A number of people have told me 'you must read The Happiest Refugee by Ahn Do' and finally, I have. I finished it just last night in fact, so it is still fresh in my mind!
If I had started writing this post about 100 pages before I reached the end of the book, I would've given an overall glowing review. Beautifully written, Do covers so much and tells a very touching and heartwarming tale. The characters of his family are amazing, especially his mum. Also everything they went through was astounding and I loved how the book never read like they were victims or hard done by, these things happened and they got through.
The humor is lovely and, whether by design or not, it doesn't read as stand up comedy until we have passed the point in Ahn's life where he has become a comedian. Nicely done.
The issue coming towards the end of the book is that it begins to read more like a resume than a biography. I got a little tired of hearing about numerous channel 7 appearances. I was also put off by the endorsement on the cover of David Koch and Melissa Doyle, it was all a little too A Current Affair to me.
The television appearance list also detracted from things I would consider to have been more important in his life, like the birth of his children. There was nothing about his delight in learning his wife was pregnant, nor about the birth of any of his children, they simply appeared in the story.
It feels as though there were a few too many 'producers' involved in the editing of this story. That being said, it was lovely, laugh out loud and inspiring and made me ever grateful for what I have.
28 Books Remaining, 399 Days to go
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