Publisher's Synopsis
AT THE FALL OF SAIGON, on April 30, 1975, thirteen-year-old Brian Thuan Luu's world changed forever. As chaos consumed the city, he faced an impossible choice: stay and risk an uncertain future or leave everything he had ever known behind. Making the fateful decision to escape Vietnam without his family, Brian braved the unknown. He was armed with nothing but courage, hope, a few provisions, and a small flashlight his brother had given him before he left. That flashlight would become more than just a tool in the darkness-it would light his way through some of the most perilous moments of his journey to freedom.
What followed was a desperate flight across open waters with more than three hundred other passengers, ten days stranded on a coral reef, and the struggle to survive in a refugee camp before an unexpected sponsorship brought him to America. But Brian's journey was far from over. As he faced language barriers, cultural isolation, and the relentless challenges of starting over, the question remained: would he ever truly find a place to call home?
Flashlight in the Ocean is a gripping account of survival, resilience, and the strength of the human spirit, where every choice could mean the difference between triumph and heartbreak. With each step forward, Brian carried the light of his past-both the burdens and the gifts-illuminating a path toward an uncertain yet hopeful future.
