The Unwanted

In “The Unwanted”, Kien Nguyen is a child born to a Vietnamese mother and her white American soldier lover. In 1975, the time of the Communist takeover, the U.S. left Vietnam. Kien, his pregnant mother and his younger brother Jimmy, also Amerasian, made it to the roof of the U.S. embassy in Saigon, waiting for the return of a helicopter that never made it back for them to escape. The next ten years Kien and his family endured many hardships.
This book is full of extraordinary courage, determination and will. Kien was subjected to many injustices, most of which were inflicted by the males in his life and community. Kien’s mother’s boyfriend, Lam, was a cruel man who took advantage of people around him. He raped the family maid, Loan, and he raped Kien as he slept alone at night. Lam was a sociopath and very manipulative, he took advantage of Kien’s family. Kien’s cousins were also cruel to him and his brother. They were poor, and took great joy in tormenting Kien and Jimmy. His cousins were glad to have others around who were considered “lower” then they were. Tormenting Kien’s family made the cousins feel better about themselves. When the boys were given a dog, the cousins kicked it to death while laughing. It was mostly males, but there were also female figures who took part in the violence surrounding him. His aunt was a person who had the power to stop the violence, but she only encouraged it. She got a sense of power by having Kien’s family being so destitute and dependant on her.
The direct traumas that Kien endured were many. When he was a young boy, he experienced security and the joy of healthy relationships. He was surrounded by comfort and luxury. By the time the Communist party took over, his family was left with nothing. One of the first traumas he endured was being left on the roof top at the U.S. embassy. If the helicopter could have landed safely, his family would have been taken to safety. He had to leave his childhood home and move to the home near his aunt’s house, where he was tormented by his cousins. He witnessed the maid, Loan, being raped by Lam, and then he himself was raped by Lam. His beloved dog was kicked and beaten to death by his cousins. He attended school, and was a good student who forged a bond with his teacher, then his teacher mysteriously disappeared. He was instructed not to ask any questions about her disappearance. T...

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...eel as though she were going to go crazy.
The structural traumas that Harriet endured were what every slave had to live with, racism being the biggest. Because she was black, she was considered property. And her children were property, even though they were half white. Poverty kept her down, also.
Because of her desperate situation living on Dr. Flint’s property and fearing things would get worse, Harriet was forced to do something she wouldn’t have done under other circumstances. She had sex outside of marriage, and she conceived her first child. This did have the results she wanted. She also had to be very manipulating and cunning. Harriet would have never abandoned her children, but she was also forced to do that. This was ultimately for their own good, but it was very painful for her. She was concerned with how the community would judge her. She drew on the strength of her grandmother during these times.
Knowing her grandmother loved her no matter what is one of the biggest things that kept Harriet alive. Her uncle Ben also had much love for her, and later, the love for her children, allowed her to keep her mind on the end result, which was freedom for her and her children.