Hurting and Hoping

I'm not a huge graphic book fan, but on the recommendation of a friend, picked this one up. Author Thien Pham tells, in his bouncy, cartoony way, of his family's journey from Vietnam to the United States, and their trials once they arrive. From the depths of horror to the lofty ingenuity of a family who always finds a way, his pages are packed with layers of nuance. It can be a quick read, or one you read over and over, seeing things in a different way with each view. Very thought-provoking.

Intricately Woven

Part history lesson, love story, tragedy, and victory, this story pulls you in and holds you close throughout. It is surprisingly direct and harsh, but also beautifully meandering at times, yet there are no wasted words. The heroine is a teenager when we meet her, and she grows up in every way as the story pages by. Poignant, deep, sad and sweet.

Surprisingly Uplifting

I thought reading this book by a hospice nurse about caring for those in their final days would be painful to read and just kind of depressing. Nothing could be further from the truth. From lessons imparted by those who wish they'd done things a little differently to mind-bending revelations from those with one foot in each world, each page softens the perceptions of what we tend to fear--the unknown. Hadley was clearly destined to do this work, and her stories give us an inkling of how we can do ours, up to and during our own finale.