THE HUNGRY SEASON A Journey of War, Love, and Survival

Journalist Lisa M. Hamilton uses a neutral tone, raising her volume occasionally to highlight extremes as she tells the story of Ia Moua, a Hmong immigrant who escaped wartime Laos and holed up in a Thai refugee camp, finally making her way to Fresno, California. The steadiness of Hamilton's voice is anchoring as Ia deals with beatings by her husband, the guns of invasive armies, pervasive hunger, separation from her family, the struggles of the refugee camp, and immigration difficulties once she is in the U.S. Hamilton's even voice allows her narration to transition smoothly from Ia's life to the larger geopolitical issues that underlie and parallel her struggles--particularly the collapse of Hmong farming culture. Hamilton's voice strengthens as she paints Ia's determined resilience, entrepreneurial wisdom, and triumphant successes. S.W. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2023]