How can you not be drawn to a grin like this one? A colleague loaned me The Happiest Refugee suggesting that it was pretty funny, especially the bit where Anh sledges his brother for being a bit of a fatty as a child, however this is just one moment in what is a very funny and revealing book. Everyone knows Do, he pops up from time to time on comedy shows of all types – the JB often impersonates Do after his appearance on ‘Thank God You’re Here’ when in a restaurant scene customers are complaining about the food or somesuch and Do (as the chef/waiter) comes out with the line ‘Youse must have ordered the cheap stuff’ or something like that. Whenever I cook something at home and it doesn’t turn out quite as expected the JB tells me that ‘I must have used the cheap stuff’… Funny how one-liners like this sneak into the vocabulary.
This book starts with Do’s journey from Vietnam with his parents and a bunch of others, on a leaky boat to Australia. Given that the boat was hijacked by pirates not once but twice and encountered a storm it’s a miracle that he and his family survived. I don’t really have a position on the current refugee situation that Australia finds itself in and I don’t want to let this book be a reason for making a comment, but I want to give a cheer out to the German ship captain who threw an axe overboard to this group of people hanging on for dear life, to chop up their boat because he couldn’t rescue them unless their boat was in distress. It goes to the very heart of the human condition.
“The captain dropped down behind the ship’s railing for a moment and then reappeared with something in his hands. Dad couldn’t quite make it out. The captain threw the object onto our boat. Whack! A heavy axe landed on the deck. Everyone jumped, startled by the appearance of a weapon. A flicker of concern crossed Dad’s face as he looked up at the captain again. The captain pointed to the axe and gesticulated with his arms. More strange words came tumbling out.”
And I have to say that before reading this book, I knew little about Do. His journey as a migrant child, his parents struggle to provide he and his siblings with the absolute best opportunities they could, resonated. And I guess what I loved about this also was that yes, Do was smart and yes Do could have become a practicing lawyer, this would have made his parents just so proud. But he opted to follow his heart and his instinct and pursue a career in comedy/stand up and drama. Had he not I guess the book wouldn’t have been titled ‘The Happiest Refugee”. It goes to the heart of following your calling. Trying and persisting. Although Do dresses up the stories with his very funny anecdotes (Mrs Burke/Buk was lucky she wasn’t Mrs Furke!) there are also glimpses into his character and honesty. It’s really easy to understand Do’s success after reading his story.
So I recommend this book; it’s written in a simple style that it’s easy to read – I managed to get through two thirds of it on a Sunday afternoon in the sun. Get yourself a copy.
