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cover of episode ‘The Interview’: Ocean Vuong was Ready to Kill. Then a Moment of Grace Changed His Life.

‘The Interview’: Ocean Vuong was Ready to Kill. Then a Moment of Grace Changed His Life.

2025/7/2
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Modern Love
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Ocean Vuong: 我在波士顿市场和Panera面包店工作时，深刻体会到美国生活的虚伪。食物都是冷冻后微波加热的，与“家庭烹饪”的形象大相径庭。更重要的是，我观察到一种由陌生人组成的“临时家庭”，大家为了生存而牺牲与自己家人的关系，却也在工作中产生了亲密感和依赖感。尽管工作艰辛，每个人都心知这不是出路，但人们仍然在困境中展现出善良和互助，比如在暴风雪中互相帮助挖车，这种在绝望中产生的善良让我深思。

Deep Dive

Chapters
Ocean Vuong's journey from a refugee child in Hartford, Connecticut, to a celebrated author is a testament to his resilience and talent. The chapter explores his experiences working in fast food restaurants, highlighting the challenges and unexpected intimacies he encountered.
  • Ocean Vuong's family immigrated to the US as refugees from Vietnam.
  • He worked at Boston Market and Panera Bread, gaining insights into American life and the struggles of working-class families.
  • His experiences working in fast food inspired his new novel, The Emperor of Gladness.
  • He reflects on kindness, its presence even in hopeless situations, and its contrast to his own inherent lack of it.

Shownotes Transcript

This week on Modern Love, we’re bringing you a conversation we liked so much that we’re envious we didn’t get to have ourselves. In a raw but deeply heartfelt and compassionate conversation with “The Interview" host David Marchese, author and poet Ocean Vuong talks about the real reason he became a writer.

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