I went into this little book relatively blind, and was delighted by the intent of the story. I do what I can to give back to my community and learn from others. I’ve spent thousand of hours assisting victims of crime, and it’s important that my children understand that some kids come from scary places. I want to teach them empathy and love, and reading a kids book about a refugee family is a perfect example of the compassion we should have for others. This is a beautiful book, and I loved the sound effects. Excellent job to all involved.

I loved the narration of this story. It is easy to read and engaging for everyone. The incorporation of sound effects in the background bring the story to life.

This is an excellent book about adapting to a new country and refugees. Could used as therapeutic tool as well accepting two aspects of oneself. Narration was excellent. Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for granting me access to this wonderful audiobook.

This book shares a wonderful story about a child's experience when they moved from Vietnam to the United States of America. This is definitely a story that converts well to audio. The narrator does an excellent job and the sound effects used really bring the story to life. I think this would be a great story for students to listen to during centers and there are a lot of followup activities and worksheets that could be completed during this lesson. I'd love to get my hands on a printed version of this story, because I am sure the illustrations are just as lively as the audio.

I Am Both: A Vietnamese Refugee Story by Kerisa Greene
I listened to the audio and loved the background sounds. The author writes of the "music of the street" in both Viet Nam and in America, and the audio plays up this aspect of the story. The protagonist Huong/Jennifer adjusts nicely to her new home in America. She has her family and her culture; she realizes home is anywhere with family, and she embraces both identities.

I received a copy of this audiobook for a honest review from netGalley.

I love this sweet look at both Vietnam and the United States. The sounds effects really brought the story to life and differentiated between the two countries. The facts of being a refugee in a new country were easily convened though this story for a young audiences ability to understand. I would highly recommend this audiobook.

I loved this book so much. The background music made this book so much more enjoyable. I really liked that this book was about a girl melting her two worlds together. From being an immigrant to finding a new home in America, it gave me a sense of confidence that I'm sure many immigrants would have appreciated reading more about growing up.

I am Both
by Kerisa Greene
Pub April 09,2024
What a beautiful book about finding their own identity as they move from Vietnam to America. The audio version was simply divine. I so enjoyed this and think that children will enjoy all the sounds that go with this version. It doesn't beat the real experience but is pretty close. The way the smells come alive and the sounds come through. I would highly recommend this book for all curious kiddos.

Thank you MacMillian Audio and NetGalley for the Advanced Audio Book. Keep reading and finding your next adventure in black and white.

As a first generation Vietnamese American with kids, I thought this book was really great. My girls loved the graphic sounds in the audio.

I Am Both is a cute children’s book. Unfortunately I did not feel making it into an audiobook was a good fit. The background sounds were too loud most of the time, making it hard to hear the story. Also the repetition of words, while it would be great in a physical book, was annoying in the audio. In my opinion, this story would be best in a physical picture book. The audio version just falls short of this book’s potential. Making the audiobook longer (into a chapter book) would have been better as well.

I listened to this one. It was short, but got a whole story out in that time. At times it felt like the background noise was too overwhelming and grating. I do understand they are trying to get through the Vietnamese sounds, but it just gelt like to much and jarring. Otherwise the narration was great. I listened at my usual 2x the speed with no issues what so ever. I like that this child has embraced being Vietnamese and American and realizes that she/h can be both.

Such an adorable listen! I love that this wasn't just the usual reading of the book but it also included the sound of the bike, pho, music...

This is a children's story about refugee life, featuring fleeing Saigon for a new home in the US. While I listened to this on audio, I would be interested in a print copy for my various younger cousins. I could hear the noisy streets and smell the durian.

A sweet story of a little refugee girl coming to America from war torn Vietnam, this hit close to home as it’s fairly close to my own story. It was fun to read and I’m excited to share this story with my daughter, a first generation mixed Vietnamese American.

However, for the audiobook, I do wish the narrator had better pronunciations of Vietnamese words, especially given that many of them are very popular dishes.

A must read story about immigration. Kerisa Greene beautifully shares Huong's experiences in Vietnam and America, through sight, sound and smell. Great narration, sound design and special effects to enhance the listening experience and help the reader to visualize the story.

This was a really great story. I would definitely read this with my kids. The audio was awesome, the background noises and narrator were perfect

This is a very cute little audiobook about a little girl fleeing Vietnam as a refugee with her family. It describes her emotions and her journey to accepting her identity, as she accepts her new life. The sound effects are fun and the little girl/narrator is very likeable. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook