From Shackle to Liberty

Author’s Note

From Shackle to Liberty — A small voice carrying a vast journey

I never intended to write this book.

For most of my life, I considered myself a small grain of sand in the vast desert of humanity—one of many who fled tyranny not to seek handouts, but to find freedom, to work hard, and to contribute to the land that gave us hope. My story, like so many others, was not meant to stand out. It was simply meant to survive.

But as I watch a rising wave of hatred, misjudgment, and mistreatment directed at immigrants in the country I now call home, I can no longer remain silent.

This book is my voice—a voice for those who risked everything to come to America not to burden it, but to help build it. We are doctors, laborers, engineers, soldiers, caretakers, teachers, and neighbors. We are not the problem. We are part of the promise.

Please do not hate or discriminate against immigrants.

And never forget: everyone in this country is an immigrant—or descended from one.

I offer From Shackle to Liberty as a reminder of where we came from, what we have endured, and what we still must protect. I hope that future generations—especially those who will one day lead—will read these pages and remember that freedom is not something to be hoarded. It is something to be shared.

— Thang Vo

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THV Emotive Music

Every Note a Story
Every Story a Song