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Boat Baby: A Memoir
In a memoir where heroism meets humor, NBC News anchor and correspondent Vicky Nguyen tells the story of her family’s daring escape from communist Vietnam and her unlikely journey from refugee to reporter with laughter and fierce love.
Starting in 1975, Vietnam’s “boat people”—desperate families seeking freedom—fled the Communist government and violence in their country any way they could, usually by boat across the South China Sea. Vicky Nguyen and her family were among them. Attacked at sea by pirates before reaching a refugee camp in Malaysia, Vicky’s family survived on rations and waited months until they were sponsored to America.
But deciding to leave and start a new life in a new country is half the story…figuring out how to be American is the other. Boat Baby is Vicky’s memoir of growing up in America with unconventional Vietnamese parents who didn’t always know how to bridge the cultural gaps. It’s a childhood filled with misadventures and misunderstandings, from almost stabbing the neighborhood racist with a butter knife to getting caught stealing Cosmo to read the answers to Do You Really Think You Know Everything About Sex?
Vicky’s parents approached life with the attitude, “Why not us?” In the face of prejudice, they taught her to be gritty and resilient, skills Vicky used as she combatted stereotyping throughout her career, fending off the question “Aren’t you Connie Chung?” to become a leading Asian American journalist on television. She delivers a uniquely transparent account of her life, revealing how she negotiated her salary in a competitive industry, the challenges of starting a family, and the struggle to be a dutiful daughter.
Funny, nostalgic, and poignant, Boat Baby is a testament to the messy glue that bonds a family. In the tradition of We Are Dreamers by Simu Liu and Dear Girls by Ali Wong, Vicky Nguyen offers an optimistic story full of heart that illuminates the promise of what America can be.
Starting in 1975, Vietnam’s “boat people”—desperate families seeking freedom—fled the Communist government and violence in their country any way they could, usually by boat across the South China Sea. Vicky Nguyen and her family were among them. Attacked at sea by pirates before reaching a refugee camp in Malaysia, Vicky’s family survived on rations and waited months until they were sponsored to America.
But deciding to leave and start a new life in a new country is half the story…figuring out how to be American is the other. Boat Baby is Vicky’s memoir of growing up in America with unconventional Vietnamese parents who didn’t always know how to bridge the cultural gaps. It’s a childhood filled with misadventures and misunderstandings, from almost stabbing the neighborhood racist with a butter knife to getting caught stealing Cosmo to read the answers to Do You Really Think You Know Everything About Sex?
Vicky’s parents approached life with the attitude, “Why not us?” In the face of prejudice, they taught her to be gritty and resilient, skills Vicky used as she combatted stereotyping throughout her career, fending off the question “Aren’t you Connie Chung?” to become a leading Asian American journalist on television. She delivers a uniquely transparent account of her life, revealing how she negotiated her salary in a competitive industry, the challenges of starting a family, and the struggle to be a dutiful daughter.
Funny, nostalgic, and poignant, Boat Baby is a testament to the messy glue that bonds a family. In the tradition of We Are Dreamers by Simu Liu and Dear Girls by Ali Wong, Vicky Nguyen offers an optimistic story full of heart that illuminates the promise of what America can be.
310 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2025
424 people are currently reading
16176 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 324 reviews
April 17, 2025
Although Vicky Nguyen is on a popular broadcast news network, I have never heard of her. I’m not one to watch broadcast news actually. In any case, her story of being an immigrant from Vietnam was one I wanted to read. There are some similarities to my sister-in-law and her family, to some degree. Although, I think my in laws had a more harrowing experience with the pirates on their boat.
The first half of this book describes her parents background, their leaving Vietnam, and her early years; these were great reading. I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author and loved hearing the Vietnamese pronunciation, even though it may be an Americanized version as she states.
Somewhere along the way the story seemed to lose some focus, or maybe it was my interest. There were some things discussed, talked about in the book that wasn’t full explored, left me as a reader wondering why was that included. Other times, a situation felt important to her and her family, but not to me as a reader. Maybe I just don’t get memoirs sometimes.
For myself the ending was abrupt, or overall there was a missing part of the book, what exactly I’m not entirely sure. Maybe it is emotion, although that is not fully absent. In any case, I’m glad I read this book, learned about another person’s lived experience which is different than mine. There definitely needs to be more books like this.
Book rating: 3.5
Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. However, I listened to a published audiobook copy of the book.
The first half of this book describes her parents background, their leaving Vietnam, and her early years; these were great reading. I listened to the audiobook narrated by the author and loved hearing the Vietnamese pronunciation, even though it may be an Americanized version as she states.
Somewhere along the way the story seemed to lose some focus, or maybe it was my interest. There were some things discussed, talked about in the book that wasn’t full explored, left me as a reader wondering why was that included. Other times, a situation felt important to her and her family, but not to me as a reader. Maybe I just don’t get memoirs sometimes.
For myself the ending was abrupt, or overall there was a missing part of the book, what exactly I’m not entirely sure. Maybe it is emotion, although that is not fully absent. In any case, I’m glad I read this book, learned about another person’s lived experience which is different than mine. There definitely needs to be more books like this.
Book rating: 3.5
Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an uncorrected electronic advance review copy of this book. However, I listened to a published audiobook copy of the book.
May 22, 2025
Here are three “I wasn’t sure about this decision” points and three “yes” points to Nguyen’s Boat Baby. I’ll start with the former.
(1) The memoir includes encounters with deep struggle, from fleeing Saigon on boats as refugees, experiencing four miscarriages, and loving her entrepreneurial father. But overall, the memoir is clean, almost uncomplicated (with the one exception of Huy navigating his finances), and unfortunately, it comes across as formulaic.
(2) In multiple places, Nguyen places phenotypes like “blonde hair,” “blue eyes,” and “strong jawline” on a pedestal. This is not balanced with positive acknowledgments of her ethnicity’s physical traits (generally speaking).
(3) While Nguyen dates her high-school sweetheart, Brian, he joins them on a family trip. In response to them staying at different hotels every night, Brian asserts, “You know that’s not normal, right?” Nguyen goes on to express her appreciation for the normality of her second family because they annually vacation at Lake Tahoe and stay at the same lodgings. Brian’s comment works if he means Vicky’s family does something different than his, but the assumption is that Brian’s family’s rhythms are normal and thus good.
The three “yes” points follow:
(1) The highlight of the book was Nguyen describing her investigative work on Sysco. She offers exact numbers when discussing salary, which I thought was helpful. We love to see representation.
(2) Nguyen’s parents are incredible hustlers. Liên is absolutely gangsta for her work ethic and adaptability in her work. I appreciated her nuanced portrayal of her dad, and this doesn’t take away from their “success” in creating a home in America as refugees.
(3) I appreciated her description of how her parents left Saigon. I wished this part was longer.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC.
(1) The memoir includes encounters with deep struggle, from fleeing Saigon on boats as refugees, experiencing four miscarriages, and loving her entrepreneurial father. But overall, the memoir is clean, almost uncomplicated (with the one exception of Huy navigating his finances), and unfortunately, it comes across as formulaic.
(2) In multiple places, Nguyen places phenotypes like “blonde hair,” “blue eyes,” and “strong jawline” on a pedestal. This is not balanced with positive acknowledgments of her ethnicity’s physical traits (generally speaking).
(3) While Nguyen dates her high-school sweetheart, Brian, he joins them on a family trip. In response to them staying at different hotels every night, Brian asserts, “You know that’s not normal, right?” Nguyen goes on to express her appreciation for the normality of her second family because they annually vacation at Lake Tahoe and stay at the same lodgings. Brian’s comment works if he means Vicky’s family does something different than his, but the assumption is that Brian’s family’s rhythms are normal and thus good.
The three “yes” points follow:
(1) The highlight of the book was Nguyen describing her investigative work on Sysco. She offers exact numbers when discussing salary, which I thought was helpful. We love to see representation.
(2) Nguyen’s parents are incredible hustlers. Liên is absolutely gangsta for her work ethic and adaptability in her work. I appreciated her nuanced portrayal of her dad, and this doesn’t take away from their “success” in creating a home in America as refugees.
(3) I appreciated her description of how her parents left Saigon. I wished this part was longer.
Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC.
October 30, 2024
Filled with so much love and generosity, Nguyen’s family legacy made me laugh, brought me to tears, and illustrated the vastness of human resiliency.
I can’t wait to read what comes next!
I can’t wait to read what comes next!
November 24, 2024
In "Boat Baby", Vicky Nguyen looks back on her life and shares not only her rise as a top correspondent and journalist at CNN and NBC, but the difficult years of her childhood as well as her parents' stories.
There's so much packed in this deceptively short book; Nguyen covers her parents' escape from Saigon in the years after the Vietnamese War in a war-torn country. As an infant, she joined her parents as they made the harrowing journey to a refugee camp in Malaysia where a letter from her mother to her employer was able to guarantee them sponsorship to Eugene, Oregon and a chance for the family to rebuild their lives. In Eugene, Reno, and San Jose, Vicky watched as her parents worked their way up and saved up, allowing her father to pursue various business exploits, from running a food truck to opening a furniture store - allowing the family to become financially stable. For Vicky, it was a jarring time as she was always considered different and an outsider by her peers; but she learned from a young age to advocate for herself and built up her self-confidence. In college, she joined the cheerleading squad (and recommends it to everyone), was student body president, and graduated as valedictorian. Her time at the University of San Francisco a chance conversation encourages her to choose Communications as her major and pursue a gritty career in TV journalism.
Nguyen brings us along her years starting as a reporter at local news stations before landing her role at NBC News in New York. Her experiences are full of wisdoms, and an encouragement for everyone to negotiate their salaries and know their own worth; I was impressed that she included her actual salary across her various jobs. In between, she shares the difficulty of maintaining a long-distance relationship with her childhood sweetheart, Brian, and the sacrifices they made personally and professionally for their relationship; her strained relationship with her father, especially after his continued risk-taking costs his family most of their assets; and juggling a demanding career with motherhood. Her writing is straightforward and open, and she shares some of the most private and personal moments of her life with an admirable honesty and humor.
As a fellow first-generation Asian immigrant, there were so many moments and topics that hit home for me and I'd recommend to any readers once "Boat Baby" is published in 2025!
Thank you Simon & Schuster for the advance copy of this novel!
There's so much packed in this deceptively short book; Nguyen covers her parents' escape from Saigon in the years after the Vietnamese War in a war-torn country. As an infant, she joined her parents as they made the harrowing journey to a refugee camp in Malaysia where a letter from her mother to her employer was able to guarantee them sponsorship to Eugene, Oregon and a chance for the family to rebuild their lives. In Eugene, Reno, and San Jose, Vicky watched as her parents worked their way up and saved up, allowing her father to pursue various business exploits, from running a food truck to opening a furniture store - allowing the family to become financially stable. For Vicky, it was a jarring time as she was always considered different and an outsider by her peers; but she learned from a young age to advocate for herself and built up her self-confidence. In college, she joined the cheerleading squad (and recommends it to everyone), was student body president, and graduated as valedictorian. Her time at the University of San Francisco a chance conversation encourages her to choose Communications as her major and pursue a gritty career in TV journalism.
Nguyen brings us along her years starting as a reporter at local news stations before landing her role at NBC News in New York. Her experiences are full of wisdoms, and an encouragement for everyone to negotiate their salaries and know their own worth; I was impressed that she included her actual salary across her various jobs. In between, she shares the difficulty of maintaining a long-distance relationship with her childhood sweetheart, Brian, and the sacrifices they made personally and professionally for their relationship; her strained relationship with her father, especially after his continued risk-taking costs his family most of their assets; and juggling a demanding career with motherhood. Her writing is straightforward and open, and she shares some of the most private and personal moments of her life with an admirable honesty and humor.
As a fellow first-generation Asian immigrant, there were so many moments and topics that hit home for me and I'd recommend to any readers once "Boat Baby" is published in 2025!
Thank you Simon & Schuster for the advance copy of this novel!
February 9, 2025
An optimistic, convivial memoir about a Vietnamese American reporter starting from her family’s history of becoming refugees to her starting from the bottom rung to being an accomplished news journalist. This is the most narrative-friendly memoir I’ve read, as each vignettes from Nguyen flow so smoothly from one to the other.
Nguyen has a talent for storytelling that makes you feel like you’re listening to a friend. She starts off the memoir with a history of her parents and relatives, and usually, it can be difficult for writers to relay experiences they haven’t experienced themselves. However, I think that she did her mom and dad’s personal stories justice and paints a picture of the harsh conditions of what her family had to endure to immigrate to the US.
Most chapters impart a personal lesson that she has learned, and she’s had a wealth of experience growing up Asian and living in multiple US cities, while learning to go with the flow. Overall, this was a joy to read and one of my favorite memoirs about the Vietnamese diaspora experience.
Special thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest, independent review.
Nguyen has a talent for storytelling that makes you feel like you’re listening to a friend. She starts off the memoir with a history of her parents and relatives, and usually, it can be difficult for writers to relay experiences they haven’t experienced themselves. However, I think that she did her mom and dad’s personal stories justice and paints a picture of the harsh conditions of what her family had to endure to immigrate to the US.
Most chapters impart a personal lesson that she has learned, and she’s had a wealth of experience growing up Asian and living in multiple US cities, while learning to go with the flow. Overall, this was a joy to read and one of my favorite memoirs about the Vietnamese diaspora experience.
Special thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest, independent review.
May 19, 2025
Immigrant story of coming to America and making the most of it. She worked hard and got her dream job in NYC. But, she forced her husband to give up his dream job to follow her and uprooted her kids from their friends and community. Her parents followed her to help but they both left all their extended families behind in California. It left a sour taste in my mouth- when does ambition become so important??
March 22, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Simon & Schuster, for letting me read an eARC of this book! This book is set to release April 1, 2025.
This book tells the story of Vicky Nguyen’s life from before she was born, to around COVID time 2021. This book follows Vicky and her parents’ journey from leaving communist Vietnam to making a name for themselves in the United States as Vietnamese refugees. We get Vicky’s narrative of what her life was like growing up as a young Vietnamese girl in America, to becoming a news anchor on the Today Show!
I thought this book was great. I feel bad rating it since this is the story of Vicky’s real life, but for the sake of my review I will be rating it. I enjoyed this book as I feel that we got to see a sneak peak into Vicky’s upbringing, her relationship with her parents, and her journey to becoming a prominent news anchor. I appreciated all that Vicky had to say about being a refugee trying to ‘make it’ in America, and the toll it took on her parents. I think that was well fleshed out and thoroughly discussed.
I do however think that she didn’t talk too much about what her experience was like being an Asian female. We didn’t get to see how the intersection of these 2 identities affected her growing up & how that translated into her adulthood & her career. I think we didn’t get some really tender moments, but I was expecting a bit more in this department. I’m not trying to brush off all the vulnerable moments that she shared with the reader, but I do think some parts could’ve gone more in-depth. Part of this memoir felt a bit surface level.
I think also that the memoir wrapped up rather quickly. I think the takeaway that Vicky left the reader with was a bit rushed & felt somewhat out of place. I say it felt out of place because the last chapter is about an injury her father sustained, and then the very last page contains her reflections. I think instead of being a page long it could’ve been a whole chapter.
Aside from all of these critiques I did really enjoy the memoir. It had short, easily digestible chapters and I feel like we really got to see Vicky’s life come together in so many different ways. Overall I do recommend this for anyone interested in learning more about Vicky Nguyen!
This book tells the story of Vicky Nguyen’s life from before she was born, to around COVID time 2021. This book follows Vicky and her parents’ journey from leaving communist Vietnam to making a name for themselves in the United States as Vietnamese refugees. We get Vicky’s narrative of what her life was like growing up as a young Vietnamese girl in America, to becoming a news anchor on the Today Show!
I thought this book was great. I feel bad rating it since this is the story of Vicky’s real life, but for the sake of my review I will be rating it. I enjoyed this book as I feel that we got to see a sneak peak into Vicky’s upbringing, her relationship with her parents, and her journey to becoming a prominent news anchor. I appreciated all that Vicky had to say about being a refugee trying to ‘make it’ in America, and the toll it took on her parents. I think that was well fleshed out and thoroughly discussed.
I do however think that she didn’t talk too much about what her experience was like being an Asian female. We didn’t get to see how the intersection of these 2 identities affected her growing up & how that translated into her adulthood & her career. I think we didn’t get some really tender moments, but I was expecting a bit more in this department. I’m not trying to brush off all the vulnerable moments that she shared with the reader, but I do think some parts could’ve gone more in-depth. Part of this memoir felt a bit surface level.
I think also that the memoir wrapped up rather quickly. I think the takeaway that Vicky left the reader with was a bit rushed & felt somewhat out of place. I say it felt out of place because the last chapter is about an injury her father sustained, and then the very last page contains her reflections. I think instead of being a page long it could’ve been a whole chapter.
Aside from all of these critiques I did really enjoy the memoir. It had short, easily digestible chapters and I feel like we really got to see Vicky’s life come together in so many different ways. Overall I do recommend this for anyone interested in learning more about Vicky Nguyen!
March 12, 2025
I wasn't super familiar with Vicky Nguyen prior to reading this memoir, but I loved it. The complexity of the immigrant experience, the beauty of her partnership with husband Brian, and negotiation tips! I really enjoyed it.
Thank you Netgalley & Simon & Schuster for the advanced reader copy.
Thank you Netgalley & Simon & Schuster for the advanced reader copy.
April 3, 2025
This book is phenomenal. I learned so much. I learned about Vicky, I learned life lessons, I learned an inspirational story. The book is a fun and captivating read and it is sprinkled with so much personality and comedy. This is such a powerful story and has a beautiful message!
I recommend everyone reads it- it’s not just for TODAY show fans or Vicky fans or boat babies themselves- it is for everyone! I know my mom and her friends are going to love it, and I can’t wait for my friends to read it as well. Great for any age group and an uplifting, heartwarming and inspiring read!
I recommend everyone reads it- it’s not just for TODAY show fans or Vicky fans or boat babies themselves- it is for everyone! I know my mom and her friends are going to love it, and I can’t wait for my friends to read it as well. Great for any age group and an uplifting, heartwarming and inspiring read!
August 1, 2025
Solid memoir. Not the best I've read lately. I really loved the beginning where we had the insights into her refugee journey and coming to the states. The way she shared her parents journey and the cultural impacts on her life was really well done.
April 18, 2025
Enjoyed reading about "our local newscaster." I sort of remember her story regarding the Sysco food storage debacle when she was still in the Bay area. Of course she is most well known now for her Today program appearances. Very accomplished, driven woman. She was one of the lucky ones, that's for sure.
August 6, 2025
relatable (up to where her career takes off lol) kinda to the point of mundanity. didn’t think i’d be seeing the same old “no one can pronounce my last name, my lunches were different from the other kids” story. the escape from vietnam and investigative journalism bits were interesting, everything in between not so much (but maybe would have been if i knew of her before i read the memoir). dialogue is bland throughout. i wish i liked it more :(
June 26, 2025
shout out to goodreads bookmark challenges otherwise I wouldn’t have picked this up
April 3, 2025
A well thought out and well written Memoir! The sacrifices that were made In order to come to America and everything they endured in order to live the American dream! It was not always easy! Vicky Nguyen was able to find her own success with being able to secure a job on the Today show!
July 2, 2025
Stephanie Pierson’s Boat Baby: A Memoir is a quirky, heartfelt, and surprisingly profound coming-of-age tale—not just of a child, but of a parent in transition. Told with humor and unflinching honesty, this memoir chronicles Pierson’s unconventional journey of raising a daughter on a boat in Paris, navigating the unpredictable waters of motherhood, identity, and reinvention.
As an adult reader especially one who has wrestled with the idea of what it means to be a “good” parent or to live a “successful” life—this book offers a refreshingly nontraditional perspective. Pierson doesn’t package her story in tidy parenting clichés or romanticized notions of expatriate life. Instead, she shares the real, often messy experience of choosing a path that few would dare to take: abandoning the conventional markers of stability for a life afloat—literally and figuratively.
What makes Boat Baby resonate is its emotional authenticity. Pierson captures the moments of joy and absurdity—raising a toddler while docked in a foreign city, contending with rats on the quay, or battling bureaucratic red tape. But beneath these anecdotes is a deeper narrative about freedom, fear, and maternal love that knows no bounds. Her writing is sharp, self-aware, and often laugh-out-loud funny, making it a pleasure to read even when she’s describing the more painful parts of her story.
For adult readers, especially women navigating midlife, parenthood, or personal change, Boat Baby is both a mirror and a map. It reflects the complexities of letting go of traditional expectations and carves out a space for alternative definitions of success, happiness, and home.
Verdict:
Boat Baby is a bold, lyrical memoir about parenting off the beaten path—and what it means to find yourself in the process. An excellent read for adults looking for inspiration, laughter, or a gentle nudge toward living life more authentically.
As an adult reader especially one who has wrestled with the idea of what it means to be a “good” parent or to live a “successful” life—this book offers a refreshingly nontraditional perspective. Pierson doesn’t package her story in tidy parenting clichés or romanticized notions of expatriate life. Instead, she shares the real, often messy experience of choosing a path that few would dare to take: abandoning the conventional markers of stability for a life afloat—literally and figuratively.
What makes Boat Baby resonate is its emotional authenticity. Pierson captures the moments of joy and absurdity—raising a toddler while docked in a foreign city, contending with rats on the quay, or battling bureaucratic red tape. But beneath these anecdotes is a deeper narrative about freedom, fear, and maternal love that knows no bounds. Her writing is sharp, self-aware, and often laugh-out-loud funny, making it a pleasure to read even when she’s describing the more painful parts of her story.
For adult readers, especially women navigating midlife, parenthood, or personal change, Boat Baby is both a mirror and a map. It reflects the complexities of letting go of traditional expectations and carves out a space for alternative definitions of success, happiness, and home.
Verdict:
Boat Baby is a bold, lyrical memoir about parenting off the beaten path—and what it means to find yourself in the process. An excellent read for adults looking for inspiration, laughter, or a gentle nudge toward living life more authentically.
February 22, 2025
I've watched Vicky Nguyen on the Today show for years. When I saw she was publishing her memoir, I knew I had to read it. Her story of leaving communist Vietnam as a baby to NBC News Daily anchor and Senior Consumer Investigative Correspondent on the Today Show was detailed, raw, and inspiring. Her parents wanted a better life for themselves, their family, and especially for Vicky. They undertook a harrowing boat journey, spent almost a year in a refugee camp, and finally got to California. After years and years of hard work and perseverance, they gave Vicky the opportunities to live the American Dream. Vicky found her passion in journalism, especially investigative journalism. Her professional path took her around the country and finally she landed a dream job at NBC. She shares her relationship about her husband as well as the challenges of becoming parents to three beautiful daughters.
I highly recommend this memoir for a deep dive into her family, jobs, and personal journey. I had a hard time putting this book down as I had to keep turning the pages to see what would happen next. Her relationship with her parents, as well as her in-laws, is amazing and challenging, especially since her dad loves to take risks to get the next best thing. She is a role-model, not only for other young Vietnamese girls, but for all girls wanting to be reporters and balancing family with work.
#BoatBaby #SimonBooks
Thank you Simon & Schuster and Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
I highly recommend this memoir for a deep dive into her family, jobs, and personal journey. I had a hard time putting this book down as I had to keep turning the pages to see what would happen next. Her relationship with her parents, as well as her in-laws, is amazing and challenging, especially since her dad loves to take risks to get the next best thing. She is a role-model, not only for other young Vietnamese girls, but for all girls wanting to be reporters and balancing family with work.
#BoatBaby #SimonBooks
Thank you Simon & Schuster and Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
April 15, 2025
4.5 I don’t watch the Today show so I am not familiar with Vicky Nguyen’s television presence. Nonetheless, it is a very captivating, engaging memoir. She tells of how her parents with their infant daughter risked their lives fleeing Vietnam to come to America. Vicky grows up in California, attends college and pursues a journalism career. A heartwarming family and career story.
April 1, 2025
Vicky Nguyen's memoir of strength, change, adaptability, family and love was a delight to read from start to finish.
**Thank you Net Galley for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.**
**Thank you Net Galley for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.**
January 27, 2025
"Boat Baby" by Vicky Nguyen, is a memoir of the author's life. She writes about being born in Vietnam. When she is an infant her mother, father, two young uncles and an Aunt. made the brave decision to escape Vietnam. It took close to a year of travelling to another country to finally make it to the USA. She writes of growing up moving to many different homes and locations while her parents found employment. her parents had to move several times to support the family. she describes growing up going to many different schools.
When in college she changed her major to journalism and spent the rest of her life working at different news stations until ending up on the Today show where she still works today.
She also writes of her family, being the daughter in an Asian family. Marrying her high school sweetheart. being the mother of three daughters. Dealing with racism. and many other parts of her life. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. A good read. I was glad to read this memoir myself. I would give this book a 4.5.
When in college she changed her major to journalism and spent the rest of her life working at different news stations until ending up on the Today show where she still works today.
She also writes of her family, being the daughter in an Asian family. Marrying her high school sweetheart. being the mother of three daughters. Dealing with racism. and many other parts of her life. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley. A good read. I was glad to read this memoir myself. I would give this book a 4.5.
February 8, 2025
As a Vietnamese American person whose mom was a boat person, I appreciate and can relate to a lot of Vicky's experiences and journey. Being able to relate and see myself and my family in a book is heartwarming. The structure of the chapters is a bit repetitive, and kind of a "this happened, and then this happened" style moving forward in time, documenting her life. I think that makes sense, given that she is a TV reporter. While I've read other memoirs that include research to add context, or that may be more illustrative and immersive, as I kept reading Vicky's memoir, I found her style to kind of remind me of how my mother and aunts might relay anecdotes to me, and that felt endearing. Overall I think this is an accessible read, and if anything a great introduction into learning more about Vietnamese American/refugee experiences especially for those that may not know much about Vietnamese American people or culture beyond war veteran stories and pho or banh mi 😅.
November 15, 2024
This book is such an enjoyable, easy read. Once again, people are people. Discrimination should not exist. What a life, what a family!
April 10, 2025
You know it’s a good memoir when it gives you a full-on book hangover. Big thank you to Simon Books for the gifted finished copy and Simon Audio for the audiobook!
I didn’t know much about Vicky Nguyen going into this, but I love getting to know public figures through their memoirs (LOL). In case you too are unfamiliar, Vicky is an investigative journalist at NBC News. Her story — immigrating from Vietnam as a baby, growing up as the child of Vietnamese immigrants, and making it in American broadcast journalism — is fascinating and engaging. Her reflections on family, identity, and navigating American life had me COMPLETELY captivated.
Some reviewers have complained that this memoir is a bit “surface level” which… okay maybe? But not every memoir has to be deeply profound or confessional or H E A V Y to be meaningful. This one is honest, funny, and full of heart, and it captured my attention from page one.
🎧: Vicky narrates it herself, and she’s unsurprisingly fantastic. It’s especially helpful to hear the Vietnamese names and phrases pronounced correctly, which added to the experience for sure. I hope you’ll check this one out!
I didn’t know much about Vicky Nguyen going into this, but I love getting to know public figures through their memoirs (LOL). In case you too are unfamiliar, Vicky is an investigative journalist at NBC News. Her story — immigrating from Vietnam as a baby, growing up as the child of Vietnamese immigrants, and making it in American broadcast journalism — is fascinating and engaging. Her reflections on family, identity, and navigating American life had me COMPLETELY captivated.
Some reviewers have complained that this memoir is a bit “surface level” which… okay maybe? But not every memoir has to be deeply profound or confessional or H E A V Y to be meaningful. This one is honest, funny, and full of heart, and it captured my attention from page one.
🎧: Vicky narrates it herself, and she’s unsurprisingly fantastic. It’s especially helpful to hear the Vietnamese names and phrases pronounced correctly, which added to the experience for sure. I hope you’ll check this one out!
May 1, 2025
BOAT BABY is Vicky Nguyen’s memoir about her and her parents’ experiences as migrants who fled to the US from Vietnam decades ago. Given the hostile (putting it mildly) attitude a segment of the population currently has toward migrants, this is a timely read that puts to rest a lot of the nonsense (disinformation, lies) told about people who flee their home countries looking for a better life here in the US.
I greatly appreciated Nguyen’s honesty. She doesn’t shy away from sharing the difficulties along with the positives.
I enjoyed learning about Vietnamese culture and traditions, and the ways in which this family adapted to the differences here.
I alternated between reading and listening. The author narrates the audiobook, which works exceptionally well for personalizing the experience.
*Thanks to Simon Books for the free print copy, and to Simon Audio for the free audiobook download!*
I greatly appreciated Nguyen’s honesty. She doesn’t shy away from sharing the difficulties along with the positives.
I enjoyed learning about Vietnamese culture and traditions, and the ways in which this family adapted to the differences here.
I alternated between reading and listening. The author narrates the audiobook, which works exceptionally well for personalizing the experience.
*Thanks to Simon Books for the free print copy, and to Simon Audio for the free audiobook download!*
May 17, 2025
5 stars: when I first read the synopsis of this memoir, I was intrigued by the story of escaping communist Vietnam by boat and coming to the US. It was not until I had already begun listening to it that I realized the author is a tv journalist. I apologize to the author for that, as I don’t really watch a ton of news!
Journalists have written some of my favorite memoirs as they are so practiced at being good storytellers. As it turns out, they’re also good at narrating audiobooks too. I really enjoyed this listen with the slight newscastery feel.
This is a story of determination- there are admitted mistakes, lessons learned, admirable anecdotes of overcoming adversity, hard work, and a little luck. I felt the memoir was really well tied together and had a good tempo throughout.
As a huge perk, a good portion of it took place in Northern California, which I love when it happens, because I know the places the author is talking about!! This made me like it ten fold more.
Journalists have written some of my favorite memoirs as they are so practiced at being good storytellers. As it turns out, they’re also good at narrating audiobooks too. I really enjoyed this listen with the slight newscastery feel.
This is a story of determination- there are admitted mistakes, lessons learned, admirable anecdotes of overcoming adversity, hard work, and a little luck. I felt the memoir was really well tied together and had a good tempo throughout.
As a huge perk, a good portion of it took place in Northern California, which I love when it happens, because I know the places the author is talking about!! This made me like it ten fold more.
August 21, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up. I expected more of the family’s story leaving Vietnam and establishing themselves in the US. It makes sense that this part was more brushed over given the author’s age at the time (she was a baby when they left Vietnam), but I would have liked more on that. The book centered more on her news career. I liked learning about their families work ethic and way of seeing the world. One motto was “don’t complain, don’t explain”.
April 18, 2025
Fabulous autobiography
This highly readable autobiography of Vicky Nguyen’s remarkable life is smart, literate, funny, poignant, articulate, and wholly engaging. Her story is so well told, you feel like she’s your best friend. Vicky is wicked smart, seriously ambitious, and extraordinarily capable. I will now watch her on NBC with new appreciation and admiration.
This highly readable autobiography of Vicky Nguyen’s remarkable life is smart, literate, funny, poignant, articulate, and wholly engaging. Her story is so well told, you feel like she’s your best friend. Vicky is wicked smart, seriously ambitious, and extraordinarily capable. I will now watch her on NBC with new appreciation and admiration.
May 30, 2025
“As refugees, my parents and I have become familiar with the uncertainty of evolving in new spaces. That discomfort has given me something singular and valuable, like a tiny piece of grit that irritates the tissue inside an oyster but eventually forms a pearl. My pearl is understanding what it took to get here, literally. I don't take my life for granted because I know my history.”
3.5 stars!
boat baby, written by nbc news anchor vicky nguyen, tells the story of nguyen’s life starting with her family’s escape from communist vietnam when she was only 8 months old all the way to her rise to fame as a renowned investigative reporter. we learn about her parents’ life in saigon, how they adjusted to living in america, the opportunities they seized and challenges they faced, and the utter amount of sacrifices they made to ensure their daughter could have a better life than them.
nguyen has stated that she wrote this book not only as a tribute to her parents, but also as a love letter to america, a country she finds singularly unique in its upward mobility and plentiful opportunities. especially during a time when our country is so fraught with division, this book shows what it is to love a country and be grateful for the privileges you gain from living in it while still being able to critique its flaws and fight for it to be better.
the most compelling part of this book to me was its focus on the immigrant experience and the tangled web of emotions that come with it. we see it in nguyen’s relationship with her parents and how as she grows older, she struggles with feelings of guilt and questions about what she owes them (especially her father) in return for all their sacrifices.
“But my mom and dad never talked about prejudice or racism, and I didn't bring it up. I suspected they were targets too, but they did not complain or explain. We just endured it. Their attitude was Why bother being upset? Who cares if some people treat you badly? Life is too short to dwell on those indignities and injustices. Just find another way.”
this quote in particular stood out to me. it is the mentality of many first-gen immigrants: heads down survival at any cost. it reminds me a lot of a hasan minhaj quote that i love from his first comedy special: “My dad’s from that generation where he feels like if you come to this country, you pay the American dream tax. You endure racism, and if it doesn’t cost you your life, pay it. There you go, Uncle Sam. But for me, I was born here. So I actually have the audacity of equality. I’m like, ‘I’m in Honors Gov, I have it right here. Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. All men created equal.’ It says it right here, I’m equal. I’m equal. I don’t deserve this.” as second-gen immigrants, we are afforded the opportunity to push back, to ask for and receive more than our parents ever did, more than they could ever hope for, more than they ever knew existed. and with this truth comes guilt, guilt that the only reason we are able to do these things is because of the very fact that our parents were not.
this book reads less like a cohesive narrative and more like a series of chronological vignettes, which i generally do not mind. however, many of them had a repetitive anecdotal structure that introduced a life struggle nguyen was going through and ended with a neatly wrapped bow of a defining moral that helped her get through it. it all felt a little too aesop’s fable-y and heavy-handed for my liking.
this memoir did not blow me away but it was definitely a pleasant read, and nguyen’s humor and personality shone throughout. i had no idea who she was before picking this up, but i imagine if you are a fan of her and regularly watch her on tv this would be an incredibly enjoyable read!
ty to netgalley for the e-arc!
3.5 stars!
boat baby, written by nbc news anchor vicky nguyen, tells the story of nguyen’s life starting with her family’s escape from communist vietnam when she was only 8 months old all the way to her rise to fame as a renowned investigative reporter. we learn about her parents’ life in saigon, how they adjusted to living in america, the opportunities they seized and challenges they faced, and the utter amount of sacrifices they made to ensure their daughter could have a better life than them.
nguyen has stated that she wrote this book not only as a tribute to her parents, but also as a love letter to america, a country she finds singularly unique in its upward mobility and plentiful opportunities. especially during a time when our country is so fraught with division, this book shows what it is to love a country and be grateful for the privileges you gain from living in it while still being able to critique its flaws and fight for it to be better.
the most compelling part of this book to me was its focus on the immigrant experience and the tangled web of emotions that come with it. we see it in nguyen’s relationship with her parents and how as she grows older, she struggles with feelings of guilt and questions about what she owes them (especially her father) in return for all their sacrifices.
“But my mom and dad never talked about prejudice or racism, and I didn't bring it up. I suspected they were targets too, but they did not complain or explain. We just endured it. Their attitude was Why bother being upset? Who cares if some people treat you badly? Life is too short to dwell on those indignities and injustices. Just find another way.”
this quote in particular stood out to me. it is the mentality of many first-gen immigrants: heads down survival at any cost. it reminds me a lot of a hasan minhaj quote that i love from his first comedy special: “My dad’s from that generation where he feels like if you come to this country, you pay the American dream tax. You endure racism, and if it doesn’t cost you your life, pay it. There you go, Uncle Sam. But for me, I was born here. So I actually have the audacity of equality. I’m like, ‘I’m in Honors Gov, I have it right here. Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. All men created equal.’ It says it right here, I’m equal. I’m equal. I don’t deserve this.” as second-gen immigrants, we are afforded the opportunity to push back, to ask for and receive more than our parents ever did, more than they could ever hope for, more than they ever knew existed. and with this truth comes guilt, guilt that the only reason we are able to do these things is because of the very fact that our parents were not.
this book reads less like a cohesive narrative and more like a series of chronological vignettes, which i generally do not mind. however, many of them had a repetitive anecdotal structure that introduced a life struggle nguyen was going through and ended with a neatly wrapped bow of a defining moral that helped her get through it. it all felt a little too aesop’s fable-y and heavy-handed for my liking.
this memoir did not blow me away but it was definitely a pleasant read, and nguyen’s humor and personality shone throughout. i had no idea who she was before picking this up, but i imagine if you are a fan of her and regularly watch her on tv this would be an incredibly enjoyable read!
ty to netgalley for the e-arc!
June 30, 2025
Friends, this is an absolutely beautiful memoir that I don’t expect you to read.
July 4, 2025
Rarely do I get first-hand stories from immigrants to the United States, other than those I heard from former ESL students. This enlightening memoir is so personal and honest that I couldn't put it down. Vicky's complicated relationship with her parents, especially her father, revealed how an Asian parent and child interacted, and how that was changed due to Vicky's assimilation to all things American. It was apparent how she struggled to balance both sides of her life.
My only disappointment was in the end (why her father had blackout incidents and what he might do about them). I also wonder how her husband settled into his new job and whether he found happiness in it.
My only disappointment was in the end (why her father had blackout incidents and what he might do about them). I also wonder how her husband settled into his new job and whether he found happiness in it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 7, 2025
Riveting Storytelling!
A joy to read. Book reads like a conversation with a good friend. Loved hearing about Vicky‘s family and how their adventures lead to who she is today.
A joy to read. Book reads like a conversation with a good friend. Loved hearing about Vicky‘s family and how their adventures lead to who she is today.
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