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When Waves Collide: Not "American" Enough, Yet Too "White Washed"?
When Waves Collide: Not "American" Enough, Yet Too "White Washed"?
When Waves Collide: Not "American" Enough, Yet Too "White Washed"?
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When Waves Collide: Not "American" Enough, Yet Too "White Washed"?

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What does it take to become “successful” in America? What does it take to overcome the constant collision of being told, "you're not American enough" by some, yet ridiculed for being "too white washed" by others? Does every American have an equal opportunity at capturing the “American Dream”?

When Waves Collide is Phat Le’s call for a deeper embrace in our cultural differences--- starting with an honest assessment of his own life journey. The riveting descriptions of his treacherous journey with his family as “boat people” attempting to escape a corrupt government after the fall of Saigon illuminates the sacrifices immigrants are willing to endure in order to reach America’s shores of freedom.
Economic hardships, racial tensions, language barriers, and cultural differences become obstacles in achieving the “American Dream”. His poignant but light hearted stories of acculturation help highlight these struggles.

His exploration with the themes of love, relationships, family, and loss reveals the fact that no matter the differences in our cultural background, deep human emotions and the need for connection are universal.

A declining public education system, problems with youths carelessly experimenting in alcohol and drugs, neglect in adequate mental health care, and an under representation of ethnic minorities in the arts are all growing concerns in today’s diverse America.

The author’s unique life experiences as an educator, mental health counselor, and respected musician allow him to explore and evaluate these topics with intimate detail and personal insight. He challenges his readers to take action in order to create positive change. His memoir includes a soundtrack of self produced original music that connects to the unique themes throughout the book.

Special thanks to Tyler Eytchison, book cover illustrator.

LanguageEnglish
PublisherPhat Le
Release dateJul 27, 2012
ISBN9781476376073
When Waves Collide: Not "American" Enough, Yet Too "White Washed"?
Author

Phat Le

Phat Le graduated from University of California, San Diego with a B.S in psychology and then completed his M.S. in counseling at California State University, Fresno, with a Marriage and Family Therapy and Pupil Personnel Services emphasis. He is a licensed MFT. He has worked in dozens of schools and has engaged in educating thousands of youths. He dedicated three years to counseling underprivileged clients at Catholic Charities, a non-profit organization and then spent two years as a school counselor at a public school in California’s Bay Area. He later went on to work with the San Diego Unified School District, to provide mental health services to youths and families at the Mental Health Resource Center. Phat Le is in a musical band named Heart2exist which has recorded and produced two successful albums with original music celebrating diversity and advocating human rights. He has performed in numerous music videos and concerts within the Vietnamese American community. The author has a significant fan base through his music. The unique inclusion of his original soundtrack with the memoir is sure to spark interest from those who support music. This rare combination of a memoir produced with an original soundtrack will surely catch the attention of both literary and music critics everywhere.

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    When Waves Collide - Phat Le

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