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Just Arrived

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

by Ocean Vuong
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

Intimate epistolary tale of family and identity.

If you're drawn to profoundly personal stories that tackle topics like the immigrant experience, identity, and the weight of family history, Ocean Vuong's "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" might just move you. Vuong's poetic prowess delivers a narrative that isn't just read, but felt, distinguished by its lyrical style and raw emotional power. It’s an exploration that reaches into the heart of what it means to be human, all through the intimate lens of a son's letter to his mother.

  • National Book Award Nominee for Fiction (2019)
  • Stonewall Book Award Nominee for Literature (2020)
  • PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Nominee (2020)
  • Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBT Fiction (2020)
  • Lambda Literary Award Nominee for Gay Fiction (2019)
  • Dylan Thomas Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2020)
  • Kirkus Prize Nominee for Fiction (2019)
  • Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fiction and for Debut Novel (2019)
  • Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize for Fiction and Poetry (2020)
  • The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2019)
  • PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel Nominee for Longlist (2020)
  • Bibliotekets litteraturpris Nominee (2022)
  • Dublin Literary Award Nominee (2021)
  • The Publishing Triangle Award for The Ferro-Grumley Awards (2020)
  • Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award (2020)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.
Just Arrived

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

by Ocean Vuong
Condition guide

Book Condition Guide

Books in Like New Condition

This book may contain very minor cosmetic defects, but it is in pristine condition. There should be no yellowing, no foxing, no water damage, and no annotations of any kind on the cover and the pages. For paperbacks, there should not be any crease marks on the spine. This book is good as new — lucky you!

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Very Good Condition

This book has been used, but it is still in a clean condition. There should be no foxing or annotations of any kind on the inner pages, but a sparse amount may be present on the cover, title pages, or outside edges of the book. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be light crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Good Condition

We do our best to ensure the quality of our books, but there is no escaping the wear and tear that comes with time. Slight foxing and some annotations may be present on the pages and the cover. There should be no water damage of any kind. For paperbacks, there may be several crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

Books in Well Read Condition

This is a well-read book, which means that the previous owner probably really enjoyed it! The cover and pages may include moderate foxing and annotations, but the text is not obscured and still readable. Moderate cosmetic defects and minor water damage may be present on the edges of the book. For paperbacks, there may be multiple crease marks on the spine.

*Books may be missing bundle media (e.g. CD, e-book code), if included.

 

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ISBN: 9780593104293
Authors: Ocean Vuong
Publisher: Diversified Publishing
Date of Publication: 2019-06-04
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: Literary Fiction, Poetry, Contemporary
Related Topics: Asian Literature, LGBTQ+, Literature
Goodreads rating: 4.01
(rated by 393151 readers)

Description

Brilliant, heartbreaking, tender, and highly original - poet Ocean Vuong's debut novel is a sweeping and shattering portrait of a family, and a testament to the redemptive power of storytelling. 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 moment, immersed as we are in addiction, violence, and trauma, but undergirded by compassion and tenderness, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is as much about the power of telling one's own story as it is about the obliterating silence of not being heard. With stunning urgency and grace, Ocean Vuong writes of people caught between disparate worlds, and asks how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are. The question of how to survive, and how to make of it a kind of joy, powers the most important debut novel of many years.
 

Intimate epistolary tale of family and identity.

If you're drawn to profoundly personal stories that tackle topics like the immigrant experience, identity, and the weight of family history, Ocean Vuong's "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" might just move you. Vuong's poetic prowess delivers a narrative that isn't just read, but felt, distinguished by its lyrical style and raw emotional power. It’s an exploration that reaches into the heart of what it means to be human, all through the intimate lens of a son's letter to his mother.

  • National Book Award Nominee for Fiction (2019)
  • Stonewall Book Award Nominee for Literature (2020)
  • PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Nominee (2020)
  • Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBT Fiction (2020)
  • Lambda Literary Award Nominee for Gay Fiction (2019)
  • Dylan Thomas Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2020)
  • Kirkus Prize Nominee for Fiction (2019)
  • Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fiction and for Debut Novel (2019)
  • Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize for Fiction and Poetry (2020)
  • The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize Nominee for Shortlist (2019)
  • PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel Nominee for Longlist (2020)
  • Bibliotekets litteraturpris Nominee (2022)
  • Dublin Literary Award Nominee (2021)
  • The Publishing Triangle Award for The Ferro-Grumley Awards (2020)
  • Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award (2020)
Note: While we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.