Snow

Growing up in war-torn Vietnam was normal, even idyllic at times, for Snow, the youngest of seven children in her family. Although her heart belongs to an American GI, she honors her father by marrying a Vietnamese man. Her halcyon life unravels as the Vietnam War ravages her country and the threat of communism culminates with the fall of Saigon. Life in unified Vietnam under the new regime becomes unbearable. Betrayed by her husband and left with a dying child to raise, Snow must set aside her morals and push herself to the limit emotionally, physically, and mentally, to buy her way out of the country. Her decision to escape and find sanctuary in America takes her adrift in the South China Sea and the Gulf of Thailand with her daughter, nephew, and other boat refugees. For days, they are at the mercy of pirates, storms, and dire conditions. Ultimately, Snow settles into a refugee camp on the island of Galang in Indonesia, but life there is deplorable. The threat of repatriation and the will to keep her family alive keeps her motivated to hustle for a ticket to freedom. "Wow, Snow in Vietnam is better than Miss Saigon! A story told from someone who lived through love, loss, and the pursuit of freedom during the Vietnam War. A triumphant story of the Vietnamese boat people!" - Loc Bui, Business Development Officer, Media Vines Corp "The book is beautifully written, the story told with equal amounts of heart and skill and this reader could hardly tear away from the story for real-life each day." -Kim Hornsby, USA Today Bestselling Author and Amazon #1 Bestselling Author "I also loved the novel." -Bill McCloud, Vietnam Veterans of America "This novel is epic." -Michael Harmon, Vietnam War Veteran "One of the best books I have ever read." -Greg Simpson, Vietnam War Veteran

"Snow's Kitchen" is the final book in the "Snow" trilogy and is written in the voice of Snow's daughter, Dolly. This Young Adult novella is a coming-of-age story that turns a young refugee girl's life upside down as she journeys toward independence. Dolly was thirteen years old when her family moved from Seattle to Orange County, California. Lost between two cultures, she did not feel Vietnamese or American. In her search to find a community of her own, Dolly lost her identity, her voice, and her independence. It was through the experience of first love, the discovery of new wave music, the appreciation of traditional foods, and the survival of tough love that she understood identity was rooted in self-love and self-acceptance. Amy M. Le, award-winning author of "Snow in Vietnam" and "Snow in Seattle," gives readers a glimpse into the Vietnamese youth culture of the 1990s as they carved their niche in America following resettlement from the Vietnam War. Diverging viewpoints from old-fashioned parents living in a progressive America brought conflict and cultural divide within familial generations. Food and new wave music were the two elements that threaded the cultural and societal gaps. Join us in Snow's Kitchen as we transition from the novella to the cookbook where pho, egg rolls, crepes, and other favorite foods from the Snow trilogy bring us together at the table to break bread and discover commonalities between different worlds. Similar to Fannie Flagg's "Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe," Jill Conner Browne's "Sweet Potato Queens" novels, and Patricia Cornwell's "Kay Scarpetta" series, Snow's Kitchen is chock-full of recipes and plot twists.