House of Sticks: A Memoir

Written by Ly Tran
Published by Scribner

Ly Tran is just a toddler in 1993 when she and her family immigrate from a small town along the Mekong river in Vietnam to a two-bedroom railroad apartment in Queens. Ly’s father, a former lieutenant in the South Vietnamese army, spent nearly a decade as a POW, and their resettlement is made possible through a humanitarian program run by the US government. Soon after they arrive, Ly joins her parents and three older brothers sewing ties and cummerbunds piece-meal on their living room floor to make ends meet.

As they navigate this new landscape, Ly finds herself torn between two worlds. She knows she must honor her parents’ Buddhist faith and contribute to the family livelihood, working long hours at home and eventually as a manicurist alongside her mother at a nail salon in Brooklyn that her parents take over. But at school, Ly feels the mounting pressure to blend in.

A growing inability to see the blackboard presents new challenges, especially when her father forbids her from getting glasses, calling her diagnosis of poor vision a government conspiracy. His frightening temper and paranoia leave a mark on Ly’s sense of self. Who is she outside of everything her family expects of her?

Primary ISBN: 9781501118814
Publication Date: June 2021
Available As: Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook, eBook
Memoir, Age 18 or older

Community Represented:

Themes: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Setting: United States (New York City NY)

Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Immigrant

Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience

Click here for details about how we define our titles.

Engagement Projects & Resources:

Share your favorite resources for this book with info@imyourneighborbooks.org.

Engagement Materials:

Reading Group Guide

Source: Simon & Schuster