On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong is a beautiful memoir of a Vietnamese American man finding his way in two cultures, caught between two worlds - one at home and one outside of the home.When he is small, his mother and grandmother move him to the US, to Harford, Connecticut. His father was an American soldier he has not met. He is called Little Dog in the Vietnamese custom of not praising a good looking child and possibly calling trouble.
His mother and grandmother work hard to make sure he can have a good, American life. His story is largely about the relationship between him and them.
Each sentence packs a punch by this poet author. Covering many real topics throughout the story including race, class, masculinity, sexuality, addiction, violence and trauma, and first love. This is powerful storytelling that also about how to tell stories.
Read this beautiful, difficult story.
Vuong, Ocean. (2019). On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous. New York: Penguin Press.
