The Happiest Refugee: Chapter 11 Summary & Analysis

Anh auditions for a children’s show called “Don’t Blame Me.” His love of animals, which the show features, serves him well. He arrives to the audition with a budgie on his head, and gets the part.

Anh and his brother Khoa also undertake charity work. The two brothers volunteer with at-risk kids, and Khoa comes up with the idea of making a feature film with them. They manage to fundraise for the film, and a year and a half later, their film, entitled “The Finished People,” is released in theatres, and receives critical acclaim.

Impressed by Khoa’s devotion and work with the at-risk children, Anh nominates him for the Young Australian of the Year Award. To everyone’s delight—most especially Anh’s mother—Khoa wins the award. This marks a milestone not only in Khoa’s life, but also in the family’s. As he watches the award ceremony, Anh reflects that Khoa is that same child who had almost lost his life on the “Motherfish,” when, during the family’s escape from Vietnam, he had been dangled over the edge of the boat by pirates.

After Anh’s show “Don’t Blame Me” ends, he finds it difficult getting parts as an Asian actor. As a result, he decides to write his own script, for a film he calls “Footy Legends.” The whole family becomes involved in the making of the film, and the film is released successfully.

“Footy Legends” takes Anh’s career to a whole new level. Suddenly, he gets calls to appear on big TV shows such “Thank God You’re Here.” He also receives a call to appear on the show “Dancing with the Stars.” Although Anh can’t dance for his life, he agrees to do the show, especially when he is informed that he will be teamed up with dancing legend Luda Kroitor.

During his participation in “Dancing with the Stars,” Anh visits a children’s hospital, which will be partly supported by proceeds from the show. The visit to the hospital reinforces his desire to succeed on the show, and he begins practicing much harder. His efforts pay off: he makes it to the show’s finale, although he doesn’t win.

Anh’s family are ecstatic over Anh’s newly-found celebrity on “Dancing with the Stars.” Both his father and mother host big gatherings whenever he’s on television.

Strangers begin recognizing Anh in the street. One day, he is stopped by Uncle Six—the uncle who had lived with Anh and his family twenty years ago, soon after their arrival in Australia, and who had disappeared mysteriously. Uncle Six tells Anh he’s been watching him on television. Anh had heard from his father that Uncle Six, who is adopted, had turned his back on the family—even ignoring his grandmother on the street.

While undertaking research for his memoir, however, Anh delves deeper into Uncle Six’s story. He discovers from his grandmother that Uncle Six was in fact not an adopted child—he was the love child of her husband, who had him with another woman while serving as a soldier during the Vietnam War. No one in the family, except Anh’s grandmother, knew this secret.

On the show “Celebrity Deal or No Deal,” Anh wins $200,000 dollars, which goes to a man looking after his sick wife and two children. When Anh goes to hand the check to the couple, they are extremely grateful, and everyone is moved to tears.

Anh continues to pick up television work: he is offered to do a travelogue on the Beijing Olympics. He appears on other shows, including the sports quiz show “The Squiz” and “Top Gear.” In the television show “Thank You,” he thanks his Year 8 teacher Mrs. Borny, who, back in St. Aloysius, had encouraged his storytelling talents. He surprises her one day in her classroom in the school, appearing with a camera crew to say thank you in person, fifteen years since he had himself been in her class.

Throughout these successes, Anh continues to enjoy above all the company of his family—his wife Suzie and the three boys they have had together. His ties and bonds to his Vietnamese family also remain unbroken.