THE LATEHOMECOMER A Hmong Family Memoir

While Kao Yang's narration of her memoir is a bit flat, there’s still something spellbinding about hearing her describe in her own voice how her family, like many other Hmong people, faced persecution and displacement following the Vietnam War. The family endured a harrowing escape from the jungles of Laos to a refugee camp in Thailand and ultimately settled in St. Paul, Minnesota, where their struggles were far from over. Yang has chronicled their experiences in a poignant memoir that provides a glimpse of Hmong history and culture and ultimately pays homage to her beloved grandmother, the family matriarch. It’s a remarkable story of Hmong endurance and family love. In the end, she needs no narrative embellishments to hold the listener rapt. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2011]