His mom began to cry. His father was angry. Andrew Lam had told them he planned to pursue a graduate degree in creative writing at San Francisco State University.
“I wanted to write, too, you know, when I was young. I studied French poetry and philosophy, his father told him. ” But do you think I could feed our family on poems? Can you name one Vietnamese who’s making a living as an American writer? What makes you think you can do it?”
Andrew told his father he couldn’t, but vowed to be the first.
It wasn’t exactly the plan his parents had for him, Lam wrote in the Huffington Post.
His parents like so many other Asian American parents sacrificed everything so Andrew could have a better life (aka big pay check). The path Andrew had chosen to travel wasn’t exactly what the way they saw him getting there.
Andrew’s book, “Perfume Dreams: Reflections on the Vietnamese Diaspora“, won the Pen American “Beyond the Margins” award in 2005. His next book, “Birds of Paradise Lost” is due out March 01, 2013.
Lam wrote in the Huffington Post ” I heard my mother greeting friends and learned of a new addition to our family. “These are Andrew Lam’s awards,” she said, motioning to a bookshelf displaying my trophies, diplomas, and writing awards. “Andrew Lam” was stressed with a tone of importance.”
