Category: Adults, Autobiography & Biographies, Political
Language: EnglishKeywords: Family Grief Race
Written by Susan Lieu
Read by Susan Lieu
Format: M4B
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged
“Susan Lieu’s narration of her memoir, The Manicurist’s Daughter, adds to the already raw emotion that flows throughout her journey to know her mother.”âThe Berkshire Eagle
This program is read by the author.
An emotionally raw memoir about the crumbling of the American Dream and a daughter of refugees who searches for answers after her mother dies during plastic surgery.
Susan Lieu has long been searching for answers. About her familyâs past and about her own future. Refugees from the Vietnam War, Susanâs family escaped to California in the 1980s after five failed attempts. Upon arrival, Susanâs mother was their savvy, charismatic North Star, setting up two successful nail salons and orchestrating every successâuntil Susan was eleven. That year, her mother died from a botched tummy tuck. After the funeral, no one was ever allowed to talk about her or what had happened.
For the next twenty years, Susan navigated a series of cascading questions aloneâwhy did the most perfect person in her life want to change her body? Why would no one tell her about her motherâs life in Vietnam? And how did this surgeon, who preyed on Vietnamese immigrants, go on operating after her motherâs death? Sifting through depositions, tracking down the surgeonâs family, and enlisting the help of spirit channelers, Susan uncovers the painful truth of her mother, herself, and the impossible ideal of beauty.
The Manicuristâs Daughter is much more than a memoir about grief, trauma, and body image. It is a story of fierce determination, strength in shared culture, and finding your place in the world.
Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
Release date: 03-12-24
“Susan Lieu’s narration of her memoir, The Manicurist’s Daughter, adds to the already raw emotion that flows throughout her journey to know her mother.”âThe Berkshire Eagle
This program is read by the author.
An emotionally raw memoir about the crumbling of the American Dream and a daughter of refugees who searches for answers after her mother dies during plastic surgery.
Susan Lieu has long been searching for answers. About her familyâs past and about her own future. Refugees from the Vietnam War, Susanâs family escaped to California in the 1980s after five failed attempts. Upon arrival, Susanâs mother was their savvy, charismatic North Star, setting up two successful nail salons and orchestrating every successâuntil Susan was eleven. That year, her mother died from a botched tummy tuck. After the funeral, no one was ever allowed to talk about her or what had happened.
For the next twenty years, Susan navigated a series of cascading questions aloneâwhy did the most perfect person in her life want to change her body? Why would no one tell her about her motherâs life in Vietnam? And how did this surgeon, who preyed on Vietnamese immigrants, go on operating after her motherâs death? Sifting through depositions, tracking down the surgeonâs family, and enlisting the help of spirit channelers, Susan uncovers the painful truth of her mother, herself, and the impossible ideal of beauty.
The Manicuristâs Daughter is much more than a memoir about grief, trauma, and body image. It is a story of fierce determination, strength in shared culture, and finding your place in the world.
Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
Release date: 03-12-24