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The Latehomecomer A Hmong Family Memoir Kao Kalia Yang Books

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The Latehomecomer A Hmong Family Memoir Kao Kalia Yang Books

I read between 30 and 40 books a year and seldom is there one that I do not 'enjoy' but there are times when I 'find' a book which I never want to reach the last page/end. Although originally published in 1998 - I finally came across in April of this year what IS (for me) the most beautiful, eloquentlly written book I've read so far this year: A 'tale' about the precious gift of life and the unforgettable memories it affords. Constantly tears watered my eyes and my heart ached as turned the pages my 15th book this year. A memoir which I never wanted to end ... but which like' life' finally does. All I can say is IF YOU have not read The Latehomecomer by Kao Kalia Yang - I urge you to do so ... as this IS a book that 'deserves' more than 5 *****.


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The Latehomecomer A Hmong Family Memoir Kao Kalia Yang Books Reviews

I read this book as a means to help me understand the journey of my daughter-in-law's family. It is an immigrant story much like my own family generations ago. As such, it is we who are descended from those who lived the journey that truly are 'late-homecomers' but thanks Kao Kalia Yang, every infant's child may also come home.
I had the privilege of reading a pre-publication manuscript of this book. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Kao Kalia Yang tells the story of her family--which in Hmong culture extends far beyond one's parents and siblings. From the jungles of Laos, where her family lived before she was born, across the treacherous Mekong River, into Thailand's Ban Vinai refugee camp, and ultimately here to the United States, Yang tells us of the alliance her Hmong people made with the US, the dangers they experienced as a result of America's withdrawal from Southeast Asia, their harrowing flight from the only country they had ever known, and the indignities suffered and hopes and dreams shared while living an uncertain life in a refugee camp. At the center of this unforgettable tale is Yang's grandmother, who struggles to keep her family together in the camp, but must ultimately surrender to the inevitability of their parting. Through Yang and her family we are connected to the challenges, pains, joys, and triumphs of the refugee/immigrant experience and the love and dedication of a family unlike any we have met before, yet as familiar and comfortable as any we are likely to know. We are drawn into Yang's seductive prose, the poignancy of her family's and her own circumstances, and the hope that their suffering, including that of her grandmother, who ultimately comes to America, will somehow be redeemed in this new country that in many ways necessitated their flight from Laos. This irresistable and moving debut--and its author--deserve a wide and appreciative audience.
This was a very good book! It gives lots of information about the Hmong people and what they went through before they made it to America. I really liked that the author included photographs of family members. Having taught Hmong children, I wish I could have read this book prior to teaching Hmong childen. From my experience, Hmong children in classrooms are usually very serious students with sweet personalities. And their parents are so expressive with gratitude for teaching their children. This all makes sense after reading this book. This book would be a good addition to many classroom libraries in upper grades.
In startlingly fluid prose, Yang commits to paper her own story of coming to America as a microcosm of the peripatetic existence of the Hmong people as a whole. She relates in vivid detail the first seven years of her life, spent in a Thai refugee camp, as a time of family and joyfulness, despite the utter poverty and deprivation she and her family suffered as escapees. Such a point of view sets the mood for the rest of the story, she is always buoyed up by her family, no matter how difficult their lives become. Yang is a member of the Laotian Hmong ethnic group, targeted by Vietnamese and Communist Laotian guerillas after the withdrawal of American forces from Southeast Asia in 1973. The Hmong fought alongside American Special Forces in a "Secret War", but were left to fend for themselves after the US ceased paramilitary efforts in that area. Many thousands were systematically killed by Communist forces or managed to cross the Mekong River and seek refuge in Thailand. Yang and her family no longer have a home and the Thai people do not want them there, hence they leave for America.
This is a wonderful story that really helped me gain a better understanding of the history of the Hmong people. For many, this book is likely to be quite the crash course in that topic. Miss Yang manages to paint a picture in your mind the whole way through yet writes in a way that's very comprehensible.
I'd heard an interview with this author before purchasing this book. Listening to the interview, Kao Kaila Yang's story was fascinating. I'd learned that she was an elective mute through much of her early education and that caught my attention right away. The book itself is so well written, illustrating such respect for family and tradition. But what makes this book so exceptional is the author's style of writing, her use of metaphor and her unfailing loyalty to family and the bonds that sustained them through war, poverty, prejudice, distance, separation and relocation until finally reunited in the USA. The determination to make a new life, and not only a new life, but to become integrated and successful in a new cultural setting is clearly illustrated. I was struck especially by the unfailing devotion and love that united this family. It was a reminder of how respect and love between parents and their children can buoy individuals through great hardship. I learned so much about Hmong culture and traditions and I recommend the book without reservation.
We recently read this for my Book Club as part of the Big Read. It's a thought provoking book and certainly proves the perseverance and sacrifices the Hmong family made to come to this country. It was, also, shocking to realize that they had no country of their own - many countries had thrown them out. However, they hung together as an extended family and that was really their backbone. We all felt the book was a little bit too long but worth reading as insight into another culture.
I read between 30 and 40 books a year and seldom is there one that I do not 'enjoy' but there are times when I 'find' a book which I never want to reach the last page/end. Although originally published in 1998 - I finally came across in April of this year what IS (for me) the most beautiful, eloquentlly written book I've read so far this year A 'tale' about the precious gift of life and the unforgettable memories it affords. Constantly tears watered my eyes and my heart ached as turned the pages my 15th book this year. A memoir which I never wanted to end ... but which like' life' finally does. All I can say is IF YOU have not read The Latehomecomer by Kao Kalia Yang - I urge you to do so ... as this IS a book that 'deserves' more than 5 *****.