Kao Kalia Yang

The "unforgettable" true story of a family's journey from the jungles of Laos to a Thailand refugee camp—and finally, to America (Anne Fadiman, author of The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down).
Kao Kalia Yang was born in 1980 a Hmong refugee camp in Thailand. Her people had fought alongside the Americans in the Vietnam War, but in the tumult that followed, they spent years without a real home. Though her...

"In this moving true story, Kao Kalia Yang shares her experiences as a Hmong refugee child navigating life at home and school in America while carrying the weight of her selective mutism"--

All over this country, there are refugees. But beyond the headlines, few know who they are, how they live, or what they have lost. Although Minnesota is not known for its diversity, the state has welcomed more refugees per capita than any other, from Syria to Bosnia, Thailand to Liberia. Now, with nativism on the rise, Kao Kalia Yangherself a Hmong refugeehas gathered stories of the stateless who today call the Twin Cities home. Here are people who...

"In the 1960s when Kalia's mother, Chue, was born, the US was actively recruiting Hmong Laotians to assist with CIA efforts in Laos's Secret War. By the time Chue was a teenager, the US had completely vacated Laos, and the country erupted into genocidal attacks on the Hmong people, who were perceived as traitorous for their involvement. Notably, from 1964-1973, Laos became victim to the heaviest bombardment by the United States against communist Pathet...

When Kalia was young, she had to make do with ice cubes from the freezer instead of ice cream, she never got a new dress for the first day of school, and she has to settle for a piece of bone in her soup instead of meat. But she does have her grandmother, who tells her stories of Laos. When Kalia asks her parents for braces for her teeth and is told that they can't afford it, it is her grandmother who helps Kalia see that true beauty and riches are...

Sixteen of the state's best writers answer the question "What is it like to live as a person of color in Minnesota?"

This book is a unique collection of thirty personal essays written by students from Wellstone International High School in Minneapolis, MN. Coming from thirteen different countries, these youth share stories of family, school, change, and dreams. The broad range of experiences and the honesty with which these young people tell their stories is captured here with inspiring clarity. Although their reasons for immigrating are vast, a common thread unites...

Sixteen of the state's best writers answer the question "What is it like to live as a person of color in Minnesota?"