Where the Wind Leads

A Refugee Family's Miraculous Story of Loss, Rescue, and Redemption

By: Vinh Chung

Narrated by: Josh Aaron

Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

The first-hand account of a Vietnamese refugee who now lives the American dream.

Where the Wind Leads is the remarkable account of Vinh Chung and his refugee family’s daring escape from communist oppression for the chance of a better life in America. It’s a story of personal sacrifice, redemption, endurance against almost insurmountable odds, and what it truly means to be American.

Vinh Chung was born in South Vietnam, just eight months after it fell to the communists in 1975. His family was wealthy, controlling a rice-milling empire worth millions; but within months of the communist takeover, the Chungs lost everything and were reduced to abject poverty. Knowing that their children would have no future under the new government, the Chungs decided to flee the country. In 1979, they joined the legendary “boat people” and sailed into the South China Sea, despite knowing that an estimated two hundred thousand of their countrymen had already perished at the hands of brutal pirates and violent seas.

Where the Wind Leads follows Vinh Chung and his family on their desperate journey from pre-war Vietnam, through pirate attacks on a lawless sea, to a miraculous rescue and a new home in the unlikely town of Fort Smith, Arkansas. There Vinh struggled against poverty, discrimination, and a bewildering language barrier—yet still managed to graduate from Harvard Medical School. Where the Wind Leads is Vinh’s tribute to the courage and sacrifice of his parents, a testimony to his family’s faith, and a reminder to people everywhere that the American dream, while still possible, carries with it a greater responsibility.

©2014 Thomas Nelson (P)2014 Thomas Nelson

thank you

this book is a life changer. I will long remember the stories of this family. thank you so much for sharing it with us all. Janine

Amazing insightful story

Imagine being as rich as a king in Vietnam, becoming a refugee with nothing and then being left in a an in seaworthy boat in the middle of the ocean to die… these are just a few of the details in this amazing book. Plus- is the experience of being a refuge different than an immigrant?

Eye opening and emotional book.

I loved this book and the narrator. I did not know much about the boat people from Vietnam. Why no one helped them and or took them in as refugees. It was so sad to see what they went through for their freedom and their families. This was captivating. I highly recommend it.

timely reminderthat we are our brothers keeper

This demonstrates that God's family and the church are still to care for the widow, the orphan and the alien. The Church is still the first and best resonse. Vinh Chung's powerful "parallel world" doesn't cast guilt, but the unfathomable will of the Lord and the Grace that binds humanity. This tale of the Vietnamese boat people and how they became Americans despite all obstacles, challenges us against the backdrop of those that did not make it. The challenge can be made today for those still trying to make it, as The Shepherd still seeks one lost sheep

P.S. Tim Downs: Is it not time to revive the Bugman?

Intriguing story, not best narration

The story is one that is very thought-provoking and changes you for the better. It opens your eyes and helps change your view of the world. The narration was not my style and rather bland. I switched between listening and reading and enjoyed reading better.

inspirational

Great insight on how the lives of families, young and old, are affected by persecution/flight from war (Viet Nam), and how their sacrificial love holds them together through disasters, while surviving as refugees, and learning to thrive in a new unfamiliar culture and land. This is a true story of some "boat people" i heard about in the news as a child. Reading this story filled me with gratitutude for my life & made me see how small my problems are. It gave me a new understanding/empathy for those who fought, faced the ravages of, or were displaced by war (like my parents, and many many others i know).. It was an enriching read for me, broadening my perspective, counciousness & compassion for my fellow human brothers and sisters. I hade trouble putting it down, and i did need a box of kleenex.....

We all have “a story” but we don’t all have the gift of storytelling!

There are not enough adjectives to give proper praise due!
Phenomenal story and storyteller! I will listen to this again! Great imagery! Amazing resilience! Incredible perspective! Storytelling at its pinnacle!

Love this

A moving story. He brought meaning and purpose to the suffering of so many who would have been forgotten.

Beautiful Story

Very beautiful enduring story of a large family. My only complaint is the narrator could have spent more time learning correct pronunciation of the Vietnamese words.

Wonderful story of God's providence

I was so depressed when the US military abandoned S. Viet Nam. Us common people must ride the waves of political and economic turmoil. Hearing of the peril of the boat people choked me up. I shed tears of compassion and joy as Vinh's story progressed. This story should be standard teading in every American High School. I loved it all the way through.