Anh Do | Autobiography Page

Anh's BESTSELLING memoir

The Happiest Refugee

“This really is a page-turner of laughter and tears”
The Courier Mail

“Funny and moving, it tells the story of our times”
The Age

“Had me up all night reading... it is a ripper”
Leon Compton ABC Radio

“I laughed, I cried ... such an inspiring book”
David Koch Sunrise

“The work of a truly gifted story teller and one of the most enjoyable books I've read this year”
Alex Miller (Miles Franklin Award Winner)

“Anh's story is truly remarkable”
Mel Doyle Sunrise

“Its like a Vietnamese Angela's Ashes”
Simon Beaumont 6PR Radio

“ I read it in one go. A BELTER of a book! I've been at the National Library for 10 years. This means I've had to read a LOT of books... This is one of the best!”
Heidi Pritchard National Library

“The most surprising and inspiring read I have had in years”
Russell Crowe

The following is a 5 star review from
B. Owen Baxter (Bookseller and Publisher magazine)

“The Happiest Refugee” is both Anh Do’s debut in the literary industry, and a bruisingly honest depiction of his life to date. The book starts with Do’s parents meeting and falling in love in war torn Vietnam, and tracks a young Anh as he and his family journey from their homeland to a refugee camp in Malaysia and finally Australia.

Do then goes on to show the reader the pleasures and pitfalls of growing up in Australia as an outsider. One important thing I noticed about his attitude to events in his life is just how unconditionally grateful he is to have experienced even the bad.

He could very well be the next A.B. Facey (“A Fortunate Life”).

The hardest hitting part is just how wonderfully bipolar it can make the reader feel. When you think you’re about to die from laughing, Do wrenches your heartstrings so hard that within an instant you’re on the brink of crying.

The way Do approaches his story is witty, charming, and heart-warming. This book has everything: war, escape, pirates, love, courage, racism, alcoholism, comedy, tragedy and hope. Above all, this book radiates hope.

This is the kind of book that should be a mandatory read in all Australian schools. That being said, it should appeal to anybody from ages 15 to 50 and will show anybody who reads it just how much they have to be grateful for.