"In dark times like these, the ability to find what binds us is vital. In Monkey Bridges and Bánh Mì Sandwiches, Oanh Ngo Usadi brings empathy and vivid storytelling to her young life as a Vietnamese girl fleeing the country with her family after the Vietnam War. At once an ode to the beauty of her home country and a harrowing depiction of the horrors of leaving it for an uncertain new life, Monkey Bridges is the sort of book we need right now, to remind us that for all our differences, we share love, fear, and the hope of redemption. As Usadi and her family slowly adjust to their new lives in Texas, it becomes clear that theirs is a quintessentially American story."
— Julie Powell, author of best-selling memoir, Julie & Julia, later made into a movie
In the aftermath of the Vietnam War, a young girl and her family were exiled from city living in Saigon to the countryside of Vietnam and ultimately escaped to a small town in Texas. Part travelogue, part family drama, part cookbook this quietly affecting immigrant memoir will make you laugh, cry, and hungry all at the same time. Through each traumatic transition, Oanh Ngo Usadi retains her optimism as she and her family adapt to new environments and cultures in their journey to become Americans.
"This memoir is gripping and well crafted...Beautifully written" - Publishers Weekly BookLife Prize (FINALIST, #1 Memoir in 2018)
"A poignant memoir of courage and resilience." - BookBub featured memoir (2019)
"An engaging tale of coming to America and becoming an American." - James Taranto, Op-Ed editor of The Wall Street Journal
"Heartrending and funny" - Voice of America Press Conference USA
"The story is authentic, powerful, sad and beautiful...a very easy read" - John Migueis, msw, lcsw of My Hope Therapy Services
Featured memoir at Morristown Festival of Books 2018
