{"product_id":"land-of-smiles-9780452281851","title":"Land of Smiles","description":"\"A remarkable story, a courageous performance, and we're privileged to get it.\"--\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSet in the 1970s, in the era of the Vietnam War and its volatile aftermath, \u003ci\u003eLand of Smiles\u003c\/i\u003e 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, \u003ci\u003eSuperman\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eSaturday Night Fever\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBalancing a moving account of dislocation and loss with gentle comedy, \u003ci\u003eLand of Smiles\u003c\/i\u003e is a new classic in the literature of the immigrant experience.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Penguin Adult Hc\/Tr\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/01\/2000\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780452281851\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 224\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.30lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 7.98h x 5.37w x 0.53d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/14\/2000 pg. 328\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e 10\/15\/2000 pg. 23\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/11\/2000\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"T. C. Huo","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43766770270389,"sku":"9780452281851","price":20.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/files\/img_feb1d853-4da4-4014-a251-3aaa1a6b4340.jpg?v=1710818317","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/land-of-smiles-9780452281851","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}