This is a very courageous family who.Left vietnam to come to america. These were Boat people who came to america to start a new life and they knew they could do it.
They had a daughter named Vicky.
When they left vietnam when she was a baby. This was an amazing story how They made an american dream. Vicky had to find her own way through this maze.But she found a really good guy named brian.. She was amazing herself too because she wanted to be a journalist on TV.And she accomplished this. She had a very supportive husband who traveled with her before they were even married He was a Doctor. Things turned around when she joined the cheerleading squad high school. She took after her father because she always was making money. The first trip to Vietnam was an eye opener for them.And then the second trip wished us like being in america. Very well, put together story.How these people made themselves something in america.

A moving story of the NBC reporter's journey as a child from Vietnam to the US. Vicky's family makes the harrowing journey, filled with danger. When they arrive in the US, her parents teach her grit, resilience and to never give up - becoming a star on the Today show for her reporting.

Clearly devoured this book. I will always support biographies and autobiographies telling the Vietnamese American story.

As a Vietnamese American woman living in the Bay Area, this book felt a bit like looking in the mirror. Vicky touches on the difficulty of finding your own footing in a country so foreign to your parents. Her story and dedication to building a strong career to represent our people is truly inspiring.

I’m familiar with Vicky Nguyen from watching the Today Show so it was interesting to hear about her life. This memoir has a lot going on. I don’t think I have ever heard specifics about any of the “boat people” but was aware of Vietnamese people risking their lives to escape communism after the war. I had never really thought about how they had to go to other Asian countries and hire someone to help them make it to the US or find a sponsor. In this memoir, Vicky tells of how her parents risked so much to immigrate, their struggles with employment and culture shock and their dedication to helping Vicky get an education and a career.
The stories around the many different jobs that Vicky’s parents worked were interesting and even colorful at times but also very impressive. I got a little slogged down in the relating of all the different jobs that Vicky had as a journalist while working her way up but no one goes from A to Z so this is a necessary part of her story. I appreciated her candor in revealing her struggles with miscarriages and also around her father’s financial issues. The impact of trading one culture for another is a strong message in this book and overall, it was a very interesting read.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own.

I like to read a lot of memoirs and novels about Vietnam, especially pertaining to those who had to leave and resettle as refugees elsewhere. I also just returned from Southeast Asia and am trying to merge my mental files re what I knew, what I thought I knew, and what I have learned.

I did not know who Vicky Nguyen was prior to reading her book. The beginning of the book details her family's escape from Vietnam following the American war,, an escape that was, in fact, harrowing. Her earlier years of settlement were also well narrated and poignant. I lost interest around a third of the way through, as the author focused on her teen years, her boyfriend and other life activities. The theme of the good, dutiful, Asian daughter did reappear, and that was interesting. But Nguyen's story became less and less interesting to me as the book advanced, and I basically skimmed the last 1/3.

All of that being said, Nguyen should be congratulated for her success in the world of journalism and TV reporting. She rose to the top. on NBC's Today Show. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

#netgalley

This is an average memoir that feels like it was an opportunity for a famous person to write a book rather than a string memoir that reflects on the depth of emotion and experience that readers expect.

“Boat Baby” is an entertaining and illuminating memoir by NBC national news correspondent and anchor Vicky Nguyen that describes her harrowing escape as an infant from communist Vietnam soon after the fall of Saigon to her eventual success at NBC News on the Today Show, NBC Nightly News, and other news programs. She describes in vivid and often amusing detail what life was like growing up the only child of two Vietnamese parents who risked their lives so that she would be able to live freely in the United States. As a first generation American, with both of her parents focused primarily on making money, Vicky was left to her own devices to learn how to be an American and how to fit in with her peers,
how eventually to date, and how to succeed in her life. Evidently, she learned all of these things very well, but she always had the unwavering support of her parents, particularly her mother.

I enjoyed reading this book and learning a little about Vietnam and the Nguyen’s escape. I also enjoyed reading about Vicky’s and her parents struggles and successes as they navigated their way through American culture and the American way of life. I found the amount of dedication and effort it took for Vicky to achieve her goals remarkable; but even more so I found her husband’s dedication to her and her goals even more remarkable. Their love and devotion is inspiring, as are their extended familial bonds on both sides of their families.

Thank you NetGalley, Ms. Nguyen, and Simon & Schuster for an advanced reader’s copy of this book. My review is voluntary.

This was an excellent and interesting book! I knew the author from her work in journalism and seen her interviewed about the book. I was absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to read an ARC through #NetGalley. I thought that Vicky Nguyen shared her story with warmth, humor and honesty. I highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley for this e-copy of Boat Baby by Vickie Nguyen in exchange for a honest review.This is a very well-written first hand account of Vicky Nguyen’s incredible rise from a small child leaving Vietnam after the rise of Communism after the Vietnamese War to learning to acclimate to her new American life in the Pacific Northwest as her parents struggled to better themselves in their new country to finally rising to national acclaim as an investigative journalist on the NBC Today Show.Vicky holds nothing back telling the reader about prejudices she encountered as well as her disagreements with her father about some of his questionable financial dealings.You will finish this book feeling like you have read the story of a close friend.Nguyen draws you in to her story and doesn’t let go until the final page.

I really enjoyed reading Vicky Nguyen's memoir and seeing her parents through her eyes. It's evident that she loves her parents and that they are survivors. I have been really interested in learning more about refugees of the Vietnam war, and of the violence and fear that drove them to leave. It's something that wasn't really covered when I was in school--we barely learned about the Vietnam war, and only from the US POV. Hearing about growing up in an immigrant family and as a child of refugees is fascinating. Then to see how Vicky rose to success as a journalist was also incredibly fascinating and she did a fantastic job sharing her struggles and success.

I really enjoyed this and highly recommend this for libraries and book clubs.

“As refugees, my parents and I have become familiar with the uncertainty of evolving in new spaces. That discomfort has given me something singular and valuable, like a tiny piece of grit that irritates the tissue inside an oyster but eventually forms a pearl. My pearl is understanding what it took to get here, literally. I don't take my life for granted because I know my history.”

3.5 stars!

boat baby, written by nbc news anchor vicky nguyen, tells the story of nguyen’s life starting with her family’s escape from communist vietnam when she was only 8 months old all the way to her rise to fame as a renowned investigative reporter. we learn about her parents’ life in saigon, how they adjusted to living in america, the opportunities they seized and challenges they faced, and the utter amount of sacrifices they made to ensure their daughter could have a better life than them.

nguyen has stated that she wrote this book not only as a tribute to her parents, but also as a love letter to america, a country she finds singularly unique in its upward mobility and plentiful opportunities. especially during a time when our country is so fraught with division, this book shows what it is to love a country and be grateful for the privileges you gain from living in it while still being able to critique its flaws and fight for it to be better.

the most compelling part of this book to me was its focus on the immigrant experience and the tangled web of emotions that come with it. we see it in nguyen’s relationship with her parents and how as she grows older, she struggles with feelings of guilt and questions about what she owes them (especially her father) in return for all their sacrifices.

“But my mom and dad never talked about prejudice or racism, and I didn't bring it up. I suspected they were targets too, but they did not complain or explain. We just endured it. Their attitude was Why bother being upset? Who cares if some people treat you badly? Life is too short to dwell on those indignities and injustices. Just find another way.”

this quote in particular stood out to me. it is the mentality of many first-gen immigrants: heads down survival at any cost. it reminds me a lot of a hasan minhaj quote that i love from his first comedy special: “My dad’s from that generation where he feels like if you come to this country, you pay the American dream tax. You endure racism, and if it doesn’t cost you your life, pay it. There you go, Uncle Sam. But for me, I was born here. So I actually have the audacity of equality. I’m like, ‘I’m in Honors Gov, I have it right here. Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. All men created equal.’ It says it right here, I’m equal. I’m equal. I don’t deserve this.” as second-gen immigrants, we are afforded the opportunity to push back, to ask for and receive more than our parents ever did, more than they could ever hope for, more than they ever knew existed. and with this truth comes guilt, guilt that the only reason we are able to do these things is because of the very fact that our parents were not.

this book reads less like a cohesive narrative and more like a series of chronological vignettes, which i generally do not mind. however, many of them had a repetitive anecdotal structure that introduced a life struggle nguyen was going through and ended with a neatly wrapped bow of a defining moral that helped her get through it. it all felt a little too aesop’s fable-y and heavy-handed for my liking.

this memoir did not blow me away but it was definitely a pleasant read, and nguyen’s humor and personality shone throughout. i had no idea who she was before picking this up, but i imagine if you are a fan of her and regularly watch her on tv this would be an incredibly enjoyable read!

ty to netgalley for the e-arc!

I don't watch broadcast news (or really watch the news at all), so I had no idea who Vicky Nguyen is, but the description of her story intrigued me! I think it was an interesting read into the complexity of what the immigrant experience can be, and there were a lot of deep insights that could be applied to many areas and situations that I think people will definitely resonate with.

This was a quick read about the author and her family’s immigration story. The stories are short and punchy. Unfortunately the writing style of this book did not work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to have an advanced reader copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!

I wasn’t familiar with Vicky Nguyen before picking up this book, even though I live in the Bay Area, where she and her family lived for a long time. This is a memoir of her life, starting when her family fled Communist Vietnam and eventually settled in the United States. I enjoyed the first half of the book – reading about their escape and their settling in to life in the U.S. I knew a lot of the areas she wrote about and was familiar with the television station where she first worked. The less successful part for me was the behind-the-scenes workings of a television news show – I was more interested in her personal story. However, she’s a good writer (to be expected of a journalist, of course), and consequently, this was a fast , interesting read for me. Thank-you to Ms. Nguyen, Simon and Schuster, and NetGalley for the ARC of this title.

3.5

I found the first half of this book interesting. The family's flight from Saigon captured my attention more than the second half. The family went through some difficult times, but nothing too devastating. It seems unusual for immigrants to come to the U.S. for the first time and open their own businesses, but Nguyen's parents had determination and worked hard. The author herself also did well and works for a television network.

Boat Baby is an easy to read story of an immigrant family, even if you're not familiar with Vicky Nguyen from the Today Show. The story covers her parents escape from Vietnam when Vicky was a small child, to her childhood moving around with her parents as her dad tried out different enterprises, to her education, career as a journalist, and family. Vicky is a likable author and this is a good book to read, even if it's not a totally new story.

Thank you net gallery for the advanced copy of this book. Thank you, Vicky, for sharing your story of hope. This book details the author's life coming to the US as an infant and a refugee. She shares her struggles and achievements in creating a life for herself. I would definitely recommend.

In her new memoir, Today Show news correspondent, Vicky Nguyen, discusses her parents’ experiences in communist Vietnam, their narrow yet successful escape, and their bravery in leaving everything and everyone behind to give their daughter a better life in America.

It was inspiring to read about their journey and their never-ending determination to succeed in a new country, starting from literal scratch. I enjoyed learning about the Vietnamese culture and what Vicky and her family faced on a daily basis.

She also chronicles her schooling and career paths, as well as marrying her high school sweetheart and eventually, having children.

Admittedly, I enjoyed the parts about her family and Vietnamese culture the most, but this memoir as a whole was compelling, and at times, humorous.

Boat baby is Vicky Nguyen’s journey through life from escaping communist of Vietnam as a baby, to becoming an inspirational investigational journalist. Through her story, she gives a multigenerational perspective and describes her experience of maintaining, cultural traditions, navigating a new culture, and achieving her dreams. Her resilience is so apparent, not only through the story she tells, but how she tells her story. Particularly, in this current political climate, many of the issues she touches on including racism and bias against immigrants feel even more important than they ever have before. Also, as someone who usually reads romance, I love the love story between her and her husband and the way she speaks about him with so much admiration and respect. Thank you, Vicky Nguyen for sharing your story.

I already had a high regard for Vicky, one of my favorites on the Today Show. She is one of the hardest working journalists in broadcasting today. This memoir starts with her family’s courageous escape from Vietnam, a shocking heartbreak with the murder of her uncle (and how that comes full circle), her parent’s hard work and hustle to experience the American Dream of entrepreneurship and the financial hardship that can come with it. She honestly admitted taking advantage of her parents at a young age as they often took her word for it that her way was the way it was done in America.

Vicky’s intelligence, work ethic and confidence were evident. And how she even researched and read books on how to be successful, and used that advice in her job interviews and salary negotiations. She was not afraid to stand up for herself in the workplace and wasn’t willing to take no for an answer. It was an interesting contrast to her dutiful daughter persona at home.

The chapters relating to her investigative reporting career were so interesting and her passion for her work was so evident. I loved her recount of her early years, her mistakes and her own hustle for success and how it ultimately led to her current position on NBC’s Today Show.

It was so eye opening to have Vicky explain what is expected from the children within her culture, and how the lack of emotional support from her parents were the norm. Heartbreaking were the descriptions of racism that she and others experienced, especially during the Covid pandemic, but even as a young girl.

Vicky so openly shared her experiences with pregnancy losses, the birth of her daughters, and her questions about her own ability to be a good mother. My heart broke that she sometimes felt her girls were better off when her own mother was caring for them. It is one of the few times she showed a lack of self esteem.

She successfully expresses her gratitude to her parents despite a difficult relationship with her father which she so vulnerably shared. I am awed by her husband who not only encouraged each promotion, he uprooted his own career when her opportunity for a dream national job at NBC was offered in NY. The book ended soon after their arrival and I’d love a follow up since Brian was not looking forward to this move. I’m left wondering if he’s warmed up to the East Coast!