Hoang was a fun-house mirror’s rippling reflection of me, warped and wobbly.
-- Phuc Tran (Prologue paragraph 2)

Importance: Phuc sees himself in Hoang in a way that showcases his insecurities about himself as an immigrant. Phuc has worked hard to establish himself as an individual at his high school, so Hoang’s entry as a new Vietnamese American student runs the risk of disrupting this perception.

As an immigrant, as a Vietnamese kid, as a poor kid, I had collected so many scarlet letters of alienation that I connected profoundly to the great works.
-- Phuc Tran (Prologue paragraph 2)

Importance: Phuc uses literature to help explore the many facets of his identity. By relating to the characters and stories within each book, he feels utterly linked to the written works.

With that small act of linguistic legerdemain, we rechristened Phuc with his alter ego Fook.
-- Phuc Tran (chapter 1 paragraph 6)

Importance: When Phuc Americanizes the pronunciation of his name, he encounters a pivotal point in his life...