At thirteen, Hong Chi narrowly escapes to America with her family to avoid persecution at the fall of Saigon. Years later, the author recounts her war-torn childhood and harrowing refugee journey in her memoir TigerFish in the form of a letter to her daughter.
The author chronicles her childhood in Vietnam and her coming of age story as she and her family grapple with the loss of their national identity and the challenges of acculturation as refugees in America. It offers poignant passages through the innocent eyes of a teenager, witnessing the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese diaspora, and the jarring acculturation process that follows - all from her deeply personal and honest perspective. Hong Chi eventually discovers her inner "TigerFish" in America and reconciles conflicting cultural expectations - between home and school, east and west, Confucian traditionalism and Western modernity.
"Masterfully integrated into the gripping narrative... entertaining and inspiring, a coming-of-age story that brilliantly handles the theme of survival ... and reads like well-crafted fiction with an exciting setting." Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite 2017 Award Winner. With 76 nearly five-star reviews on Amazon, PBS Rob Stewart announced that "TigerFish is a gift to the world... and inspiring to countless people," and Stephen Magagnini of the Sacramento Bee described it as "A richly detailed journey."