Cover of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

by Ocean Vuong · first published 2019

3mentions
2recommended by
3HN commenters
2021–2023first – last mentioned

67% recommend33% neutral

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity. Asking questions central to our American mom

Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Mentions per year

10 2007: 0 mentions2008: 0 mentions2009: 0 mentions2010: 0 mentions2011: 0 mentions2012: 0 mentions2013: 0 mentions2014: 0 mentions2015: 0 mentions2016: 0 mentions2017: 0 mentions2018: 0 mentions2019: 0 mentions2020: 0 mentions2021: 1 mention2022: 1 mention2023: 1 mention2024: 0 mentions2025: 0 mentions2026: 0 mentions200720172026

What Hacker News says

Keyboard shortcuts

/
Focus search
j / k
Next / previous book
Enter
Open focused book
Esc
Close / go back
g h
Go to Home
g t
Go to Top all-time
g m
Go to Most recommended
g r
Go to Rising
g f
Go to For You
?
Show this help