This was a good memoir. Tran writes with empathy and candor, not shying away from the violence or other difficulties of his childhood. Tran didn't quite manage to weave the theme of music and literature with his own story, I appreciated his attempt.

I very much enjoyed this story. It was wonderfully written. I look forward to the author’s next book!

I had a bit of a tough time getting through this one. The premise was strong, the memories recalled relatable, but somehow the voice of the author & the time when I read it just didn’t click.

My starred review of the audiobook for Booklist is here: https://www.booklistonline.com/Sigh-Gone-A-Misfit-s-Memoir-of-Great-Books-Punk-Rock-and-the-Fight-to-Fit-In-/pid=9736387

The review was also cross-posted to Smithsonian BookDragon: http://smithsonianapa.org/bookdragon/sigh-gone-a-misfits-memoir-of-great-books-punk-rock-and-the-fight-to-fit-in-by-phuc-tran-in-booklist/

The title was also included in the "Best Audiobooks of 2020" for Library Journal: https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=best-audiobooks

Those living in 1975 Saigon faced a bleak future, The city had been decimated by warfare, poverty, government corruption and a communist takeover. For Phuc Tran and his family, the choice was either remain under perpetual servitude to the communists or leave Saigon.
The Tran family escapes Saigon and settle in Carlisle, PA, U.S.A. and Phuc's story begins. His memoir is an extremely honest coming of age saga of racial isolation in a town laced with ignorance and bigotry.
As the only Vietnamese child in school, Phuc struggled to fit in while not sure of his place in the world. There is pain, humor, sadness, abuse, punk lifestyle and love of literature to keep Phuc going.
Phuc Tran isn't afraid to share childhood memories that are sometimes joyous and sometimes horrific including the ones of the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father.
Tran's book is one that tells an all too familiar tale of racism but not in a preachy sense but in one that should challenge us to reflect in our efforts to be accepted.
Phuc Tran's book is a wonderful coming of age tale that I highly recommend in these current turbulent times. For those that think that racism doesn't exist, Phuc Tran might have a different view.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #SighGone

This is a memoir at it's best...no holds barred look at what it is like to be a refugee and assimilate into American culture, while still being true to yourself.

The frame of the chapters was a great choice, starts out with a classic literature book, then relates how that fit into his life at that time. For example: "The Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka is compared to his teenage transformation, he cannot control and his body does something different and his family treats him differently, much like Gregor Samsa when he turned into a bug with his family reaction.

I particularly enjoyed one of the later chapters “The Autobiography of Malcom X” and Tran’s look at racism. For me that was his most powerful chapter. I wanted to call it essay, since that is what this felt like, a group of essays, that also happen to follow Tran as he ages, starting young when the family left Vietnam to when he graduates high school. Oddly enough, I wanted more post-high school, how was college for him, how did he change?

The book is very readable and relatable.
Overall rating 3.5 stars, and rounded up.

I always love a memoir especially one with a sense of humor that takes place in a small town! If you are an outcast, a weirdo, didn’t fit in, struggled to find your place, if you have a sense of humor and can write about your experiences, then I will want to read your book.

Sigh, Gone by Phuc Tran takes a look at his personal experiences growing up as the only Vietnamese kid in town, his strict parents, and his love for reading. His life was not easy and its not difficult to have compassion for his experiences.

In 1975, during the fall of Saigon, Phuc Tran immigrates to America along with his family. By sheer chance, they land in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, a small town where the Trans struggle to assimilate into their new life. In this coming-of-age memoir told through the themes of great books such as The Metamorphosis, The Scarlet Letter, The Iliad, and more, Tran navigates the push and pull of finding and accepting himself despite the challenges of immigration, feelings of isolation, and teenage rebellion, all while attempting to meet the rigid expectations set by his immigrant parents.

Appealing to fans of coming-of-age memoirs such as Fresh Off the Boat, Running with Scissors, or tales of assimilation like Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Displaced and The Refugees, Sigh, Gone explores one man’s bewildering experiences of abuse, racism, and tragedy and reveals redemption and connection in books and punk rock. Against the hairspray-and-synthesizer backdrop of the ‘80s, he finds solace and kinship in the wisdom of classic literature, and in the subculture of punk rock, he finds affirmation and echoes of his disaffection. In his journey for self-discovery Tran ultimately finds refuge and inspiration in the art that shapes—and ultimately saves—him.

This is a witty and honest look at Phuc’s experiences which I enjoyed reading although there were times I cringed and got sad and felt bad. And then there were times I laughed.

You can get this book now, go here for the Kindle edition.

Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron Books for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

I first requested this book because I have a friend that lived in Carlisle, PA and I'm from a small town in western PA so I was curious. Wow! This book was REALLY good. I guess I didn't really know what to expect but it is definitely one of the best memoirs I've read in a long time.

It's about a Vietnamese boy growing up in a small, mostly white, town in 1980's/1990's Pennsylvania. He is an avid reader so each chapter to talks about a classic story and relates it to different poignant moments in his life. Phuc Tran did a great job at questioning what 'racism' really is and what it meant to him at different points of his childhood to adulthood. The author's writing style makes him relatable and his book engaging--I really couldn't put it down.

I recommend this book to people who like memoirs and is interested to see the the lens of a POC refugee in America during the 80's and 90's. This book was an easy 5 star rating. Definitely recommending to everyone!

5/5

A sobering memoir and an important account of racism in white bread America. I wanted more humor right now and may return to this later.

Coming to American after the fall of Saigon, two-year-old Phuc Tran didn’t know the difficult path still ahead of him. For being the only Vietnamese, heck the only Asian, family in small town America, he was bound to stand out. Sigh, Gone is his tale of how he found his path to feeling comfortable in his own skin through books and punk rock.

Since I spent my twenties in the LA punk rock scene and a lifetime with my head in a book, this memoir seemed right up my alley. According to Ancestry, some long ago relative of mine came here during the Irish potato famine in 1846. So I’m a long way past being a refugee. However, this heartfelt memoir and coming-of-age tale taught me much about the experience of being different in a sea of American melting pot sameness. I really enjoyed Sigh, Gone. 5 stars!

Thanks to Flatiron Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

“These reminders that my family was not a normal American family—that we didn’t look like the rest of our town, that we were from somewhere else—wove into my very fabric a need to belong, a need that was a glittering and slippery yarn. I would never be able to untangle it from who I was and who I wanted to be, and it seemed that if I tugged on this thread, everything would unravel and leave me exposed. “
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Happy pub week to @phucskywalker ! I saw this book first mentioned by @simoneandherbooks and immediately went online to snag a copy. I found this book to be deeply affecting on so many levels. This memoir goes into themes of the immigrant experience, racism, and domestic violence to name just a few. But the overarching theme for me was the desire to find a place and a tribe. I definitely found myself relating to parts of this book, especially this love of books and literature. As he states early on, the “humanizing resonance” of books let him know he wasn’t alone in his “aloneness.” For anyone wanting a gritty, tragic, and darkly humorous tale, as well as a #ownvoicesbooks check out #sighgone.

Thank you to @netgalley and @flatiron_books for the free copy in exchange for an honest review! .

Sigh, Gone by Phuc Tran is so much more than a memoir. It was life in all of its happiest moments, awful moments and frankly moments that make you want to reach out and bitch slap someone.

I laughed, I ugly cried, and I said words that aren't very nice, and that is what a good book does. It makes you feel, even when the emotion you are having isn't a good one.

This is definitely a book that everyone should read... And some more than others. I am from the south, where racism is overt at times, as well as covert. But there is always an underlying current of racism, everywhere. Phuc made me see racism in places I had not thought to look, or maybe bury my head so I DON'T look. Because if you don't look, then it can't be real, right? If you don't see it, it's not real... And when you don't see or choose NOT to see then it is just as bad as seeing and not doing anything. As a white woman, I will never know the racism that some experience, but with this book Phuc helped me to know it.

This book touched my heart, and I am better for having read it. Thank you to Mr. Tran for writing it! I will be buying a copy so I can share it with my friends.

I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron Books!

Sigh, Gone is more than an immigrant memoir. It's more than a story of an outsider, a stranger in a strange land. Weaving classic literature into his own life, Phuc Tran tells the story of his life. A life that may not as unfamiliar as one might think.

Leaving Vietnam with one shoe, Phuc Tran and his family eventually settle into a (white) community in the Northeast U.S. He is the one of the only Asians, he's the 'other'. Struggling to fit in as well as to follow his parents expectations, Tran finds that the struggle between being a good student and a 'punk' can be one in the same, all while coming up against abuse, racism and typical teenager awkwardness. He find a list of life-changing books, and it's that list that drives the memories and stories in this book.

I saw a lot of myself in Tran. As one of the only 'others' growing up in my small town, I felt that same sense of isolation and feelings of being misunderstood. Reading how much literature changed, shaped and made Tran, I saw the same things in myself. While Crime and Punishment was his story, Little Women is mine.

Tran is a talented writer, taking this memoir and making it straddle the line into literary fiction writing - minus the fiction. I love that he's now a teacher and tattoo artist. (I want him to do my next tattoo. I'm putting in here now.) He's familiar to me, as familiar as my own cousins, my own family. While much of this book is about a Vietnamese experience, the common isolation and teenage pain is universal. I think this book is going to change lives. I know it's changed mine.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book. Thanks to Phuc Tran for writing this book.

I really enjoyed this memoir from Phuc Tran. I was initially interested in this book after reading the synopsis, because as of the wife of a Korean-American who grew up loving punk music, it sounded as if I would find a lot of parallels between Phuc's and my husband's lives. There were definitely several similiarties, and given that they are the same age, I wouldn't doubt that they crossed paths at a punk show at some point.

As for the book, I loved learning about Phuc's coming of age. His honesty was refreshing. Rather than just painting himself in the best light, he fully admitted to doing and saying things that could be seen as unflattering to his character. It was interesting to learn what formed him into the person he became - from his upbringing and his relationship with his parents, to the kids that ridiculed him in the schoolyard, to the punk crew that "saved" him.

I also loved learning about Phuc's growth as a person and his ability to appreciate his intelligence and take it seriously. As someone who loves to read books, it was really neat to see how important books were in Phuc's life. I also thought it was really cool how he named each chapter after a book that was important to him and then tied those books into his life story.

The only thing I think could make this book better is if it had been longer. When it ended, I found myself wanting to know what happened when he went of to college and how those experiences shaped him as well. To me, you know you've read a good book when you wish it had been longer.

Not done yet!! Will finish review once I have completed the book. I chose this book because of its truly unique story, but relatable experience. I’ve already recommended for library purchase and to my friends. Very interesting and enlightening read so far.

I really enjoyed Sigh, Gone. It was well written and very entertaining.

The first part of the book moved a little slow which is why I gave it four stars instead of five.

I appreciated the author’s raw and gritty details of even the hardest parts of his childhood including the abuse he received and the racism he encountered. His quest to find himself was so relatable and I loved how the classic literature was woven in.

A truly terrific read a book that covers all the emotions ..Phuc Tran shares his life his struggles adjustments to his life in America He is funny open real and whenI read the last page I wanted more.To know more .A book perfect for book club discussions .#netgalley#flatironbooks,

Phuc(rhymes with Luke) Tran arrived in America as a toddler with his young parents and one shoe after a long journey from Vietnam. He spends most of his childhood in 1980’s Pennsylvania. His parents place high importance on their Catholic beliefs, but don’t practice the love and grace taught in the church. Phuc has a tumultuous relationship with his abusive father and this has a huge impact on his view of God. At school he is desperate to fit in but is ridiculed for being a boy “with a weird name”, amongst many other things he can’t change. He finds a respite from his unpleasant home life and the bullies at school in the 80’s/90’s punk music scene and classic literature.
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Phuc Tran is the kind of writer that makes you feel like you’re having a conversation with a friend. Though he touches on serious subjects like racism and bigotry, there are also moments that I laughed out loud as he described awkward and relatable coming-of-age moments. Each chapter of this book is driven by the theme of a classic book of literature such as The Metamorphosis and The Scarlet Letter. My bookish heart was delighted. After I read the last chapter my only disappointment was that the book ended-his writing so entertaining I wanted more.

This book is a memoir. I had requested it after connecting with the author to have him on my podcast. I was pleasantly surprised. I don't know what I was expecting, but I wasn't expecting to be blown away like I was. First off, it is well written. Phuc Tran has excellent grasp of the English Language and he kneads his words effectively with punch. Secondly, it is honest, open and inviting. He explores the world of teenage angst with a no holds barred kind of truth that made me introspective of my own teenage years. Thirdly, the immigrant story will speak to you. He discusses the communication and cultural barriers that he had to face and your heart goes out to him.
At the end of the memoir, I was left with wanting more. I felt a kinship for the author and I have never really read the acknowledgements of a book before, but with this one, I read it all. Somehow, I wanted to know more about the person who wrote this memoir because the memoir ends with his graduation from high school. I guess it's a good thing when you leave your readers wanting as opposed to having written more than you should have.
I believe, this book will make an excellent choice for a book club. Lots of issues to discuss.
This book made me happy, made me sad, made me doubt and made me hopeful. This book broke me down and made me whole. It made me believe and made me disbelieve. The memories contained in this book will continue to haunt me for days to come. Read it!