The Dragon Fruit Orchard

Book excerpt: This is the journey of a young woman who was profoundly affected by the war in her home country of Vietnam. She was thrown into the tragedy of the collapse of South Vietnam in 1975, escaped alone to the United States and established her life here as a medical doctor. She struggled with the profound cultural shock, learned to grow and deal with the prejudices against her perceived unconventional lifestyle, and protected her integrity. The second part of the book is about the saga to adopt an infant from Vietnam alone; how she fought all the obstacles and the stigma of single motherhood in her culture to triumphantly bring the child to the US. In doing so, she managed to raise her child alone as a full-time professional and found happiness and peace of mind. A deeply moving, emotionally-harrowing tale of one woman’s journey of immigration––first as an emigrant to the United States from her home in Vietnam, next as a single woman striving to adopt a child from her native country. Ngan Ha ‘s remarkable story is a triumph, one propelled by the author’s dreams and fierce determination. ––Amy Friedman, author of Desperado’s Wife