My Mother, the Mermaid Chaser
Written by Jamie Jo Hoang
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers
San Jose, 2008: Paul yearns to know more about the mother who abandoned his family, but she is the only topic no one discusses. Now’s he’s in Vietnam, feeling displaced and considered an outsider. Plus, a ghost is haunting him even though he doesn’t believe in ghosts. His cousin and the grandmother he’s never met before now keep telling him that he’ll get answers only if he’s willing to open his ears.
Vũng Tâu, 1975: Ngọc Lan is eleven when her family breaks apart: her brother is drafted into the army; her father leaves on the last helicopter to the US. She and her sister are sent from Vietnam on a harrowing journey by boat. Only Ngọc Lan will survive. But what is the American dream when you are haunted by the death of your sister, missing your homeland; seeing ghostly mermaid sightings; lost in an abusive marriage; struggling as a parent?
Told in the alternating perspectives of Paul and Ngọc Lan, My Mother, the Mermaid Chaser is a haunting story about the intergenerational effects of war, estranged family bonds, and how a teenager discovers a new connection to a lost part of himself.
Check out the companion book, My Father, The Panda Killer.
Primary ISBN: 9780593643006
Publication Date: September 2025
Available As: Hardcover, Audiobook, eBook
Young Adult, Age 12 or older
Community Represented: Vietnamese/Vietnamese American
Themes: Coming of Age, Cultural Empowerment, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Family, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Identity, Cultural Empowerment & Joy: Storytelling, Family Relationship: Grandparents, Family Relationship: Parents, Family Relationship: Siblings, Format: Audiobook, Generation: 1st, Genre: Historical, Identity: Exploration, Mental Health, Own Voices/Lived Experience, Refugee Journey, Refugee: War/Conflict, Setting: Home Country, Trauma & Healing, Trauma & Healing: Death of Family or Friend, Trauma & Healing: Intergenerational, Trauma & Healing: Physical Assault
Setting: Vietnam, United States (California)
Character's Place in the Immigration Journey: Refugee or Asylee, 1st Generation
Book Creator(s) Connection to the Community Represented: Own Voices/Lived Experience
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Source: Random House Children’s Books