Vietnamerica by gb tran

Gb tran accomplishes this in his graphic novel, vietnamerica. My dad was in vietnam when i was born and missed the first six months of my life. It is a story that is told in flashbacks and fragments as gb tran. Tran is proof that there is perhaps no greater story than the personal tran explores the personal intensely in vietnamerica. A familys journey, by gb giabao tran, published by villard in 2011, is the first vietnamese american graphicmemoir. Vietnamerica has been compared to maus, and while thats to be expected, it would be unfortunate if people ignored it because they thought it was a copy of that august work. Vietnamerica is the featurelength follow up to the awardwinning short doc, master hoas requiem. Born in america one year after his family fled warsavaged saigon, giabao gb tran grew up in south carolina, blissfully unaware of the sacrifices and hardships that marked his parents harrowing escape from vietnam. Trans character designs, halfway between portrait and caricature, are each memorable, a feat achieved despite having a neardostoevskyan total of 17 named characters, most of which also appear as both children and adults. Vietnamerica is an unforgettable story of family revelation and reconnectionand a new graphicmemoir classic. Tran used this technique very efficiently and purposely. Gb tran was discovered at san diegos comic con, when a random house editor stopped by trans booth and took an interest in his selfpublished comic books. In gb trans, graphic novel, vietnamerica, there were some panels that stuck out the most to me. Cartoonist gb tran portrays his parents escape to the u.

In the graphic memoir vietnamerica, gb tran depicts his grandparents and parents stories revolving around the japanese invasion of french indochina and the vietnam war. In the center of tris trauma is the absence of his father, huu nghiep, who left the family to help. Gb tran is a young vietnamese american artist who grew up distant from and largely indifferent to his familys history. Based on his familys history, vietnamerica explores the vietnam war and its impact on. So one redeye flight later, im back in brooklyn and excited to get back to work. A familys journey is an excellent example of the unique impact to be found in graphic novels where the interplay of text and image can combine to create a deeper emotional impact on the reader. Vietnamerica by gb tran overdrive rakuten overdrive. A familys journey provides a window into the past with illustrations about his familys personal history across generations and different continents. The art is expressive, colorful even in the bw portions. Vietnamerica download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl, mobi.

A familys journey occupies the messy middle ground of that question. Following in the footsteps of art spiegelmans maus 1991 and marjane. To me, the eisner ceremony simultaneously marked the end of a long, unpredictable, wondrous, journey with vietnamerica as well as beginning its. Based on his familys history, vietnamerica explores the vietnam war and its impact on families, lives. About the author giabao aka gb tran was born in south carolina in 1976, a year after his parents fled vietnam. Cartoonist giabao tran illustrates his familys narrative through the filter of the past a man without history is a tree without roots confucius ranked as a top 10 graphic memoirs of all time by time magazine, vietnamerica. He aspires to continue living the good life as a brooklyn cartoonistillustrator thanks, in large part, to the endless patience of his wife. Traumatic analepsis and ligne claire in gb tran s vietnamerica harriet earle. Tran, is a personal narrative in the form of a graphic novel that follows tran, a second generation american from vietnam, as he decides to delve into the history of vietnam after he visits the country for the first time to attend his grandparents funeral, and realizes how little he knows about his familys history throughout the text tran goes back three. Uprooting genealogy in gb tran s vietnamerica maureen shay.

Giabao tran ought to be a more major creator in the world of comics, and with vietnamerica, lets hope hes moved into that group. Born in 1976 in south carolina, tran was separated by. Gb tran accomplishes these with vietnamericathe first by simply presenting an interesting story in interesting terms and the second by crafting something of a critique of the common western gaze that is neither pedantic nor patronizing but, almost as if by accident, simply is. Book trailer for gb trans graphic memoir vietnamerica published by random house film by joe tomcho music by garth stevenson. Vietnamerica gb tran is a young vietnamese american artist who grew up distant from and largely indifferent to his familys history. Vietnamerica gb tran is a young vietnamese american artist who grew up distant from and. A familys journey 9780345508720 by tran, gb and a great selection of similar new, used and collectible books available now at great prices. Uprooting genealogy in gb trans vietnamerica maureen shay. A familys journey by gb tran published by villard random house publishers if you have ever felt a connection to the immigrant experience, if you are born of a generation that benefited from the bruises and blood of the one that came before, then this memoir will resonate as literature rarely does. Giabao aka gb tran was born in south carolina in 1976, a year after his parents fled vietnam. Here, kyphong sits down with gb tran for an intimate conversation on the process and the creation of his epic story.

Through the stories of trans extended family, vietnamerica engages the. Vietnamerica vietnamerica is a documentary about the. Gb trans vietnamerica, published in 2011, continues this important cultural and political work and, i would argue, is an exemplar of the incredible representational and pedagogical potential of asian american graphic narrative. Post comic riffs contributor winyan soo hoo was particularly moved by g. After securing a book deal and advance for vietnamerica, tran was able to take two years off from his day job as a commercial illustrator to focus on the memoir. Vietnamerica gb tran is a young vietnamese american artist. Gb trans memoir of his immigrant parents ranges widely, jumping from modern times, to vietnam war times, to french indochina times. Black bleeds and the sites of a trauma in gb trans. Traumatic analepsis and ligne claire in gb trans vietnamerica harriet earle. I create work for eclectic clientsfrom multibillion dollar global companies to small neighborhood businessesdeeply rooted in emotion and story.

Vietnamerica ebook by gb tran 9780345544490 rakuten kobo. Vietnamerica is a visually stunning portrait of survival, escape, and reinvention and of the gift of the american immigrants dream, passed on to. Vietnamerica has some affecting sequences, a potentially fascinating family history, and occasionally memorable art. I reread understanding comics every time i start a new project, so to unexpectedly be talking with him about vietnamerica was an honor ill be carrying to my deathbed. Gb tran s memoir of his immigrant parents ranges widely, jumping from modern times, to vietnam war times, to french indochina times. Tran included various, bright drawings throughout chapter two. In particular, trans father, tri, experienced traumatic events while he was in vietnam. Vietnamerica, gb tran much madness is divinest sense.

Vietnamerica is about the journey of the tran family to america south carolina from saigon during the vietnam war. A superb new graphic memoir in which an inspired artiststoryteller. You can still sense the colors and the expressiveness and just plain damn good. Journal of postcolonial writing, 2016 volume 52 issue 4, p. He aspires to continue living the good life as a brooklyn cartoonistillustrator thanks, in large part, to the endless patience of his. Vietnamerica graphic novel the seattle public library. Like art spiegelmans maus, this personal memoir tries to make sense of a shattered family. Thanh was a captain in the republic of vietnam armed forces and the son of attorney tran van tuyen, former primeminister of south vietnam. Vietnamerica gb tran is a young vietnamese american artist who grew. A superb new graphic memoir in which an inspired artiststoryteller reveals the road that brought his family to where they are today. A familys journey by gb tran both the inside and outside covers here are exactly the same. Vietnamerica by gb tran my very own readers advisory page.