The Latehomecomer: a Hmong Family Memoir, by Kao Kalia Yang, offers a first-hand account of the trials and tribulations of a family of Hmong, an ethic group from Southeast Asia who are little known by the outside world. The Hmong fought alongside the United States during the Vietnam war, but were left to fend for themselves after the American withdrawal in 1975. In the aftermath, the Hmong saw the devastation of their traditional towns and villages by America’s enemies, among them the Pathet Lao. The Hmong thus became a people without a home to call their own, forgotten by the global community. Yang’s book chronicles the struggle of the Hmong to find a new place to settle and to forge an identity for themselves.
The narrative begins several …show more content…
Paul, Minnesota, the Yangs spent seven months in a “transition camp” where they were taught to use American technologies such as the stove and toilet. Before entering America, those in the camp were required to pass a test proving their knowledge of American culture, which required them to suppress feelings of resentment towards the American military for turning them into targets of America’s enemies in Southeast Asia. Even after leaving the transition camp, life was not easy for the Yangs in the United States. They were forced to live in dwellings that were too small for a family with as many members as theirs. The parents had to work long hours at strenuous jobs to support their children, while older children were expected both to attend school and to take responsibility for raising the younger children in the evenings. Racism was also a constant experience for the entire family, as members of the Hmong they were unfamiliar and thus mistrusted by the American society at large.
The Yangs struggled, moreover, to preserve a sense of identity for themselves in their new environment. The Hmong’s contribution to the American effort in Vietnam was scarcely recognized by the broader American culture. As the author complains, mention of the Hmong is entirely omitted from American lessons on the Vietnam War. They are thus a people without a history or a home. Nor could the Hmong find a sense of identity in a common literature, as they possess no written language …show more content…
It nicely captures the strength of the family bonds that exist between members of the Hmong. The fact that they were able to preserve these bonds is all the more impressive when we consider the magnitude of the challenges that the Hmong had to face just to survive as a people. The book also leads us to reconsider what responsibilities the American government and military has towards our allies, particularly those who fight alongside the U.S. in wars fought on foreign soil. Yang quite clearly implies that the U.S. ought to have done more for the Hmong following their withdrawal from Vietnam, a question that the reader must reflect on for him or
The narrative begins several …show more content…
Paul, Minnesota, the Yangs spent seven months in a “transition camp” where they were taught to use American technologies such as the stove and toilet. Before entering America, those in the camp were required to pass a test proving their knowledge of American culture, which required them to suppress feelings of resentment towards the American military for turning them into targets of America’s enemies in Southeast Asia. Even after leaving the transition camp, life was not easy for the Yangs in the United States. They were forced to live in dwellings that were too small for a family with as many members as theirs. The parents had to work long hours at strenuous jobs to support their children, while older children were expected both to attend school and to take responsibility for raising the younger children in the evenings. Racism was also a constant experience for the entire family, as members of the Hmong they were unfamiliar and thus mistrusted by the American society at large.
The Yangs struggled, moreover, to preserve a sense of identity for themselves in their new environment. The Hmong’s contribution to the American effort in Vietnam was scarcely recognized by the broader American culture. As the author complains, mention of the Hmong is entirely omitted from American lessons on the Vietnam War. They are thus a people without a history or a home. Nor could the Hmong find a sense of identity in a common literature, as they possess no written language …show more content…
It nicely captures the strength of the family bonds that exist between members of the Hmong. The fact that they were able to preserve these bonds is all the more impressive when we consider the magnitude of the challenges that the Hmong had to face just to survive as a people. The book also leads us to reconsider what responsibilities the American government and military has towards our allies, particularly those who fight alongside the U.S. in wars fought on foreign soil. Yang quite clearly implies that the U.S. ought to have done more for the Hmong following their withdrawal from Vietnam, a question that the reader must reflect on for him or