We Should Never Meet

We Should Never Meet consists of eight interconnected stories following Vietnamese refugees and adoptees in Southern California. The narratives alternate between Operation Babylift in 1975 Saigon and the Little Saigon community of Orange County in the 1990s. The stories center on four young Vietnamese-Americans wrestling with identity and belonging while working minimum wage jobs and navigating family expectations. Their individual paths intersect with older community members who carry memories and secrets from the evacuation of Vietnam. The book's structure moves between past and present, linking seemingly separate lives through hidden connections to Operation Babylift - the mass evacuation of orphans from Vietnam to the United States. Characters grapple with questions of origin, family bonds, and the long shadow of historical events on personal lives. The layered narratives explore themes of displacement, cultural identity, and the complex legacy of war across generations. Through its focus on adoption and separation, the book examines how trauma reverberates through communities and how people construct meaning from fragmented histories.

Readers praise Phan's portrayal of Vietnamese refugee experiences and the interwoven stories spanning multiple generations. Many note the book provides perspective on Operation Babylift and its long-term impact on Vietnamese-American communities. Readers highlight the authentic details of Orange County's Vietnamese neighborhoods and cultural nuances. Several reviews mention the strength of the short story format in capturing different viewpoints. Common criticisms focus on uneven pacing between stories and difficulty keeping track of multiple characters. Some readers found the connections between narratives too loose or unclear. A few reviews mention wanting more resolution to certain plot threads. Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (500+ ratings) Amazon: 4.1/5 (30+ ratings) Notable reader comments: "Captures the complexity of refugee experiences without sensationalism" - Goodreads "The Orange County setting feels lived-in and real" - Amazon "Character connections could be stronger between stories" - Goodreads

The Refugees by Viet Thanh Nguyen Short stories explore Vietnamese refugees adapting to life in America while wrestling with memory, family bonds, and cultural identity.

Birds of Paradise Lost by Andrew Lam Stories follow multiple generations of Vietnamese immigrants in San Francisco as they navigate trauma, belonging, and reinvention in their new homeland.

The Best We Could Do by Thi Bui This graphic memoir chronicles a family's escape from Vietnam in the 1970s and their subsequent rebuilding of life in America through multiple perspectives and timelines.

The Lotus and the Storm by Lan Cao A father and daughter's parallel narratives reveal the impact of the Vietnam War and Operation Babylift on their family across decades and continents.

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong A son's letter to his mother unearths their family's history in Vietnam and examines the inheritance of trauma through three generations.

🔸 Author Aimee Phan was inspired to write this book after discovering her mother had worked with Operation Babylift, the 1975 mass evacuation of children from Vietnam to the United States. 🔸 The book's interconnected stories follow both Vietnamese adoptees and aid workers, spanning from 1975 Saigon to present-day Orange County, California's Little Saigon community. 🔸 Operation Babylift evacuated over 2,000 infants and children from Vietnam in the final days before Saigon fell to North Vietnamese forces, though one transport plane crashed, killing 78 children and 50 adults. 🔸 Many Operation Babylift adoptees later discovered they weren't actually orphans - their families had placed them in orphanages temporarily, expecting to reclaim them after the war. 🔸 Aimee Phan spent five years researching and writing the book, conducting extensive interviews with Vietnamese refugees, adoptees, and aid workers who participated in Operation Babylift.