When the Vietnamese government becomes suspicious of Mai's grandmother

Author: Gloria Whelan
Format: Paperback
Published: Random House, 1992

When the Vietnamese government becomes suspicious of Mai's grandmother for her practice of folk medicine, the whole family is forced to flee their small village. A rickety boat filled to capacity with hungry and frightened refugees barely gets the family from Go Cong to Hong Kong. Even after Mai and her family reach Hong Kong, they must continue on to America. This emotional story, told from the perspective of the strong-willed and sensitive thirteen-year-old Mai, exposes readers to some of the harsh realities that many of today's immigrants face.