“Black-Eyed Women” is a short story by Viet Thanh Nguyen that tells a story of an encounter of a woman from Vietnam with the ghost of her older brother, who died a long time ago. The story is significant because it describes the hardships and difficulties experienced by people who made the journey to America, both en route and after arrival, when they struggled to become accepted in local society. With few to no possessions, they ranked low in the American social hierarchy and had to work considerably past the age at which they would have been able to retire had their home remained peaceful. In addition, the perils of the journey and the deaths of close relatives left those who survived with severe emotional baggage, which made it difficult for them to adjust and move on with their lives.
“The Americans” by Viet Thanh Nguyen is a story about a visit to Cambodia by a former U.S. bomber pilot and his Japanese wife after their daughter, who moved there earlier after marrying, invites them. One of the principal reasons behind her decision was the American lack of accepting people of other races, which confused the girl about her racial identity in addition to numerous arguments with her father. It also calls into focus the American legacy in Cambodia, with the protagonist realizing that his bomb runs, meant to protect his comrades in arms, resulted in the ruin of the country and numerous deaths. Decades later, Cambodia stayed poor and riddled with many reminders of the armed conflict, ranging from beheaded statues to mines that remained active and required enormous resources to defuse, but people worked to restore it.