My Father, The Panda Killer by Jamie Jo Hoang
ISBN: 0593642961
Genres: Historical Fiction, Realistic Fiction
Format: Chapter Book Fiction
Goodreads

“My Father, the Panda Killer” by Jamie Jo Hoang is a young adult historical fiction novel about a daughter’s relationship with her abusive Vietnamese father. Jane is leaving for college and is having trouble telling her younger brother that she’ll be leaving. The story switches from Jane’s life in 1999 to her retelling of her father’s story in 1975 of trying to escape the Vietnam war. The book is unflinching in its depiction of violence, both during the war and from Phuc, Jane’s father in the present day. Themes of generational trauma and abuse are clear. Hoang does a great job of making the characters seem like real people, flaws and all. We may not like all the characters, but we learn their backgrounds and see where they are coming from.

The author includes a note at the beginning of the book in all caps that “THIS BOOK IS NOT A HISTORY LESSON,” which I appreciate because too often readers will assume that historical fiction is specifically to teach about history, but this story is not meant to teach us about that historical event. It is its own fictional story. Readers may find the abuse and violence very hard to get through, but it is a key part of this novel. Recommended for ages 15 and up, this is a recommended purchase for YA collections.

Reviewed by Kate Radke, Walker Memorial Library, Westbrook, ME.