This coming Thursday April 25, 2013, UOVSA has the privilege to welcome Lac Su, the author of I Love Yous Are for White People, and Mondega to UO campus. The event will take place in the Great Room, Global Scholars Hall.
As a child, Lac Su fled Communist Vietnam with his family in an arduous and death-defying boat journey. After being saved by a naval cruiser near Hong Kong, Lac, his parents, and his young sister all immigrated to Los Angeles. But, once there on the prostitute, drug, and gang-ridden streets of West Hollywood, the American dream they imagined seems far from coming true. Living in squalid conditions and barely making ends meet, his family struggled to forge its identity in L.A.’s teeming cultural hodge-podge. Destined to be one of the year’s most eye-opening memoirs, I Love Yous Are for White People (HarperCollins, 2009) is Lac Su’s account of finding a life of comfort and understanding while constantly made to feel like an outsider.
Drawing from hidden reserves of resilience and determination, he must transcend his limitations to create a better life for himself. At the heart of this stirring memoir is the complicated relationship between Lac and his harsh, exacting father, whose desperation to provide for his family—but to make them as tough-skinned as he is—informs Lac’s entire existence. It chronicles his formative years spent roaming and hustling on the worst streets of Los Angeles, reveals how he eventually abandoned the thug life for college and a Ph.D., and even recounts his first—bitter-sweet—return back to his beloved Vietnam as a doctoral student.
(Lac Su’s official biography)
During his visit to UO campus, Su will talk about the memoir, the motivation and inspiration to write the book. In addition, Su will also go into his family’s immigration experience — the culture clash between what he was expecting and the reality that he faced in America. The talk also focuses on how Vietnamese and American people express their compassion to each other, which truly fascinated Su as a little boy. He was confused as to why his parents didn’t display any signs of love. His parents showed him love differently. Although the father was an abusive, relenting, and stoic man; there was never a doubt that he loved Su. His confusion, resentment, and yearning for an Americanized way of love caused him to look for a sense of belonging on the streets.
We also invite another guest to the event on Thursday: Mondega. Hecurrently lives in North Carolina after moving to a political refuge from Vietnam. He will perform some of his songs and will also talk about the ideas behind his music. This past week at VSA meeting, we learned about the history of Montagnard, the indigenous people from Central Highland of Vietnam. This week, we hope to have a conversation with Mondega to learn about a historical aspect that is hidden to most people.
Here are some songs from Mondega. Enjoy the music! We hope to see you at the event. It starts at 6 p.m. in Great Room, Global Scholars Hall.
[Made In Vietnam] Missed The Boat – Mondega (produced by A.P Lion Heart)
http://youtu.be/QxKAbK344DY
Mondega feat. Bambu “Music For The People”
http://youtu.be/y8Ho3HO5d94