HUNDRED YEARS OF HAPPINESS

Quyen Ngo narrates this poignant story of a girl's loving relationship with her Vietnamese grandparents. An's grandmother, Bà, suffers from progressive memory loss. To help disentangle her memories, An's grandfather, Ong, encourages Bà's memory by using photographs and other reminders of their many happy years together. Listeners follow An and Ong as they prepare a special surprise, growing gac fruit plants from seeds to make xôi gac, one of Bà's favorite foods from her wedding day. Ngo captures the story's visual imagery in a clear, expressive voice and enhances the narration with her authentic pronunciation of Vietnamese names and words. This is a thought-provoking listen for family or classroom discussion. It includes a pdf of the xôi gac sticky rice recipe narrated by Ngo. S.A.A. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine [Published: APRIL 2022]