Menu
Sigh, Gone: A Misfit’s Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In
Next in the queue
67
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
84/100Critics
50/100Scholars
Author:
Phuc Tran
Publisher:
Flatiron Books
Date:
April 21, 2020
In 1975, during the fall of Saigon, Phuc Tran immigrates to America along with his family. In this coming-of-age memoir told through the themes of great books such as The Metamorphosis and The Scarlet Letter, Tran navigates the push and pull of finding and accepting himself despite the challenges of immigration, feelings of isolation, teenage rebellion, and assimilation, all while attempting to meet the rigid expectations set by his immigrant parents.
What The Reviewers Say
Tran's debut memoir...recounts in stunning detail his coming of age in white, small-town America.
... affecting, deeply felt.
Tran has written the great punk rock immigrant story. Or should that be the definitive refugee punk rock story? Or a story about how punk rock and great books helped a Vietnamese kid in small-town America fit in by standing out? Whatever order we put the words in, Tran’s book is my pick for the best, the funniest and the most heartfelt memoir of the year.
Tran's loosey-goosey writing style is all over the place in emotional tone and subject—something I might ordinarily find annoying, but kind of appreciate right now. In this confused and scary time, a story about displacement that itself is so scrambled feels just right to me.
