Any book that takes me that long to read is not that good. When I love a book I am all in and this never was like that. It was interesting and had some good imagery but the plot/layout of the story was too jumpy and confusing.

I loved the writing in this memoir. Andrew Pham has a beautiful and distinctive way of creating a scene that's easily pictured by the reader. His word choices are unique and precise in a way that does more that paint a picture...his words evoke a mood. I enjoyed the story, both as a journey of personal discovery and introspection as well as an engaging description of Pham's experiences traveling by bike through several countries, primarily focused on his year in Vietnam. My only criticism is that there were points in the book where the in-depth descriptions slowed the action down so much that I lost the thread of the story. I felt the same about some of the backstories that were woven throughout the novel.

This is definitely a book that you will enjoy best if you are reading with your full attention. I read this as a model text for my "Writing your Memoir" class and I found it to be a useful tool to inform my own writing.

A few notable lines:

My bike topples like a wildebeest felled by one well-aimed bullet.

The sun sets in apocalyptic colors as though the air itself is burning, turning the smog gold, the clouds molten, dangerous.

Their liver-spotted hide, the texture of week-old tofu-skin, did not sweat but drooped, flaccid on their chests and bellies, stretched taut over the ridges of their spines.

They perfumed the air with opium sweetness, making it wet and soft, filling it with the watery gurgle of two old men drowning.

Erg lastig om door de schabouwelijke vertaling heen te kijken, maar ervan uitgaand dat het origineel inderdaad "lyrisch" geschreven is, heb je hier een inkijk in de Vietnamoorlog, een geschiedenis van een migrantenfamilie en een fietsverslag in één boek. Alledrie die verhalen zijn ook erg interessant, maar het voortdurende switchen ertussen is niet altijd bevorderlijk voor het leesplezier.

Definitely enjoyed this book as a great peak into the many challenges faced by Vietnamese-Americans, not only at home, but abroad as well. Pham does a great job of relaying the inner-turmoil that arises, not so much from his own identity issues but those that others try to pin on him. While he clearly identifies himself as an American, it seems that others have extreme difficulty in doing so and this does nothing but create problems, for everyone!

Finishing up a month long Vietnam tour, taking the time to absorb Catfish and Mandala was well worth it. Thanks for sharing Mike.

While I don't have a real 'homeland' to return to, Pham's search for, meaning, if you will, in Vietnam is similar to the mission I find myself carrying out as I land back in the States after 16 months abroad. Life is familiar, yes, but also very new and strange at the same time. Sure, people are a bit more welcoming to me than the Vietnamese were to Pham but I still don't quite feel at home when walking through the grocery store or driving down a four lane highway, obeying traffic lights. Home to me feels like the one Pham went looking for off the beaten path of a war torn country, eating on kindergarten furniture and dodging kamakazie motorcyclists. And, oh, how I miss that 'home' right now as Michigan settles into the frozen winter!

Certainly a good read for anyone interested in Vietnam, life as a Vietnamese-American, or simply the issues that one is faced with when trying to fully understand their ethnic heritage. Do enjoy!