2009-10 Common Book selection
The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir
The Century Common Book Project committee has selected
Kao Kalia Yang's "The Latehomecomer: A Hmong
Family Memoir"
for our 2009-10 Common Book.
In the mid-1970's, the Hmong people were murdered for their
collaboration
with the United States during the Vietnam War.
Thousands of Hmong families fled war-torn Laos for overcrowded
refugee camps in Thailand. From there, the fortunate ones went
to America,
in search of a new life. Their stories were rarely told,
until now.
Yang’s family immigrated to America when she was six.
She writes poignantly about the challenges of adjusting
to a
culture so different from what she had previously known.
She also writes about the dreams
and traditions passed down
from her grandmother and shared by her entire community.
After her grandmother’s death, Kao Kalia Yang was committed to
sharing their story. Her memoir is
a tribute to the matriarch
whose love bound them together.
Reader Resources
View “The Place Where We Were Born"-- Kao Kalia Yang’s 20-minute video.
Contact
We would love to hear how you are using the Century College Common book.
If you have any comments or questions, please contact:
- Amanda Olson
- Chair of the Common Book Committee
- 651-747-4058