To mark Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, we're focusing on California-based author and psychiatrist Dr. Elizabeth Nguyen. She grew up in Honolulu after her Vietnamese parents immigrated to Hawaiʻi in 1975 at the end of the Vietnam War.
The Punahou alum recently published a novel titled "Aloha Vietnam." Set on Oʻahu, it depicts two generations of a Vietnamese family coming to terms with mental health treatment and recovery. The Conversation had the chance to talk with Nguyen about her debut book.
"Aloha Vietnam" is available everywhere books are sold. Download the first four chapters here.
This interview aired on The Conversation on May 1, 2023. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m. on HPR-1.
