The Happiest Refugee

The author and narrator of the autobiography The Happiest Refugee, Anh Do is currently a popular comedian, entertainer, and motivational speaker in Australia. He started life as a toddler fleeing Communist Vietnam and settling down in Australia with his penniless family. Anh is characterized by his creativeness, determination, and gratitude. He is ambitious and focused on providing a better life for the people he loves. Although his attempts to make money often lead him into trouble or into challenging situations, he learns from his parents how to make the right choices to find his way back to solid ground. He is closest to his mother, his wife, and his younger brother, although he also has a fraught but close relationship with his father. His protectiveness of his family comes above everything else, as is seen when he is willing to fight his father off to protect his mother. His harsh childhood, combined with hearing the stories of what his parents suffered, makes him keenly aware of how much he has now, and makes him ever more determined to share it with the less fortunate.