From Boat to Ship - Paperback

by Lea Tran (Author)

In her first memoir, I Did Not Miss the Boat, Lea Tran shared the story of escaping Vietnam and crossing an external ocean toward freedom. In From Boat to Ship, she continues the journey by exploring what came after survival.

Building a new life required more than reaching a safe shore. As the oldest daughter in an immigrant family, Lea carried responsibility, family expectations, grief, and the desire to create a secure and meaningful life. She became a wife, mother, scientist, entrepreneur, speaker, and community builder, reinventing herself through each season.

Along the way, Lea discovered that external freedom did not automatically bring inner freedom. She had to confront the silence, fear, and self-doubt that had followed her into adulthood. Through faith, family, friendship, motherhood, career changes, and unexpected new beginnings, she gradually learned to recognize her own worth and trust her voice.

From Boat to Ship is an honest and inspiring memoir about finding your voice, embracing reinvention, and building a life of meaning and purpose. It reminds readers that faith can steady us, family can shape us, reinvention can strengthen us, and self-worth must often be reclaimed one courageous step at a time.

The boat carried Lea to freedom, but the ship became hers to build.