The Beauty of Humanity Movement
Camilla Gibb
March 2011
308 pages
Published by The Penguin Press
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Like the making of good pho (Vietnamese noodle soup), The Beauty of Humanity Movement requires patience. But your patience will be rewarded…like good pho, this book is satisfying and complex and full of flavor. Okay, I’m basing that statement on the reactions of the characters who slurped their way through bowl after bowl of pho, as I’ve never actually eaten it myself (and after reading this book, it practically feels like blasphemy to say that). And sorry if that’s a cheesy analogy, but pho is so central to this story that it’s impossible not to bring it up.
On the surface, this is a story about a young woman who returns to Vietnam to discover her father’s past. Maggie’s father was a Vietnamese artist, killed in a reeducation camp. As she searches for information about him, she befriends Tu’, a young tour guide, and Hung, an elderly pho seller. As the trio searches both for information and to remember, a small piece of Vietnam’s history and culture is brought to life. We see a modern Vietnam struggling to come to terms with both its past and its present, and we see the post-war Vietnam, with all of its hardships and efforts to exert political dominance over practically all aspects of an individual’s life.
Food and art are central to the story, and they’re what made this story so fascinating for me. Pho is described often (heck, it’s practically a character), and in loving detail. In the late 1970′s and 1980′s (I think that’s the right time period), Hung’s pho shop was a meeting place for the Beauty of Humanity Movement, a group of dissident artists and writers. The fictional group is used to illustrate both the resistance to and the brutality of the communist regime.
The best way I can describe this book is as a beautiful fictional ethnography…Gibb is a trained social anthropologist, and this book is a fascinating look into just a small piece of both Vietnam’s past and it’s culture. I loved The Beauty of Humanity Movement…it may not be full of action, but it is full of the historical and cultural details that I love to see in a book.
I read this as part of a TLC tour (thank you to Trish and Penguin!)…be sure to stop by and see what everyone else has to say:
- Wednesday, March 16th: Reading on a Rainy Day
- Thursday, March 18th: Reading Through Life
- Monday, March 21st: BookNAround
- Tuesday, March 22nd: The House of the Seven Tails
- Wednesday, March 23rd: Unabridged Chick
- Tuesday, March 29th: In the Next Room
- Wednesday, March 30th: Rundpinne
- Monday, April 4th: Kahakai Kitchen
- Thursday, April 7th: Booksie’s Blog
I so want to read this book now. Though it does move a bit slowly, the fact that the writing is so beautiful and that it really fleshes out a time and place in history makes it something that I think I would be really interested in reading. Your review was wonderful Jill!
A story with so much pho? I never heard of pho until just a few years ago, when my husband introduced me to the dish.He loves it! He’s even convinced me to try making it, wow does that soup take lots of patience. But very scrumptious when done right. I’m still working on getting it to come out tasty. Almost makes me want to go read this book just for that!
Jeane´s last [type] ..Get Me Out
This sounds right up my alley…I get weak in the knees with ethnographical fiction
Patti Smith´s last [type] ..The Hunger Games – Book Review
“beautiful fictional ethnography” – that is a fascinating and very appealing way to describe this book. Yours is the first review I’ve seen and it sounds like this book is not to be missed.
Thanks for being on the tour!
I feel like I should know a lot about Vietnam, when in fact I know very little. This book sounds like it would help fill that void.
Great review Jill. I’ve often wondered about this book and thought to purchase it. You make it sound very good plus any novel with food and art as a central focus is right up my reading alley.
Darlene´s last [type] ..Teaser Tuesdays March 15
I was hoping someone would review this one because it caught my eye the other day.
If you try pho, please go to a good shop for it. So many restaurants call it pho and it’s so, so…blah.
This book sounds like something I would like. I love the cover and the title, too.
Ti´s last [type] ..The Sunday Salon- Hitting a Wall
Now I’m craving pho…and I’ve never had it either. Strange.
Trisha´s last [type] ..Book Review- Deadish
Mmmmm pho! I love pho. It’s all I want to eat when I’m not feeling well.
this book sounds lovely. And I’ll be sure to have some vegan pho on hand should there be cravings.
S´s last [type] ..Neuromancer
I am thinking I have never read a book like this before! I am really intrigued by this one!
Amused´s last [type] ..Calling All Northern California Book Bloggers
I loved this book and consider it a five star read. If you haven’t read Sweetness in the Belly by Gibb I can highly recommend that one also. Just as good in its own way. Set in Ethiopia and England. Thanks for reviewing this.
I agree – the story doesn’t move along all that quickly, but it develops into quite the narrative if you’re patient and stick with it.
Carina (Reading Through Life)´s last [type] ..Reading Roots- Darlyn from Darlyn and Books
I think I would really enjoy this book – adding it to the TBR. I went to Vietnam a few years and just loved the country and was amazed at how rapidly it is changing. thanks for the reivew!
Must try pho tonight. It is my all time favorite dish. And a book with such a focus on Pho? Must read! Seriously, pho is good for what ails ya.
Michelle´s last [type] ..Whip Up Something New- Links