Customer Reviews

Weeping Under This Same Moon

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The small decisions we make in our everyday life can have a huge impact upon the rest of our lives, and upon the lives of others as well. This is just one of the themes of this fascinating story of how both volition and chance conspire in a wonderful way to bring together two young women from opposite ends of the earth. The tale of how Hannah, a teen who feels herself an outsider, and Mei, a victim of ethnic and political persecution in Vietnam, come together in the Bronx is an engaging and compelling story. It was difficult to put this book down, as it doesn't take long for the reader to develop empathy for the two lead characters, who change each other's lives forever. The story is all the more poignant because it's an actual memoir of events that really unfolded years ago.
The tale is uniquely structured, in that we alternate between the different perspectives of Hannah and Mei. Another theme of this book is that the one who volunteers to give gains at least as much from the experience as the one who is helped. Yet another theme is the common humanity of all of us, despite our very different cultural upbringing. As someone who has taught middle and high school for the last 26 years, I highly recommend this book to adolescents, to immigrants, and to teachers of both.
Marian L. Steinberg

"We all shine on, like the moon, the stars and the sun. We all shine on, everyone, come on, come on." -- John Lennon from "Instant Karma"

Set in 1976-77, this important book explores a part of history that has long been overlooked. Mei, a Chinese girl living in post-war Vietnam is forced to leave her home country. Mei, her older brother and younger sister are sent by boat across the world to the United States.

Hardship is a constant companion on their journey. These young people have no promise that they will survive the long journey and being uprooted from the only home they have ever known had to be traumatic.

Hannah, an 11th grader is living a somewhat parallel life to Mei and her family. Miserable with high school life and often at odds with her younger sister Ruthie, 13 and feeling the painful age difference between herself and youngest sister Joni, 9 has left Hannah feeling every bit as adrift as Mei's family must have felt on that boat. Tired of peers who don't meet her needs intellectually and socially, Hannah lashes out inwardly. She develops an eating disorder right around the time Mei has food issues. Hannah can be viewed as a David fighting the Goliaths of insensitive teachers; distant peers who share no common vision and a world rife with societal ills.

Hannah, like Mei is a fighter and a survivor. She threatens to put out a citizen's arrest on a man who is smoking in public. Despite her sisters' outrage at her bravery, Hannah bangs on the drum for social issues. She cares about the fate of sperm whales and young seals; she tries to encourage her sisters to take an interest in the rights and backgrounds of minorities. As it turns out, she is very successful in her endeavors.

Hannah's life reaches a turning point in late 1977 when she sees a news segment about the people arriving from Vietnam via boats. For her, this is a pressing need that must be addressed. Hannah enlists the help of her family in collecting items to provide for the newly arrived families; she takes it upon herself to make sure the families she meets have smooth transitions as well as basic necessities.

This is an excellent book that I hope will be included in the curriculum of elementary and middle schools. This is a book that will touch hearts as well as raise consciousnesses. This is a book about the far reaching effects of global compassion. It is, in effect a global handshake.

As we, as humans hopefully move toward that goal of "living as one [world]," this book is a powerful reminder that we ALL weep under the same moon. We all shine on, like the moon, the stars and the sun.

John Lennon said, "I hope someday you'll join us and the world will live as one," from "Imagine" in 1971. "Imagine" and "Give Peace a Chance" could very easily be the soundtracks of this book.

With a sense of heartbreak and hope, I was inspired by the spirit of Hannah.
Hannah a struggling teen, and forward thinking young woman, saw through the blindfolds of racial injustice and chose to follow her heart.
The story is written in such a way that I felt the pain of human suffering, yet I also felt the humor that made me laugh, and the warmth of the loving characters.
The characters are courageous survivors, loving families quietly suffering in a foreign land connected to the altruistic spirit of one, Hannah.
Hannah a "social misfit and outcast" in her high school yet a healer in the Bronx, was driven to make a difference in the lives of "Boat People".
It is when Hannah reaches out to help-priceless gifts, stories and pains are exchanged.
What evolves is the story of courage, healing, hope, compassion, friendship, trust, self worth, connections of humanity.
After reading this, it reaffirms the truth that one person can truly make a difference in the lives of others.
We only need to turn on the news as Hannah did, listen to our hearts and reach out.
I am inspired now to find the Hannah and Mei in me.

Jana Laiz has written an amazing book that takes you inside the world of boat people and their emotional and traumatic journey to a new life. Laiz's work is full of incredible insights and heart rending exchanges. I cried at the end and think this film should be made into a feature film.

This is a wonderful story with a terrific ending. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

Jana Laiz has crafted a remarkable, emotionally raw, and incredibly poignant book out of staunch strands of genuinely heartfelt words. Each vivid description resounds with life and experience. I highly recommend "Weeping Under This Same Moon" for readers who like their texts to be engaging, genuine, visceral, and heart achingly gorgeous.

Once an a great while an author brings forth a book based in fact but couched as fiction that shows us the true nature of how fickle life can be. This is one of those times when Fate intercedes and lives are saved and move forward in a positive direction.

The juxtaposition of two young woman one who is starving for real and one who is starving by choice is astounding. The voices ring true as only fact varnished over into fiction can. This is must read for the young teen. The angst is genuine and the solution unique. This is a truly powerful read and thought provoking too.

In 1976, Mei, a Chinese girl living in war-torn Vietnam is forced to flee her country. Sent away on a tiny boat, she and her teenage brother and young sister leave their family behind, hoping to arrive on safe shores. With no guarantee of survival, they embark bravely on their journey.

In the United States, Hannah, a teenage girl, finds herself struggling to fit into a culture focused on drugs and parties. A non-conformist, she is drawn to important causes, and finds herself alone most of the time. When she hears of the plight of the "Boat People" escaping Vietnam, she knows she needs to help.

Weeping Under This Same Moon tells these two girls' stories, which begin to intersect as Hannah befriends Mei and her family, and helps them acclimate to life in the US. Told with amazing perception and attention to detail, the author brings their stories to life. Great character development helps us to understand each girl and her unique situation.

This book is a fictionalized account of two real women who forged a lifetime friendship during a time of adversity. I highly recommend Weeping Under This Same Moon - a story of friendship, hope, and the spirit of helping others.

Reviewed by: Alice Berger, Bergers Book Reviews

This novel is a deep and joyous true story about growing up and finding your passion. The story weaves a tale of self-discovery by alternating between the voices of a scared young Vietnamese refugee teenage girl embarked on a frightful journey out of worn-torn Vietnam and an angry and alienated Westchester young teenage woman who is searching for a way to channel her intense love and passion for the world. Jana Laiz beautifully captures their voices and hearts as they each discover how to trust and help others. Highly recommend it!!

I loved this book from first page to last, and was truly sorry to finish it. Weeks later, it's still part of my everyday thoughts and life. The characters are so honest, their stories so compelling, and their voices so perfectly realized by Jana Laiz that I feel as though I live in the book with them, even now.
The story is a startling one to those of us who live unperturbed by the kind of random upheaval that war brings - a family torn apart, children sent into the vastness of the ocean in a small overloaded boat to face unknown terrors and possible death. The parallel story of the unhappy, frustrated American teenager who becomes the boat family's lifeline is equally moving, and her feelings about her life are so clearly expressed that the reader will instantly return to high school, no matter how long it's been. Speaking of high school, this book should in every curriculum! We are all capable of so much more than we realize, and Weeping Under the Same Moon reminds us of that with grace and humor.
Nancy C. Tunnicliffe