My Documents

Praise

“Nguyen’s barbed social commentary convincingly depicts a dystopian America that’s both distinct from and similar to the country we know today . . . Mỹ Documents is a timely and intermittently chilling reimagining of history.”—The Washington Post

“Preoccupied with dizzying and timely questions about what it means to be American, Mỹ Documents is an ambitious novel of ideas. Crucially, it never feels exploitative, cynical or disheartening. Nguyen’s writing is too funny and heartfelt for hopelessness . . . The land of the free is also the land of the incarcerated, the detained, the interned. In that sense, Kevin Nguyen has written a very American novel indeed.”—The New York Times

“In My Documents (One World), Kevin Nguyen invents a dystopian alternative future that hews increasingly close to the actual present. . . . Family, loyalty, and survival are in play here, as is the terrifying fragility of our modern lives.”—The Boston Globe

“As another Trump administration kicks into gear, there may be no better, or scarier, work to consider than Kevin Nguyen’s second novel, which sees the U.S. government set up internment camps for Vietnamese Americans.”—Rolling Stone, “10 Books We Can’t Wait to Read in 2025”

The word ‘Mỹ’ is the Vietnamese word for ‘America,’ and its messy connection with personal possession and subjectivity isn’t lost in this rich, gripping novel that lands squarely as a mirror of our contemporary moral squalor.”—Los Angeles Times

“Following terrorist attacks, the US government begins interning Vietnamese Americans in Kevin Nguyen’s trenchant and quick-witted exploration of racism, ambition, and family ties.”—Vanity Fair

“With relatable characters and abundant wit, Nguyen draws us into his state-of-the-art labyrinth, the startling sum of our Asian American fears. You’ll never think of the acronym AAPI the same way again.”—Ed Park, author of Pulitzer Prize finalist Same Bed, Different Dreams

“The book lays bare how love, ambition, and ethics often muddle the story—and just how high the stakes are for getting it right.”—Jenny Xie, author of Holding Pattern and a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 honoree

“From an editor at The Verge, Kevin Nguyen’s second novel is the timely and satirical Mỹ Documents, a speculative tale of Vietnamese assimilation and ambition.”—Our Culture

“In Nguyen’s second novel, four Vietnamese Americans’ lives are upended when violent attacks across America create a national panic . . . this book promises to be both a timely read and reminiscent of this country’s not too distant past.”—Literary Hub, “Most Anticipated Books of 2025”

“A memorable, unsettling reminder that both the conditions we allow and the ways in which we resist are crucial sides of the American story.”—BookPage

“A disturbing page-turner and a powerful look at American racism.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Intelligent and chilling novel. . . . an emotional roller coaster.”—Publishers Weekly