Dragged Off: Refusing to Give Up My Seat on the Way to the American Dream (Social Injustice and Racism in America)

by David Dao

Overview

A Vietnamese Refugee, a Viral Video, and the United Airlines Scandal That Started It All

“His refusal to give up his seat on a United Airlines flight, and the ensuing assault he suffered, is emblematic of how far we, the people, still have to travel to create a world with liberty and justice for all.” —Marlena Fiol, PhD, globally recognized scholar and speaker and author of Nothing Bad Between Us

Dr. David Dao was dragged off United Express Flight 3411 on April 9, 2017 after refusing to give up his seat. In the tradition of contemporary immigrant stories comes a personal narrative of the many small but significant acts of racial discrimination faced on the way to the American Dream.

The unseen effects of discrimination. The United Airlines scandal of 2017 garnered over a million views on YouTube. A result of an overbooking overlook, security officials forcibly removed Dr. Dao after refusing to give up his seat. He awoke in the hospital to a concussion, a broken nose, several broken teeth, and worldwide attention. Things aren’t always fair for an immigrant, but according to Dr. Dao, you can prevail if you firmly advocate for yourself.

A response to a lifetime of oppressive acts. Why was Dr. Dao so adamant on his right to a seat? His entire life had led to that moment. A Vietnamese refugee, he fled his home country during the fall of Saigon. He was stranded in the Indian Ocean, immigrated to the United States, enrolled in medical school for a second time, built a practice, and started a family─all the while battling the effects of discrimination and what he had to embrace as a result. This is his story.

If you are moved by immigrant stories, or books like America for Americans, Minor Feelings, How to Be an Antiracist, or The Making of Asian America, then you’ll want to read Dr. David Dao's story, Dragged Off.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781642504019
Publisher:	TURNER PUB CO
Publication date:	03/16/2021
Pages:	236
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dr. David Dao immigrated to the U.S. in 1975 as a refugee from the Vietnam war. He and his wife, Teresa, are both physicians and have five grown children—four doctors and one attorney.

Born in Vietnam, he now lives in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Dr. David Anh Dao’s memoir Dragged Off: Refusing to Give Up My Seat on the Way to the American Dream is a study in resilience and determination. From his escape of the collapsing South Vietnamese city of Saigon at the end of the war, to his early days studying medicine in America, to his struggle to regain his medical license and good name, Dr. Dao shows the grit and stubbornness necessary to make the American dream come true. His refusal to give up his seat on a United Airlines flight, and the ensuing assault he suffered, is emblematic of how far we, the people, still have to travel to create a world with liberty and justice for all. Told with grace and dignity, this is a book you won’t want to put down.” —Marlena Fiol, PhD, globally recognized scholar and speaker and author of Nothing Bad Between Us

“He is known for the viral images of being dragged off a United Airlines flight in 2017, but Dr. David Anh Dao’s story is much more interesting than those fifteen minutes of fame would imply. Dragged Off: Refusing to Give Up My Seat on the Way to the American Dream is no ordinary immigrant’s tale. Dr. David Anh Dao’s escape from Saigon during its fall to the North Vietnamese in 1975 on a crowded boat full of refugees heading for an uncertain future in America is just one step on his amazing journey. Dao shows how to rise and fall and rise again even higher in this memoir, which will become an inspiration, and perhaps a cautionary tale for all who read it. Dao delves deeply into the cost of the American dream and makes it seem achievable, no matter the price tag.” —MJ Fievre, author of Empowered Black Girl