In her new memoir, Today Show news correspondent, Vicky Nguyen, discusses her parents’ experiences in communist Vietnam, their narrow yet successful escape, and their bravery in leaving everything and everyone behind to give their daughter a better life in America.

It was inspiring to read about their journey and their never-ending determination to succeed in a new country, starting from literal scratch. I enjoyed learning about the Vietnamese culture and what Vicky and her family faced on a daily basis.

She also chronicles her schooling and career paths, as well as marrying her high school sweetheart and eventually, having children.

Admittedly, I enjoyed the parts about her family and Vietnamese culture the most, but this memoir as a whole was compelling, and at times, humorous.

Boat baby is Vicky Nguyen’s journey through life from escaping communist of Vietnam as a baby, to becoming an inspirational investigational journalist. Through her story, she gives a multigenerational perspective and describes her experience of maintaining, cultural traditions, navigating a new culture, and achieving her dreams. Her resilience is so apparent, not only through the story she tells, but how she tells her story. Particularly, in this current political climate, many of the issues she touches on including racism and bias against immigrants feel even more important than they ever have before. Also, as someone who usually reads romance, I love the love story between her and her husband and the way she speaks about him with so much admiration and respect. Thank you, Vicky Nguyen for sharing your story.

I already had a high regard for Vicky, one of my favorites on the Today Show. She is one of the hardest working journalists in broadcasting today. This memoir starts with her family’s courageous escape from Vietnam, a shocking heartbreak with the murder of her uncle (and how that comes full circle), her parent’s hard work and hustle to experience the American Dream of entrepreneurship and the financial hardship that can come with it. She honestly admitted taking advantage of her parents at a young age as they often took her word for it that her way was the way it was done in America.

Vicky’s intelligence, work ethic and confidence were evident. And how she even researched and read books on how to be successful, and used that advice in her job interviews and salary negotiations. She was not afraid to stand up for herself in the workplace and wasn’t willing to take no for an answer. It was an interesting contrast to her dutiful daughter persona at home.

The chapters relating to her investigative reporting career were so interesting and her passion for her work was so evident. I loved her recount of her early years, her mistakes and her own hustle for success and how it ultimately led to her current position on NBC’s Today Show.

It was so eye opening to have Vicky explain what is expected from the children within her culture, and how the lack of emotional support from her parents were the norm. Heartbreaking were the descriptions of racism that she and others experienced, especially during the Covid pandemic, but even as a young girl.

Vicky so openly shared her experiences with pregnancy losses, the birth of her daughters, and her questions about her own ability to be a good mother. My heart broke that she sometimes felt her girls were better off when her own mother was caring for them. It is one of the few times she showed a lack of self esteem.

She successfully expresses her gratitude to her parents despite a difficult relationship with her father which she so vulnerably shared. I am awed by her husband who not only encouraged each promotion, he uprooted his own career when her opportunity for a dream national job at NBC was offered in NY. The book ended soon after their arrival and I’d love a follow up since Brian was not looking forward to this move. I’m left wondering if he’s warmed up to the East Coast!

Although Vicky Nguyen is on a popular broadcast news network, I have never heard of her. The first half of this book describes her parents background, their leaving Vietnam, and her early years; these were great reading. I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author and loved hearing the Vietnamese pronunciation, even though it may be an Americanized version as she states.

Somewhere along the way the story seemed to lose some focus, or maybe it was my interest. There were some things discussed, talked about in the book that wasn’t full explored, left me as a reader wondering why was that included. Other times, a situation felt important to her and her family, but not to me as a reader. Maybe I just don’t get memoirs sometimes.

For myself the ending was abrupt, or overall there was a missing part of the book, what exactly I’m not entirely sure. Maybe it is emotion, although that is not fully absent. In any case, I’m glad I read this book, learned about another person’s lived experience which is different than mine. There definitely needs to be more books like this.
Book rating: 3.5

enjoyed hearing about how Vicky moved through her career and got to where she is now. At some points, especially in the first half, this book felt a bit ummm, unfeeling I guess? Which, to be fair, when you’re living through really big important life moments at 8 years old, you don’t necessarily feel feelings proportionate to the moment.

I guess the way I would say it is that Vicky talks about her parents not being terribly emotionally available to her and I could really feel that in the first half of the book. That lack of feeling left me a bit uninterested but I’m glad I continued on with reading it.

I enjoyed listening and it is cool to hear about other people’s experiences but, for me, this one fell a little flat.

Copy kindly provided for review by publisher via NetGalley:)

It is difficult for me to rate memoirs and auto-biographies, as I find it very skewed to critique someone's personal story and writing.

If one can do their best to separate themselves from the personalization of this memoir, readers will still find it hard not to enjoy this story of a family fleeing an emerging communist Vietnam, hoping for a better future in America. Vicky Nguyen seems to just scratch the surface of what it is like to be an immigrant, and a female, Asian immigrant in a new world, and the nuances of discrimination and racism she and her family faces. Vicky also explores the differences between what it means to be a dutiful daughter in a culture which differs than her partner's relationship and dynamic with his own family. What breaks my heart, is her ability to speak about her parents and their struggle to find their place in the world.

The one part of the book that I found hard to read through was the time during Covid. After reading multiple books with a Covid timeline, I felt a bit exhausted of being affronted with the topic. I do not want to discredit the increased racism against Asians during this time, as it was very real and the actions that occurred were unforgivable.

Thank you Vicky Nguyen for putting your life story and being even more vulnerable to the world.

Thank you Netgalley, Simon & Schuster and the author for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.

I will be posting to socials.

“To make a living in communist Vietnam, you had to hustle,” Vicky Nguyen writes, and her parents were hustlers.

After America left Vietnam, Vicky Nguyen’s family illegally found passage out of the country on a boat. They were lucky; their boat didn’t capsize and pirates didn’t rape and murder them. They lived in a camp of forty thousand until they were able to gain entry into the United States.

The Nguyen family hustled to build their American Dream. Vicky had her challenges, but she was a hustler, too, and after she determined her life’s goal, she made it to the top as a news anchor on the Today Show.

Her family’s story is an immigrant story we have heard before, of people who start with nothing but their determination and smarts and make a good life, allowing their child to achieve an even greater life.

It is a story about family mutually supporting each other, parents giving a child the chance to bloom, and the child supporting the parents after they achieve success. It is about a lifetime commitment to one’s soul mate and the sacrifices made for your partner.

Visits to her birth country brought a feeling of belonging because she was finally with people who looked like her, and the awareness of the great privileges afforded her because her parents had made it to America.

Nguyen discusses her work and stories that garnered awards, harassment and support from workers, the fight for an equitable salary, racism and Covid era anti-Asian hate. Most of all, she shares her gratitude for her lucky life and the parents who taught her how to be a good daughter, wife, and mother.

Lastly, she writes, “We all have a sphere of influence,” encouraging us to “choose to foster empathy and understanding in your everyday actions.”

Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.

Vicky Nguyen is the well known news anchor of CNN and NBC. In her memoir Boat Baby, she tells the story of her live and that of her parents. When Vicky was a baby in the 1980's, her parents fled communist post-war Vietnam by boat, and after a dangerous journey on sea, they landed on refugee camp in Malaysia. Vicky's mother had worked for the Holt adoption organisation back in Saigon. While they where in the refugee camp, she wrote a letter to the Holt organisation in the USA, asking for sponsorship to get her family to the United States, which worked, and where Vicky's life started in Eugene, Oregon and later Reno and San Jose. Vicky's parents had worked day and night, worked their way up and they became financially stable. For Vicky, it was not always easy growing up as a Vietnamese immigrant; she was always seen as a different outsider. After high school, she studied at the University of San Francisco where she graduated in communcation, after she found her passion in journalism during this study.
She describes how her succesfull career started; starting as a reporter at local news stations before landing her role at NBC News in New York. Meanwhile, she has a long distance relationship with Brian, during the book, we learn about their challenges and sacrifices they made because of the long distance, and the moves to other cities Vicky has because of her work, and the strained relationship with her father because of his unresponsible behaviour with money and doing business.

Vicky's memoir is a true and honest look into her life, both personally and professionally. Vicky truly knows how to engage her audience with her story, which is not surprising as she is an accomplished news anchor. She shares the most personal things about her life and that of her parents, and this book shares an honest picture of what it is like to grow up as a second generation Vietnamese immigrant in the USA. A topic that is more actual than ever now.

Boat Baby is a beautifully written and moving memoir, that is also a joy to read. I recommend you to read it too!

This was a quick read! Very interesting to read her family’s journey! I was nit aware of Vicky Nguyen prior to Boat Baby.

Thank you to netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This is a well written memoir from famed journalist, Vicky Nguyen. She came to America as a child with her parents. She and her family struggled as immigrants. It was a huge cultural shock, but they learned to adjust even though they faced hardships and discrimination. I liked reading about her parents and attending college as a journalism major. Good book but a little uneven at times. Very informative.

I LOVED Boat Baby.

One reason I did love it was the writing. The way Vicky tells her story through the pages. It is so beautiful but, at the same time, raw, vulnerable, and honest.

The story, at first might seem unbelievable, the way the flew Vietnam, the boat, and the waiting, to be able to come to the United States, but I strongly believe, Vicky and her family were meant to be here, and even though it was clearly not easy, but I am happy for her and her family that they made it, and how Vicky's career blossomed and now we have the pleasure to read her story.

Her love story, her relationship with her husband, is something else I loved. Trough it all, definitely. And how Vicky despite everything, always made sure her parents were well taken care of.

Overall, I loved this book. A very good example of resilience, sacrifice, family and love.

Thank you, Simon & Schuster and NetGalley, for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A delight from the beginning to the end, Vicky Nguyen's resilience, journey, and transformative character building moments made me wish she wrote a sequel because I can still learn so much from her.

Vicky Nguyen's memoir of strength, change, adaptability, family and love was a delight to read from start to finish.

**Thank you Net Galley for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.**

Vicky Nguyen's writing in BOAT BABY is so warm and engaging it feels like a friend telling her family history over a long lunch. The author provides difficult material in a way that's easy to understand yet does not sugar-coat her experiences or family's experiences as immigrants. I look forward to recommending this book to my students and possibly using it for a creative nonfiction class. Vicky Nguyen's story resonates whether you're familiar with her reporting or not. I appreciate that her book brings more Vietnamese representation to the memoirs written by AAPI writers.

I heard about this on the Today Show and was delighted to be able to pre read Vicky Nguyen’s memoir. Wow! I enjoyed how easy a read it was as if she was relating her story in a regular conversation. Quite detailed, Vicky and her parents faced a perilous journey to freedom out of Vietnam. It was this courage that allowed her parents to succeed and yet later struggle in America. But underlying it all, is the devotion to each other and to raise each other up, valuing each other and their belief in personal freedom and happiness. They worked hard and continue to do so, taking nothing for granted. Inspiring, it was refreshing and affirming to see Vicky and her family show such fortitude and belief in the power of family. As Americans, we take a lot for granted. This book will help you take a fresh perspective for all that you have. Good book, well done. Many thanks to #netgalley #boatbaby #vickynguyen for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A beautiful memoir a true insight of the immigrants experience in America.A warm memoir at times funny and I enjoyed reading about her relationship with Brian her husband. Wonderful enjoyable book.#NetGalley #s&s

This memoir was an empowering read. I didn’t know who Vicky Nguyen was before this novel. I don’t watch the tv in general, but I am now a fan! To read about the struggles of living as an immigrant and overcoming them to build a successful career and family, truly was inspiring. As a second generation from another country, to see the similarities and differences was a fun ride as well. And as a woman, I will be asking for my fair pay with confidence! Thank you, Vicky.

Thank you netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A thoughtful look at Nguyen's journey but more importantly at her parents, who brought her to the US as, well, a boat baby. This covers their lives as well as her own. Some of her experience might be familiar and she does skim lightly over some of it but there is also insight into her determination to succeed. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A good read.

This book tells the story of Vicky Nguyen’s life from before she was born, to around COVID time 2021. This book follows Vicky and her parents’ journey from leaving communist Vietnam to making a name for themselves in the United States as Vietnamese refugees. We get Vicky’s narrative of what her life was like growing up as a young Vietnamese girl in America, to becoming a news anchor on the Today Show!

I thought this book was great. I feel bad rating it since this is the story of Vicky’s real life, but for the sake of my review I will be rating it. I enjoyed this book as I feel that we got to see a sneak peak into Vicky’s upbringing, her relationship with her parents, and her journey to becoming a prominent news anchor. I appreciated all that Vicky had to say about being a refugee trying to ‘make it’ in America, and the toll it took on her parents. I think that was well fleshed out and thoroughly discussed.

I do however think that she didn’t talk too much about what her experience was like being an Asian female. We didn’t get to see how the intersection of these 2 identities affected her growing up & how that translated into her adulthood & her career. I think we didn’t get some really tender moments, but I was expecting a bit more in this department. I’m not trying to brush off all the vulnerable moments that she shared with the reader, but I do think some parts could’ve gone more in-depth. Part of this memoir felt a bit surface level.

I think also that the memoir wrapped up rather quickly. I think the takeaway that Vicky left the reader with was a bit rushed & felt somewhat out of place. I say it felt out of place because the last chapter is about an injury her father sustained, and then the very last page contains her reflections. I think instead of being a page long it could’ve been a whole chapter.

Aside from all of these critiques I did really enjoy the memoir. It had short, easily digestible chapters and I feel like we really got to see Vicky’s life come together in so many different ways. Overall I do recommend this for anyone interested in learning more about Vicky Nguyen!

This is such a light review compared to what I normally write but I was pretty let down by this memoir and the way it depicted growing up in America as Asian American, while relatable, was just disappointing when considering how Nguyen looks back on the time. There are SO MANY moments of internalized misogyny and internalized anti-Asian racism even in her "current" musings that it was honestly just upsetting. Her and her parents deserve the best in the world, especially after everything they went through immigrating from Vietnam, but it's such a formulaic and typical praising of America and white people that I grew up with and out of, that it's disheartening to read that someone as accomplished and brilliant as Nguyen has yet to grow out of, or at least depict it.