Official Review: The Chance by Bruce M Baker

smolbird · Post by **smolbird** » 13 Apr 2021, 10:06

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Chance" by Bruce M Baker.]

4 out of 4 stars

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Muoi Quan was only nine years old when the North Vietnamese army attacked and defeated the South Vietnamese forces in December 1974. Muoi didn’t know it yet back then, but life as she knew it would forever change. The Chance by Bruce M Baker and Lisa Cheng is a true story of a twelve-year-old girl’s escape from Vietnam in 1979. In this book, we read about Muoi’s life before, during, and after her journey to freedom.

After the Communists from the North took over the South, life in Cho Lon, a Chinese bubble in the South, gradually began going downhill. If they were at least eighteen years of age, men were forcibly taken from their homes to fight in the ongoing war. At school, children were being manipulated into admitting that their parents were conspiring against or hiding wealth from the government by saying that “Uncle Ho (Ho Chi Minh) wants all of his children to be happy and well-fed. He can’t do that if your parents are keeping things from him. Would you help?” I can’t fully express how terrified I was when I read this.

Life got extremely difficult. At some point, the Quan family even had to completely cut out meat from their diet due to its price. It didn’t help that the family was of Chinese descent, making them more desirable targets for the new government. Muoi’s father knew that the family would have to escape the country eventually. Using almost all of the family’s life savings, he bought his first son, Hung, a spot on a boat that would take escapees to Malaysia in 1979. However, what he and his wife did not expect was that Muoi would wound up boarding the ship as well. How did this happen? Will Hung and Muoi make it? Will the rest of the family escape as well? You’ll have to read the book to find out the answers to these questions.

Before reading The Chance, I knew nothing about Vietnam’s history. Reading this book not only gave me insights into the events in Vietnam in 1975, but I also learned a lot about Chinese culture. Muoi’s outgoing, stubborn, and adventurous personality made this book an enjoyable read for me. I also loved reading about Muoi’s family and their way of life. While Muoi’s escape doesn’t happen until a few chapters into the book, I didn’t feel bored reading about her experiences in the town of Cho Lon. Additionally, it isn’t difficult to keep track of the characters in the story.

I found nothing to dislike about this book. It was easy to read, and the story’s events were easy to follow. There were times when I got emotional when reading it, and I have to admit that I cried more than a few times while reading this book. It’s easy to get lost in the story and imagine it as fiction. After all, the effects of war and the experiences of those who are affected by it are so cruel that you find yourself wishing it wasn’t real. But the reality is that this story is true, and it’s only one of many stories out there about people having to flee their homes.

While there were a few errors in this book, this didn’t affect my reading experience. Much to my delight, the number of errors present isn’t large enough to warrant a deduction to the book’s overall rating. Therefore, I gladly award The Chance a perfect rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend this book to those who are interested in reading a refugee’s journey to freedom. However, I do not recommend it to those who are squeamish as the book contains some graphic scenes that involve blood and death.

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The Chance
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Zaeda Amrin · Post by **Zaeda Amrin** » 17 Apr 2021, 10:56

I only have a US-centric understanding of the Vietnam War, all thanks to the public education system, so this sounds like it would be a very enlightening read. I had no idea that Chinese people were targeted by the Vietnamese government (the way they taught it in my schools, I assumed they were allies!). Fortunately, it's amazing what you can gain from reading so I will definitely be adding this to my shelf, thank you so much for the review!

Suzer6440 xyz · Post by **Suzer6440 xyz** » 17 Apr 2021, 11:42

Excellent review! Thank you . A future read for sure!

smolbird · Post by **smolbird** » 18 Apr 2021, 03:40

amrinzaeda wrote: ↑17 Apr 2021, 10:56 I only have a US-centric understanding of the Vietnam War, all thanks to the public education system, so this sounds like it would be a very enlightening read. I had no idea that Chinese people were targeted by the Vietnamese government (the way they taught it in my schools, I assumed they were allies!). Fortunately, it's amazing what you can gain from reading so I will definitely be adding this to my shelf, thank you so much for the review!

As a Southeast Asian, I definitely learned a lot from this book. I also thought that the Chinese were allied with the Vietnamese government, but it was actually America that failed to deliver on their promise of protection at that time. Thank you for the comment and dropping by!

smolbird · Post by **smolbird** » 18 Apr 2021, 04:00

Suzer6440 xyz wrote: ↑17 Apr 2021, 11:42 Excellent review! Thank you . A future read for sure!

Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment! I'm sure you won't regret reading this book.

NetMassimo · Post by **NetMassimo** » 18 Apr 2021, 07:34

This seems like an interesting book to get some insights into the war in Vietnam and its various consequences. Thank you for your great review!

smolbird · Post by **smolbird** » 18 Apr 2021, 07:41

NetMassimo wrote: ↑18 Apr 2021, 07:34 This seems like an interesting book to get some insights into the war in Vietnam and its various consequences. Thank you for your great review!

Indeed, and it's a heartbreaking story of a young girl who had to deal with those consequences. Thank you for dropping by!

Prisallen · Post by **Prisallen** » 18 Apr 2021, 08:40

I feel for the author and her family as they had to endure a lot. I hope they all managed to escape. This sounds like a good book to learn more about the history of Vietnam. Thank you for an informative and well-written review!

smolbird · Post by **smolbird** » 18 Apr 2021, 09:06

Prisallen wrote: ↑18 Apr 2021, 08:40 I feel for the author and her family as they had to endure a lot. I hope they all managed to escape. This sounds like a good book to learn more about the history of Vietnam. Thank you for an informative and well-written review!

When I was reading the book, I kept praying for their safety and eventual escape. I picked up a lot of lessons from this book. Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!

Eutoc · Post by **Eutoc** » 18 Apr 2021, 09:20

War-torn places usually leaves a dreaded memory for the survivors. The author pictures one of the case scenarios. Nice one here

Raluca_Mihaila · Post by **Raluca_Mihaila** » 18 Apr 2021, 10:07

You have piqued my interest with your excellent review! I am curious to find out more about Vietnam and how Muoi's experience. Thank you for your recommendation!

John Owen · Post by **John Owen** » 18 Apr 2021, 23:06

Seems a good book about the Vietnamese war and a family's quest for escape. Nice review!

SamaylaM · Post by **SamaylaM** » 18 Apr 2021, 23:56

It looks like there's so much to learn about events in Vietnam in 1975 and Chinese culture in this book. I wouldn't mind giving it a read someday to get some insights. Thanks for a comprehensive and great review!

smolbird · Post by **smolbird** » 19 Apr 2021, 08:35

Eutoc wrote: ↑18 Apr 2021, 09:20 War-torn places usually leaves a dreaded memory for the survivors. The author pictures one of the case scenarios. Nice one here

Indeed, I'm glad the author was brave enough to tell her story. Thank you for dropping by!