Kao Kalia Yang

"Filled with wonder and sorrow and happiness." —Alison McGhee, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Someday A heartfelt story of a young girl seeking beauty and connection in a busy world, now in Spanish. As the seasons change, so too does a young Hmong girl's world. She moves into a new home with her family and encounters both birth and death. As this curious girl explores life inside her house and beyond, she collects bits of the natural world....

"From the author of The Latehomecomer, a powerful memoir of her father, a Hmong song poet who sacrificed his gift for his children's future in America. In the Hmong tradition, the song poet recounts the story of his people, their history and tragedies, joys and losses; extemporizing or drawing on folk tales, he keeps the past alive, invokes the spirits and the homeland, and records courtships, births, weddings, and wishes. Following her award-winning...

"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"--

"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"--

"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...

"A family gradually moves forward after the loss of a child"--

Fierce and determined children confront the hardships of Ban Vinai refugee camp, where the author lived as a child. Yang's older sister, seven-year-old Dawb, was one of the story's warriors, and her brave adventure unfolds here with all the suspense and excitement that held her five-year-old sister spellbound many years later. Accompanied by the imagery of debut illustrator Billy Thao, the warriors' secret mission shows what feats of compassion and...

"When does experience end and reflection begin? Until a people can reflect on where they've come from, they will spend all of their time searching for where they are. This is the Hmong refugee experience, reflected and refracted in the scope of a lyric documentary by Kao Kalia Yang, writer, and John O'Brien, filmmaker. Funded by the MN State Arts Board and sponsored by the Center for Hmong Studies, this work is dedicated to the Hmong people who lived...