On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous (2019) is the debut novel by Ocean Vuong, a Vietnamese-American poet, essayist, and novelist. Often referred to by its acronym "Little Dog" (the protagonist's nickname), the book is written as a single, unbroken letter from the narrator, Little Dog, to his mother, Hong, who is illiterate and a Vietnamese immigrant. Blending prose poetry, memoir, and fiction, it explores the complexities of family, identity, and survival in America. Vuong, who immigrated to the U.S. as a child refugee, draws heavily from his own life, infusing the narrative with lyrical intensity and raw vulnerability.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous
$18.00
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before he was born–a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam–and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity
In stock
| Weight | 0.45 lbs |
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| Dimensions | 7.7 × 5 × 0.8 in |
| Language | English |
| Page Count | 256 |
| Publish Date | June 01, 2021 |
| Publisher | Penguin Books |
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