Anh Do

In 1980, shortly after the end of the Vietnam War, the infant Anh Do and his family secretly fled their native country of Vietnam in search of a better life elsewhere. They barely survived the perilous boat journey out of the country, during which they faced storms, pirates, and Vietnamese patrol boats. Eventually rescued by German sailors, they settled in Australia. There, Anh Do, in spite of the poverty into which his family was plunged after they were abandoned by his father, found success and prosperity first as a comedian, and then as a television celebrity, actor, and writer. His memoir The Happiest Refugee, published in 2010, became a national bestseller in Australia, winning awards such as Book of the Year and the Indie Book of the Year Award in 2011.