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Memento - Embracing the Darkness

Dennis "Dizzy" Doan

Stories about overcoming and persevering through family dysfunction, poverty, and mental health challenges offer hope and the promise of better days. Dennis “Dizzy” Doan’s memoir Memento: Embracing the Darkness is one such story, with the added complexity of being raised in an immigrant Vietnamese family. Doan’s parents dealt with the mental and emotional aftermath of war, which forcibly uprooted them from their homeland. In the United States, they struggled to create a safe and stable life for their two sons. Doan shares his journey of finding himself, his craft, and eventually a successful tattoo business in Southern California despite personal strife and run-ins with the law.

Doan is best known for developing the aesthetic language to combat anti-Asian hate that erupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. His art series titled “Model Minority” went viral, sparking conversation about Asian American identities and harmful stereotypes. In Memento, Doan showcases another exceptional talent: his ability to connect with readers in a raw and visceral way. He tells of the darkest moments of his personal battles, including self-sabotage and self-harm. The story of childhood abuse and neglect is tragic because young people never have the agency to choose better situations. As an Asian immigrant, I could relate to the stigma of mental illness in societies that value saving face and the family’s honor. Doan’s relentless pursuit of achievement on his own terms is evidence of the artist’s strong will to thrive.

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