This is an original take on a classic story - how a child of immigrants moves between two cultures. In place of piety and predictability, however, ...
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Nov 08, 2011
sulis
rated it: 
Ceritanya tentang perbedaan budaya, kisah pribadi penulisnya waktu baru pindah dari Kamboja ke Australia, dari kecil hingga dia kuliah. Lucu sih, gampangannya orang udik dari desa yang pindah ke kota besar, banyak tingkah konyol. Contohnya waktu naik eskalator, mereka naik turun di eskalator pusat perbelanjaan Hightpoint, pria berusia 32 tahun, istrinya yang hamil delapan bulan, adik perempuannya yang berumur 27 tahun, dan nenek-nenek Asia yang mengenakan piama wol berwarna ungu. Waktu membeli m
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Aug 02, 2011
Alice Pung - lawyer, author, raconteur, all round great storyteller: what a huge disappointment to her mother! With a mix of humour and sadness Alice gives us her first hand insight into the plight of the first generation migrant - through the uncertain years of adolescence and early adulthood, trying to find her place in the world - in an adopted country and a society with radically different values and expectations to those of world her parents brought with them when they fled Cambodia.
Looming More...
Looming More...
Feb 26, 2009
Kaye
rated it:
In her debut memoir, Unpolished Gem, Alice Pung narrates the story of her family's settling in Australia. They arrive from Cambodia with nothing except the expectation of a new baby in a month's time. When the child is born, her father names her Alice because he thought Australia to be a wonderland. This is really the story of Alice, her mother, her grandmother and their assimilation into a culture so very different from their own.
Alice's mother and grandmother are still clinging to More...
Alice's mother and grandmother are still clinging to More...
Nov 20, 2008
Lien
rated it: 
When I first started reading this book, I thought that there was so much I could relate with growing up Asian and living in Australia. But then I found Alice really quite annoying towards the end of this book when she talks about her relationship with the Anglo Aussie guy she starts dating. I just want to tell her to get over it, being Asian doesn't mean that it needs to get in the way of living your life. It obviously wasn't an issue with that guy and he went out of his way to adjust to the "
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Dec 20, 2011
Louise
rated it: 
This book started with a bang, but lost impetus somewhere along the line. I loved her descriptions of Chinese immigrant family life. Her grandmother praising Father Government for the benefit she receives each fortnight. The excess of Australian society even in the late 70s when the authors early childhood occurs when seen by people who have endured war and hardship.The little Green Man was an eternal symbol of government existing to serve and protect. And any country that could have a little gr
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Dec 04, 2011
Lorraine
rated it:
“Unpolished Gem” is a simple, but vivid memoir by Chinese-Cambodian Alice Pung, known as Agheare at home. I’ve ready many memoirs, especially about growing up as a migrant immersed in two cultures. This one is different and offers still more perspective on this subject—particularly since the family fled the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia to Thailand and eventually to Australia. This is the first book I’ve read about the challenges the third generation face when leaving their Asian homeland and immigrat
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Oct 19, 2011
Rosa
rated it:
2.5 stars
This book really educates a reader on life, and what really goes on. I felt very empathetic towards Alice, and although her life was very difficult at times, there were good things as well.
Alice is an amazing character, who has gone through very much and she is very brave to share her story like this. At times, i felt a deep understanding for how she felt, and the way she tells her story very much maximises this effect: with confidence and honesty.
I don't usuall More...
This book really educates a reader on life, and what really goes on. I felt very empathetic towards Alice, and although her life was very difficult at times, there were good things as well.
Alice is an amazing character, who has gone through very much and she is very brave to share her story like this. At times, i felt a deep understanding for how she felt, and the way she tells her story very much maximises this effect: with confidence and honesty.
I don't usuall More...
Apr 03, 2011
Trevor
rated it:
I had meant to read this years ago, when it first came out. Then I read a review by Choupette and meant to read it after that too. But never did. Then I was at the local library last week and saw the audio book. I read the back of the box and was told that this is not your normal ‘South East Asian comes to Australia’ story – no boats here, just lots of laughs and fun times.
There is only one possible explanation – the person who wrote the blurb to this audio book never read it. Thi More...
There is only one possible explanation – the person who wrote the blurb to this audio book never read it. Thi More...
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May 13, 2009
Kleiner
rated it:
Pung's family escaped the killing fields of Cambodia, walking from Vietnam to a refugee camp in Thailand. Pung was born in 1981, one month after her family (i.e., her father, mother, and her father's mother and sister) arrived in Melbourne, Australia. Being only twenty-seven years old, Pung's memoir is only of her first eighteen years.
In the memoir of her early childhood, Pung recounts her family's life before Australia. These stories captured Pung's childhood imagination, as evident More...
In the memoir of her early childhood, Pung recounts her family's life before Australia. These stories captured Pung's childhood imagination, as evident More...
Mar 24, 2011
Emily
rated it:
Unpolished Gem is the second memoir that I have read, the first one being the Diary of Anne Frank. This book is actually part of my English assignment and I am supposed to do an expository essay out of this. Being an Asian Memoir, this genre is fairly new to me but it is a very great book. Funny, lighthearted and a great reading experience in a whole.
I can safely say that this book opens up a window to the life of an Asian girl having to battle through the culture that she grew up in More...
I can safely say that this book opens up a window to the life of an Asian girl having to battle through the culture that she grew up in More...
Apr 21, 2009
Robin
rated it:
When I finished reading this book last night I was left with an odd feeling because it contains no author information whatsoever. I don't understand why we only get this author's life thus far, what made her write this book, as compelling as the narrative is, I missed her motivation. Maybe I need to take a closer look at it.
The author's story about a family who flees Cambodia and settles in Australia is another story about a young person caught between cultures. Even though she grow More...
The author's story about a family who flees Cambodia and settles in Australia is another story about a young person caught between cultures. Even though she grow More...
May 20, 2010
Ari
rated it:
Honestly, I was bored at times. The ending was jarring too, because it was so random and sudden. I could sort-of understand why Alice did what she did and I'm glad that she was able to honestly evaluate her relationships, but I think the story should have continued a little after that (the scene should not be cut out because it's a very key scene, but it needed a follow-up).
You may think I despised this book but I didn't. The author has a great sense of humor and she's able to poke More...
You may think I despised this book but I didn't. The author has a great sense of humor and she's able to poke More...
Jan 15, 2012
Jo
rated it:
First, a bit of background to my reading of this book. I grew up in a part of Sydney where there were many people of Asian descent. Those who were my age had often either been born in Australia to parents who were recent immigrants, or had come to Australia as children. Many of my friends were of Asian descent, from a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. I tended to see the similarities between my friends and me - they were, after all, my friends - and I often did not understand why they
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Feb 09, 2012
Liz
rated it:
I wanted to like this more than I did but I'm glad I read it and will look out for more work from this author. The narrative is uneven, at times the storytelling flows with ease and humor and at other times appears stilted and unsure. I feel this scratches the surface of what Alice Pung really wants to tell us or maybe politeness keeps her from sharing too much about her family and her feelings. The most interesting parts to read, for me, were when she was retelling family stories and when she w
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Aug 28, 2009
Choupette
rated it:
Given that I'm not strictly speaking Asian, it's possibly not at all pc of me to say this in this context, but thank FUCKING GOD for an Asian-Australian writer. There needs to be more of them (and more Lebanese-Australian writers, Mauritian-Australian writers and Sudanese-Australian writers, but they don't touch my life so closely, so I don't care as much). I think it's already been established that I'm not exactly in touch with the greater contemporary Australian literary scene, but the only ot
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May 24, 2009
Christine
rated it: 
There’s something about the tale of a new immigrant that allows us to see our own world in a new way. In this debut nonfiction memoir by Alice Pung, the stories contained within “Unpolished Gem” reflect the conflicts (both internal and external) of a person straddling two worlds, the ultimate outsider, never comfortable in either. Even though Pung herself was born in Australia (her parents landed there from the killing fields of Cambodia when her mother was eight months pregnant with her), her l
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Jan 25, 2009
Emma
rated it:
I’ve read the stories (fictional and non-fictional) of migrants to Australia before, but mostly from the Italian or Greek perspective, not from that of the more recent Asian migrants. This is Alice Pung’s account of her parents journey from Cambodia, as refugees and how they made life in Australia, and how she grows up somewhere in the middle. Although this is nothing like my story, I somehow seemed to relate to her.
I found her account very personal, especially in the final chapt More...
I found her account very personal, especially in the final chapt More...
Jun 01, 2011
Chernyse
rated it:
I quite enjoyed this book, especially Pung's humour. I also like her writing style, which is very engaging and easy to understand. The book also explores a migrant's perspective, and it is refreshing. Most migrant stories are very emotional and mostly quite tear-jerking, with sad suffering stories. Although there were some mentions of suffering, her parents and their experience with the Khmer Rouge, Pung didn't dwell on it. Pung's outlook was optimistic and at times even comical. If you want to
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Aug 04, 2011
Claudia
rated it:
Unpolished Gem is a non-fiction book by Alice Pung. Alice is a CHinese-Cambonian girl whos family migrated to Australia just before she was born. This book follows the life of Alice through her teenage years, living in Footscray. I enjoyed this book as it opened my eyes to a life very different to my own. Along with the recount of ALice's life, the book also includes the memories of her grandmother when she was young, back in China. The only part of this book that I did not enjoy enjoy was the e
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Jan 29, 2012
B-Young
rated it: 
How comes that all the books I read for school assignment I have to struggle through? That was my first thought about Unpolished Gem. That was on page 50 or something. Some pages later I realised the problem about the book; it doesn't have a story. Normally in a book you would know were it's heading, and I don't mean that you know what will happened exactly or that you know the end, couse that just makes the book bad. No, I mean that there is a problem in most books, a quest, or just something t
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Jan 15, 2010
Claire
rated it:
Alice is name because she is born of Chinese/Cambodian parents in the Wonderland of Australia. After escaping communist China and settling in Cambodia her family must walk out of Pol Pot's Cambodia, across Vietnam to Thailand bound for Australia.
Snippet family stories in turn hilarious, poignant, and desperate are a duet by Alice and her Grandma who is by all accounts a gifted storyteller. Each story was a revelation of some kind or another. Seeing Australia through fresh eyes is thought More...
Snippet family stories in turn hilarious, poignant, and desperate are a duet by Alice and her Grandma who is by all accounts a gifted storyteller. Each story was a revelation of some kind or another. Seeing Australia through fresh eyes is thought More...
Feb 08, 2009
Aarti
rated it:
I am not sure if I think a girl my sister's age should be writing her memoirs. (My sister is turning 28 this year.) Egotistically, I compare people's life experiences to mine, and I don't think I have done anything memoir-worthy yet. I don't think the author of Unpolished Gem has done anything memoir-worthy, either. Basically, she grew up Asian in Australia. That is it.
I have read many books with the "child-of-immigrants-trying-to-assimilate-into-western-culture" storyline More...
I have read many books with the "child-of-immigrants-trying-to-assimilate-into-western-culture" storyline More...
Sep 10, 2009
Karen
rated it:
This memoir of a Chinese/Cambodian girl growing up in Australia had delicious, evocative detail that made it a pleasure to read. I related strongly to some of her stories, especially her depression in high school, and loved getting a glimpse of another world with some of her other stories. The only real problem for me was that the book read a little bit like a series of short stories rather than a single cohesive story. Overall I really enjoyed her writing style and look forward to reading more
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Aug 09, 2009
Cheri
rated it:
Interesting quote: "A girl is like white cotton wool-once dirtied it can never be clean again. A boy is like a gem-the more you polish it the more it shines." This is a memoir of a Chinese girl whose family seeks asylum in Australia in the 1980's. It seems so much longer ago because of the cultural differences. I felt sorry for Alice (named after the character Alice in Wonderland) she seemed so uncomfortable in either world.
Mar 27, 2009
Beth
rated it:
Chinese-Vietnamese immigrants migrate to Australia in the 1970s in search of a better life, and quickly adjust to culture shock. Author Alice Pung, eldest daughter, shares family secrets, and depression that runs in her family, affecting her and her mother. At various points, Pung chronicles her parents courtship, her grandmother's experience as a second wife, and her own struggle to fit in at school.
Jul 22, 2009
Judy
rated it:
Pung wanders in places, but she does give good insights into what it's like to grow up with Chinese parents in Australia. Pung's family left China during the cultural revolution and went as refugees to Cambodia. During Pol Pot's reign of terror, they escaped and went to Australia as refugees once again. Pung was a year old when they arrived. Most of the book is about here conflicted identity.
Jan 19, 2012
Cynthia
rated it:
Buku pinjeman dari Mba Muthe (lagi).
Bukunya cerdas, penggambaran kebudayaan chinesenya nyata banget (serasa dia sedang menceritakan keluargaku :p). Kalo suka dengan humor satir/sarkasme pasti akan menikmati buku ini :)
Ceritanya sih otobiografi Alice dan keluarganya dari Kamboja dan hidup di Melbourne.
*ketauan bgt lagi males nulis review* :D
Bukunya cerdas, penggambaran kebudayaan chinesenya nyata banget (serasa dia sedang menceritakan keluargaku :p). Kalo suka dengan humor satir/sarkasme pasti akan menikmati buku ini :)
Ceritanya sih otobiografi Alice dan keluarganya dari Kamboja dan hidup di Melbourne.
*ketauan bgt lagi males nulis review* :D
Oct 24, 2009
Saturday's
rated it:
I enjoyed this because it gave me a brief insight into what it is like for people to resettle their lives in a foreign country, I also enjoyed it because Alice and her family lived in Melbourne. I'm not sure why but the most memorable part for me was the evening meal that was not quiet what it seemed.
Nov 08, 2011
Speakercoret
rated it:
kado dari aki... makasih yaaaaa :)
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buku ini bikin kacau perasaan pas membacanya.. disaat ada suatu kalimat yg bisa membuat tertawa, tapi saya cuma tersenyum miris.. karena semua hal lucu tersebut akan membawa kita ke kenangan2 keluarga alice saat masih berada di cina daratan...
miris melihat perlakuan ibu mertua kepada menantunya..
miris melihat perlakuan menantu kepada ibu mertuanya..
miris melihat perlakuan ibu kepada anaknya..
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buku ini bikin kacau perasaan pas membacanya.. disaat ada suatu kalimat yg bisa membuat tertawa, tapi saya cuma tersenyum miris.. karena semua hal lucu tersebut akan membawa kita ke kenangan2 keluarga alice saat masih berada di cina daratan...
miris melihat perlakuan ibu mertua kepada menantunya..
miris melihat perlakuan menantu kepada ibu mertuanya..
miris melihat perlakuan ibu kepada anaknya..
More...
Aug 14, 2008
Stephanie
rated it:
I really enjoyed this book about Chinese-Cambodian culture within the Australian context. I went to school with a heap of refugee girls and I never had a grasp on what their lives must have been like at home. I recall them talking about issues with parents etc but never fully understood.
Also, having lived in Cambodia myself, it was very entertaining. I recall many cultural issues I was on the opposite end of when I moved to Cambodia - not understanding the language, cultural tra More...
Also, having lived in Cambodia myself, it was very entertaining. I recall many cultural issues I was on the opposite end of when I moved to Cambodia - not understanding the language, cultural tra More...
