Kao Kalia Yang

In 1980, Kao Kalia Yang was born in a Hmong refugee camp. In this memoir, Yang reveals the experiences of her family and her people as they emigrate from Thailand to America.

"Drawn from Kao Kalia Yang's childhood experiences as a Hmong refugee, this heartfelt picture book offers a window into the life of a family with little money and a great deal of love"--

"A powerful true story of a young girl who has never known life outside a refugee camp and a father determined to help her dream beyond the fences that confine them"--

"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...

"Award-winning author Kao Kalia Yang delivers an inspiring tale of resourceful children confronting adversaries in a refugee camp"--

"A young Hmong girl has never been outside the camp she lives in with her parents and thousands of other families. Most days, she spends her time playing with her cousins and pretending they can fly above the clouds and far away from here. When her family’s papers are finally approved, she’s uncertain if she’s ready to leave everything—and everyone—she’s ever known behind. But on the day she leaves, her favorite...

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...

A young Hmong American girl Paj Ntaub collects objects that depict the beauty of the world. When she notices her elderly neighbor mourning the death of his spouse, Paj shares with him the beauty she sees, uniting two normally disparate people.