Three Funerals for My Father : Love, Loss and Escape From Vietnam

**Shortlisted for the 2022 Hamilton Literary Awards** What would you risk to save your children? Jolie Phuong Hoang grew up as one of ten children, part of a loving, prosperous Vietnamese family. All that changed after the communists took over in 1975. Identified as a potential "bad element," the family lived in constant fear of being sent to the dreaded new economic zone. Desperate to ensure the family's safety and to provide a future for his children, Jolie's father arranged three separate escapes. The first was a failure that cost most of their fortune, but the second was successful—six of his children reached Indonesia and ultimately settled in Canada. He and his youngest daughter drowned during the disastrous third attempt. Told from the author's perspective and that of her father's ghost, Three Funerals for My Father is a poignant story of love, grief and resilience that spans three countries and fifty years. In an era when anti-Asian racism is on the rise and the issue of human migration is front-page news, Three Funerals for My Father provides a vivid and timely first-hand account of what it is like to risk everything for a chance at freedom. It is at once an intimate story of one family, a testament to the collective experience of the "boat people" who escaped communist Vietnam, and a plea on behalf of the millions of refugees currently seeking asylum across the globe.

A story for every misfit who ever thought they were the only ones without all the answers.

Robert O’Brien loves cars. Growing up in Dublin, they provided a welcome refuge from the human interaction he found so difficult. His father’s race car, a BMW E30 M3 Sport Evolution he named the Beast, became his alter ego—powerful, admired, confident—and Robert began a quest to become a worthy owner. He completed a university degree, took courses to conquer his stutter and tried to come to terms with his sexuality. But still he remained more comfortable in the fantasy worlds of video games and television.

Escaping Ireland to pursue acting in Vancouver, Robert quickly realized there was one thing he could not run from. Himself. Refusing to give up, he delved into self-help courses and counseling and began journaling to pinpoint where things went wrong but continued to struggle with self-worth. During a particularly difficult trip home, it was the Beast that saved his life.

Just One More Drive explores dark themes—bullying, depression, suicide, loneliness, anxiety—with honesty, self-deprecating humour and hope. After years of struggle, Robert is proud of the man he is, no longer believes he needs to be fixed and is passionate about normalizing frank discussions of men’s mental health.

"Jolie Hoang grew up as one of ten children, part of a loving, prosperous Vietnamese family. All that changed when the communists took over in 1975; the family lived in constant fear of being sent to the dreaded "new economic zone." Desperate to ensure the family's safety and to provide a future for his children, Jolie's father arranged three separate escapes. The first was a failure that cost most of their fortune, but the second was successful--six of his children reached Indonesia and ultimately settled in Canada. He and his youngest daughter drowned during the disastrous third attempt. Alternately told from the author's perspective and that of her father's ghost, Three Funerals for My Father is a poignant story of love, grief and resilience that spans three countries and fifty years. It is an intimate story of one family, a testament to the collective experience of the "boat people" who escaped communist Vietnam, and a plea on behalf of the millions of refugees currently seeking asylum across the globe."-- Provided by publisher Jolie Hoang grew up as one of ten children, part of a loving, prosperous Vietnamese family. All that changed when the communists took over in 1975; the family was harassed and lived in constant fear of being sent to the dreaded new economic zone. Desperate to ensure the family's safety and to provide a future for his children, Jolie's father arranged three separate escapes. The first was a failure that cost most of their fortune, but the second was successful -- six of his children reached Indonesia and ultimately settled in Canada. The father and his youngest daughter drowned during the disastrous third attempt. Alternately told from the author's perspective and that of her father's ghost, Three Funerals for My Father is a poignant story of love, grief and resilience that spans two continents and fifty years. It serves as both an intimate story of one family, and a testament to the collective experience of hundreds of thousands of boat people and millions of refugees.