Saturday, November 16, 5 – 7pm
VAALA Cultural Center
FREE ADMISSION

VAALA is proud to sponsor the Southern California launch of the book, It’s a Living: Work and Life in Vietnam Today, edited by Gerard Sasges, Assistant Professor in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore. The event will start with an introduction by Mr. Sasges, followed by readings by the book’s contributors and a discussion of work and life in contemporary Vietnam. Light refreshments will be served. For more information about the book, the project, or its editor, please visit http://gerardsasges.com/its-a-living.

About Gerard Sasges, Editor
“I was born in a little town in Western Canada, and educated in Canada, the UK, and the US. Two of my uncles were moonshiners in Saskatchewan, which may help explain my decision to study the alcohol monopoly in Indochina. Among other things I’ve done to make a living, I’ve pumped gas, made furniture, sold bicycles, mowed lawns, and shoveled a whole lot of gravel. After realizing I was allergic to the practice of Law, I ended up receiving a PhD in History from Berkeley in 2006. From 2000 to 2011, I lived and worked in Vietnam, where I divided my time among research, writing, and directing a study abroad program for the University of California. Since January 2012, I’ve been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Southeast Asian Studies at the National University of Singapore. In my work, I try to bring together my training as an historian with my fascination for everyday life and my commitment to getting students out of the classroom and into the real world. Subjects I teach include revolution and war in Indochina, the past and present of vice in Southeast Asia, the ethnography of work in Singapore, and environmental history. When I’m not working, I like to spend time swimming and snorkeling, walking in high mountains, searching for Singapore’s best Vietnamese food, and talking with the people I meet along the way.”