source: own picture
Charlie Tremendous Jones once said, “You will be the same person in five years except for the people you meet and books you read”. Reflecting on what he said, there is no doubt that The Happiest Refugee by Anh will become one of the most changing and influential books in your life.
This book is filled with an inspiring story that portrays the journey of a refugee from Vietnam that seeks a better life and eventually becomes a successful and prominent Australian comedian.
Not only an inspiring story, but this masterpiece is also a motivational book as Anh Do, the author as well as the main character depicts the hardships he had encountered and how he patiently strives his best to gain a secure and steady life. There is a myriad number of lessons we can learn throughout this story.
The very first lesson we can learn is to not give up regardless of how hard life treat you. At the beginning of this book, he narrates the story of his family that flew after the Vietnam war (1954-1957) upon a leaky boat that’s rarely attacked by pirates. They have frequently faced some occasions where they suffer from hunger, dehydration, and disease as they drifted for days.
Even though all these matters they have experienced have desperately made them distraught, their determination to get a better life in a country they have dreamed of will not cripple them just then. Furthermore, the next lesson this book teaches us is to study properly.
Anh is depicted as a savvy boy that goes to a private school with 50% off school fees from a scholarship. However, the rest amount his mum needs to pay isn’t a trivial matter, and left his mum, the only figure who raise Anh struggling. This made Anh feel guilty as he often witnesses his mum sacrifice her sleep to saw garments the whole night to get extra cash.
There is one moment where Anh Do ask if he could just move to public school to lessen his mum’s burden to pay an excessive amount for educational institution. However, his mum insists and says “You’re doing well, son. Just a couple more years and you will have the marks to choose a profession that you’ll love, and you will not have to do a crappy job like me” (page 84).
The reason why his mum says that is because she wants Anh to get the best education, chance in the best school and shoot for as many opportunities as Anh like. She simply doesn’t want her son to end up having a life like hers, since she truly knew how hard life has been treating her for the past years. For her, she would do anything to provide all facilities she could, even if that means sacrificing her own life. Considerate Hien Do.
From the book named The Happiest Refugee, I can tell that Anh Do's parents' hard work left me mesmerized. They both have an enormous impact and become good role models for Anh do itself.
His mum has successfully taught the readers that nothing is impossible as long as you have effort and strong intention to make your expectation comes true. Anh’s mum always have a mammoth dream for three children that she raised by herself in Australia.