- SKU: 9781990688263
- BARCODE: 9781990688263
- VENDOR: BooksCloud
12 Elephants and a Dragon: A Memoir of Survival and the Kindness of Strangers - Paperback
Couldn't load pickup availability
Description
by VI Tu Banh (Author), Marie Beswick Arthur (Author)
The stories we're told about the Vietnam War tend to focus on the soldiers who fought it. But what about the ordinary people who lived through it? How did the war and its aftermath affect the course their lives would take? What risks would they have to take to build a new life?
12 Elephants and a Dragon isn't just another book on Vietnam War history. It's the story of one family's life after the war had ended. Vi Tu Banh, then still a child, and his family left their home country in a dangerously overcrowded and dilapidated boat, had to fend for themselves on Air Raya in Indonesia, and then made the journey from the Galang refugee camp to a new life in a house on a hilltop among the snowy fields outside Uxbridge, Ontario. They learned, one day at a time, how to build a new life in Canada.
Their story is one of struggle and strength, highlighting the profound effect that the kindness of others can have on a person's life. It speaks of gratitude and illustrates how each of us have the power to contribute to changing the world for the better.
This exceptional memoir reminds us that there are many nuances to the issue of emigration and immigration. After escaping Vietnam, Vi Tu's refugee family relied on charity and being sponsored by complete strangers to come to the safety of Canada. They then worked hard not only to survive, but on building a new life, and to help contribute and give back to the country that welcomed them:
Once they were Vietnamese boat people, but they became the new Canadians who have been helping to build the country that adopted them.
Today, Dr. Vi Tu Banh is an optometrist, providing comprehensive eye care to the residents of Uxbridge, Ontario and the surrounding areas, with a special interest in providing vision therapy to patients with concussion-like symptoms and visual-related learning problems. His work is a powerful piece of healing from trauma.
Reviews
Exceptional Support and Clean Code
I was impressed by how fast the support team responded to my questions. Even as someone with basic coding knowledge, I found the theme incredibly easy to work with. The code is well-organized, and everything runs smoothly.
Reliable Theme with Excellent Customer Service
After trying multiple themes, I finally chose Wokiee — and haven’t looked back. It’s reliable, modern, and easy to customize without coding. What impressed me most was their support team: fast, helpful, and willing to assist even with third-party issues. That level of service is rare!
Beautiful Design and Great Flexibility
Wokiee is hands down the best Shopify theme I’ve used. The design options are stunning and fully customizable. I was able to build a high-converting store without any external developers.
Top-Notch Support and Regular Updates
The customer support team is incredible — helpful, responsive, and very professional. They’ve helped me resolve everything from layout tweaks to app integrations. Plus, the theme is regularly updated with new features.
Amazing Customization Options"!
Wokiee gave me full creative control over my store’s layout and visuals. The theme’s design blocks are so flexible that I could create something truly unique — without touching a single line of code.
High-Quality Theme with Professional Code
You can tell Wokiee was built by pros. The code is clean and optimized for performance. No bloated features — just what you need. My store loads fast and looks great on all devices.