*UPDATE: Campaign over, but you can still get the book :)*

You can now purchase this book online. Visit my Etsy page for details!

You can also get them for free if you're apart of a non-profit organization. Please email minnie@minniephan.com.

Thanks!

First: I started this campaign will little expectations, but I was completely blown away by the generosity of friends and people around the world. Thank you so much for helping make this project a reality!

Second: On November 22nd, 2013 I was awarded a grant of $500 from the California College of the Arts towards this project. I am so happy to announce that once I reach $2,100 here on Indiegogo, my campaign will be complete and all proceeds after printing and shipping costs will be donated to Direct Relief towards helping Typhoon Haiyan victims.

Third: Thank you everyone for the incredible support!
The book debuted on December 12th and everyone was so thrilled and happy. It was awesome!

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The painting you see above this text is of my parents at a refugee camp in Hong Kong.

23 years ago, my parents became known as 'boat people' and escaped Vietnam in hopes of a brighter future. They were at sea for roughly 30 days before reaching China and then were granted access to America three years later.

My name is Minnie Phan and I was born in the San Francisco Bay Area. I grew up in a household where the past was never spoken of, and my desire for a punk rock life style left my relationship with my parents distant and torn. I rebelled against the culture my parents had given me.

In the summer of 2013, I won a scholarship to visit Vietnam for the first time in 15 years.

What came from this experience was a new understanding of my parents and the stories they left on the shores of Vietnam. 

When I returned to America, I illustrated this trip as my senior Illustration thesis at the California College of the Arts.

The moment I arrived to Saigon, I was labeled “Việt Kiều”, a term used by Vietnamese citizens to refer to Vietnamese people living in other countries. In the United States, I did not feel like an American, and yet in Vietnam, I was not even a true Vietnamese. But this didn't hold me back. My trip transformed into a journey about my cultural identity and the importance of family. I went 21 years of my life disliking my own skin. But after this journey, I was changed.

(This is me with my extended family in Hue, Vietnam)

But I need help funding the printing of this book

It is thanks to my parents that I am living in the United States and am able to obtain a college degree. However, my family has always struggled financially, and I've been funding my own education from the very beginning. I've written countless scholarship essays, and every summer I work at least 2 jobs to pay my tuition. This book is very special to me.. but also very costly. I want to surprise my parents and say thank you, but I do not have the heart to burden them with financial need. This project has been a secret for the last 4 months, and I would like to surprise them at my thesis reception.

I have roughly a week to get funding for this project

Out of shyness, I was afraid to try an Indiegogo campaign. But I love my parents and my family so much.. I told myself I had to at least try. So in order to print my books on time, I will need to raise the funds within a week. Any amount helps. Even a forward via e-mail is appreciated. My ultimate goal is to also print this book in Vietnamese, so that I can reach my extended family as well.

Even if you can't contribute, please get the word out!

Thank you so much for your time and consideration. To see more of my art, please go to minniephan.com