American Dreamer received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Tim Tran.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
American Dreamer: How I Escaped Communist Vietnam and Built a Successful Life in America. It was published in June 2020.
What’s the book’s first line?
The book’s first line in the Prologue is “This was not how my life was supposed to end. And yet it was difficult to imagine any other outcome.”
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
American Dreamer is an inspirational, first-hand account of the motivating power of an immigrant’s dream for a better life. In the book, author Tim Tran highlights the hope America represented for him throughout his life, from gaining an education to ultimately achieving democratic freedom.
After initially leaving Vietnam in 1970 to attend American universities on a USAID scholarship, Tran’s sense of commitment led him home shortly before the fall of Saigon in 1975. Suspected of being a CIA agent, he found life under Communism increasingly difficult and dangerous, and was forced to flee. During multiple attempts to escape, he encountered deceit, betrayal, and even murder. Finally, in 1979 Tran and his wife, Cathy, escaped with 350 others in a rickety, overcrowded boat, and faced pirate attacks and months in a Malaysian refugee camp before reaching the land of opportunity and their new home in Oregon, USA. Through his vision, ability, and hard work, Tran rose to the position of Chief Financial Officer at Johnstone Supply, a multi-billion dollar company in Portland, Oregon. As a way of giving back to his adopted country, Tran and his wife Cathy established an endowment to fund operations for the Pacific University Library, and the library, built in 2005, was renamed the Tim and Cathy Tran Library in their honor.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
First, I have had an interesting and eventful life, and I have some experience to share and a story to tell. My memoir describes the ups and downs of a tough and difficult life, tales of personal survival and ultimate triumph, moments of failure and the joy of success, as well as my hard-earned wisdom. Second, I want to show my gratitude to the United States of America, the country that I adopted and that adopted me and to all the people who helped me along the way. Third, I‘d like to assure the young people of America and future generations of the immigrant community that “the American Dream is alive and well.” With hard work, determination, and some luck, anyone can get a better life and live the American Dream.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
If you love an inspirational, touching, raw, historically true life story, this book is for you. This book should be read by someone who wants to affirm that the American dream is alive and well, and someone who is willing to work for a better life.
If they made your book into a movie, who would you like to see play the main character(s)?
This is an interesting question. I’d like to offer the names of 3 American male actors of Asian descent:
- Mason Lee, 29 year-old (son of filmmaker Ang Lee) and best known for his role in The Hangover Part II.
- Kenny Ridwan, 20 year-old who has played in The Goldbergs
- Brandon Soo Hoo, 24 year-old who acted in Tropic Thunder (2008)
When did you first decide to become an author?
I decided to become an author in 2003, the year I retired as Chief Finance Officer.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
Yes, it is.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I’m retired. When I’m not writing, I’d like to travel and read.
How much time do you generally spend on your writing?
Currently, since I’m done with writing American Dreamer, I don’t spend much time on my writing.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
Being an indie almost means you have to do all the work yourself including writing, editing, producing, marketing… without the help of a major press. However, I was lucky enough to get help from an independent ghostwriter, copy editor, proofreader, and designer… to get the job done. Also, as an indie, I have broad control and flexibility of marketing, getting reviews, choosing book formats, and setting the price for my book. Ironically, the best part sometimes also becomes the hardest part.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
If you want to be a successful indie author, you must make a firm commitment of both time and effort.
The work does not stop once you complete the writing. There are more things to do, such as getting a cover design, getting your book into the right distribution channels, connecting with reviewers, registering your copyright, and much more… Keep the faith, the successful result is well worth the time and effort.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
I’ll be happy to talk to them. Why not? They have tremendous resources that indie authors simply don’t.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
I would like to be a part of history (successful Vietnamese-American naturalized citizen) through this book.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
My most admired American writer is Ernest Hemingway. My favorite Vietnamese writer is the poet Nguyen Du.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
Night by Elie Wiesel, who recounted his experience in the Nazi Germany concentration camps during WW II.