A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain is a Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of short stories by Robert Olen Butler. Wikipedia says,
Each story in the collection is narrated by a different Vietnamese immigrant living in the US state of Louisiana. The stories are largely character-driven, with cultural differences between Vietnam and the United States as an important theme.You can read one of the stories online here. Crickets begins,
They call me Ted where I work and they've called me that for over a đecade now and it still bothers me, though I'm not very happy about my real name being the same as the former President of the former Republic of Vietnam. Thiệu is not an uncommon name in my homeland and my mother had nothing more in mind than a long-dead uncle when she gave it to me. But in lake Charles, Louisiana, I am Ted. I guess the other Mr. Thiệu has enough of my former country's former gold bullion tucked away so that in London, where he probably wears a bowler and carries a rolled umbrella, nobody's calling him anything but Mr. Thiệu.
I hear myself sometimes and I sound pretty bitter, I guess. But I don't let that out at the refinery, where I'm the best chemical engineer they've got and they even admit it once in a while.
Posts
...over the years I've read many stories of the Vietnamese immigrants living in Louisiana and they were pretty!
ReplyDeleteThis book was my first experience.
DeleteThis sounds interesting. You sure pick some good reading. Have a great day. Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteI love finding things like this online. The hunt is as good as the reading :)
DeleteI'm anxious to read the rest of this. There was a large Vietnamese community in a small town near where I lived in MO. The community had a hard time getting used to them being there and I think they had a hard time because they felt like they didn't fit in either world. They were certainly smarter in school, more dedicated employees, and very loyal. To think we raped and pillaged their homeland, then turned our backs on them after they saw us as their friends and saviors. Sounds a bit like modern day Trumpism (sorry, off my soap box now).
ReplyDeleteSoapboxes on either side are always welcome here :) If we can't talk about all this we're doomed :(
DeleteSo interesting, I like the idea of finding out about the cultural differences 😁. Wishing you a Happy Friday and Weekend! Take care! Hugs, Jo x
ReplyDeleteYes! Discovering insights into other cultures adds a depth to the reading for me.
DeleteThis sounds interesting. Thanks. Have a great weekend, Valerie
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, yes :) I thought so.
DeleteThank you for helping me to expand my horizons
ReplyDeleteReading Pulitzer Prize-winning fiction will definitely expand your horizons :)
DeleteThis book sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteI thought so :)
Delete