Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

Vietnam's Modern Day Boat People by Shira Sebban follows Vietnamese asylum seekers returned from Australia after arriving by sea, beginning with Tran Thi Thanh Loan, a Catholic mother facing prison in Vietnam after officials sent her family back. Sebban enters the case through a newspaper report about Loan’s possible imprisonment, then traces the practical pressure that follows when a parent’s sentence threatens a child’s home. The case leads to other returned families whose attempts to seek protection bring prosecution in Vietnam before another flight toward Indonesia places them inside a different immigration system. The book shows how asylum policy affects ordinary lives, one household at a time, as Sebban’s fundraising gives returned families a way to hold on while a lawful protection claim in Indonesia slowly begins.

Vietnam's Modern Day Boat People by Shira Sebban is a really fascinating book, albeit often heartbreaking, and offers a unique perspective on how asylum policy works after the news cycle ends. Sebban writes in a conversationally academic style, explaining asylum procedure through a combination of actual court documents and her own experiences, and how it is decided where the families may live following detention. For a new reader, this makes the law easy to understand; for a policy reader, it supplies enough record to dig a bit deeper and test each decision. I love that Sebban looks toward solutions, the standout being practical sponsorship, with positive examples, like when VOICE Canada uses refugee cards to build Canadian applications for the families. Sebban also makes school access part of that protection, as children in temporary status still need to continue their education. Readers who have an interest in asylum and immigration non-fiction will appreciate this book. Recommended.