Thien’s first memory isn’t a sight or a sound. It’s the sweetness of watermelon and the saltiness of fish. It’s the taste of the foods he ate while adrift at sea as his family fled Vietnam.

After the Pham family arrives at a refugee camp in Thailand, they struggle to survive. Things don’t get much easier once they resettle in California. And through each chapter of their lives, food takes on a new meaning. Strawberries come to signify struggle as Thien’s mom and dad look for work. Potato chips are an indulgence that brings Thien so much joy that they become a necessity.

Behind every cut of steak and inside every croissant lies a story. And for Thien Pham, that story is about a search—for belonging, for happiness, for the American dream.

To be frank, Family Style was AMAZING. I was totally invested in this graphic novel and genuinely enjoyed this short read. Part of the reason why I was so absorbed in reading this book, is that it involves such beautiful and effective illustrations with intricate and authentic autobiographical storytelling.

The novel is about the importance of family and community, as well as the hope for achieving the American dream. Family Style also mentions the various struggles with Vietnamese integration into the United States, especially the struggles of staying together as a family and losing the sense of identity and culture that comes from being Vietnamese in Western society.

I really enjoyed seeing how Pham used genuine memories of important foods in his personal life, to describe critical moments of the novel and his journey of finding true belonging in the United States. This truly spoke to me as it shows how all our huge struggles and successes can tie back to the littlest of things.

The main characters in the novel are also easy to sympathize with as they all have experienced a struggle. From fleeing to the United States on a boat, to living in a refugee camp for several months, and experiencing an extent of discrimination in America; all events that take place in the novel, meaningfully contribute to the plot and a more realistic portrayal of the novel itself.

I thoroughly enjoyed Family Style for the short time it took to read, and would strongly recommend it for all middle-grade and above readers to gain a new and insightful perspective on the true, authentic struggles of refugees during their journey to the United States.

—Dev Nair