It is the 1980s in South Vietnam. Boys are going missing, smuggled out of the county in order not to be conscripted into the Communist army. Twelve-year-old Tho is too young to worry about such things, even after his brother and his best friend are sent away.

Then one day Tho is told he is going to go stay with his aunt, until he, too, will be sent away to America. He must travel on a boat among many strangers also trying to flee. How will he manage all by himself?

Luckily Tho runs into his best friend’s sister Mai, and her family. Things seem to be looking up. They soon discover that the boat is too small for so many people, and they face daily pirate raids.

Some are nicer than others.  This encourages Tho to hide out on one of the raiding boats. He hopes he will escape the unbearable conditions of his original boat, even if it means leaving Mai behind. 

Tho is fortunate that the pirate crew is kind to him, but they eventually take him to a larger ship, the Cap Anamur.  This ship’s purpose is to travel the South China Sea, rescue fleeing South Vietnamese, and take them to refugee camps. Aboard the Cap Anamur, Tho becomes close to another boy and his mother.

They create a makeshift family that continues throughout their stay in the asylum camp Palawan. Here they wait for their turn to be reunited with loved ones who have already made it to the United States. 

“The Cricket War” by Tho Pham and Sandra McTavish is based on true events.  The author Tho Pham retells his experiences of leaving Vietnam alone at the age of twelve. He was eventually adopted by a Canadian school teacher.

Tho’s story may have a happy ending, but that is not true for all of the refugees.  Many perished out at sea before making it to their destination. Families would pay large sums of money, sometimes their entire savings, to have their children smuggled out of the country. 

This book may be labeled as juvenile fiction.  However, the story can be appreciated by adult audiences as well. “The Cricket War” would make an excellent read together as there are many great discussion points.  During Tho’s stay on the initial boat, conditions described may be upsetting to some, but are necessary to capture the true experience. 

Further research could be made into the politics and living conditions in Vietnam leading up to the story line. This is a fantastic, and short, book that can be used for several reasons beyond the pure enjoyment of reading.

“The Cricket War” is available at the Lincoln County Library in Kemmerer.