Spirit of a Hummingbird is a memoir written by the daughter of a mafia boss, who was on the run.

For those interested in true crime, this is a great, quick read to grab. Felicia Thai Heath tells her story, from the time she was a child and the rollercoaster ride of a life she lived with a "wanted" father. Her account is real and raw and inspiring for those who want to tell their own story. This can't have been an easy story to recount, write or make public, but Felicia left it all on the table, the good and the bad and you can't help but admire her brutal honesty and heartbreak.

I listened to this on audio book and the author is also the narrator.

I give Spirit of a Hummingbird 4/5 stars.

I don’t have words for how beautiful and heartbreaking this book is. As the daughter of a Chinese Vietnamese immigrant myself, there is so much here that resonated with me—sometimes at a painful level.

With no disrespect toward the author and her candor in sharing her story, I feel like this story is my own alternate reality. So many names, places, and experiences are the same. Of course, some of them are very different too, and I want to honor her own unique story. But I find myself asking… Did our fathers ever cross paths on the refugee island that they both were on? What if her dad had gone to Iowa and mine to Massachusetts?

There are too many similarities for comfort, and I feel a sort of sad kinship to Felicia in all of it. But I’m grateful for her inspiring story of resilience. It’s a reminder that I can heal, too.

P.S. If you know me, and you decide to read this book, please talk to me about it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Greenleaf Audiobooks, and Felicia Thai Heath for an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review. Your story has great impact.