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      Land of Smiles

      by T.C. Huo
      Published
      Sep 2000
      Main Genre
      General Fiction General Fiction
      Pages
      224
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      About This Book

      Set in the 1970s, in the era of the Vietnam War and its volatile aftermath, Land of Smiles tells the story of a young Southeast Asian man's journey from a refugee camp in Thailand to a housing project in Oakland, California.

      The novel opens with a Laotian boy, Boontakone, who swims across the Mekong River, leaving his old life behind, and losing his mother and sister in the process. In a refugee camp in Thailand, Boontakone struggles to decipher the secret codes of his new life. Huo offers a glimpse into a world as highly ordered and dependent on proper observance of social customs and manners as any created by Jane Austen. Eventually Boontakone and his father make their way to America, where the young man will have to sort out impressions as dazzling and puzzling as the American high school, Superman, and Saturday Night Fever.

      Balancing a moving account of dislocation and loss with gentle comedy, Land of Smiles is a new classic in the literature of the immigrant experience.

      Genres & Themes

      Genres

      General Fiction

      Subgenres

      Historical

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      Formats & Editions

      Browse the different covers, formats, and publication history for this title.

      Paperback

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      Trade Paperback
      First Edition Sep 2000 Plume ISBN13 9780452281851 ISBN10 0452281857
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      Hardcover

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      Hardcover
      Mar 2000 Dutton/Plume ISBN13 9780525942818 ISBN10 0525942815
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      eBook

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      eBook
      Sep 2000 Penguin ISBN13 9780593474396 ISBN10 0593474392
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      eBook
      Sep 2000 -- Not Selected ISBN10 B0C2T6RP5H
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