The Latehomecomer by Kao Kalia Yang

One of my English classes spoke with author Jessica Goudeau about her upcoming (at the time, it has since been published) book After the Last Border.  During the talk, I asked about book recommendations and books that inspired her while she was writing.  She recommended several, including Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo, Evicted by Matthew Desmond, and The Latehomecomer by Kao Kalia Yang.  Goudeau's book topic was inspiring as were the excerpts we had the chance to read, and I was eager to see the types of books that had inspired her.  The first chance I got, I picked up The Latehomecomer from my local library.  Below is a quick review, where I decided to quickly free write my honest impression of the book immediately after finishing it.

Life, strength, trials, community, and family. In this memoir we learn about immigration from a child’s eyes, grow up with the author, and experience different countries through the journey of Kao Kalia Yang. Yang tells the Hmong story in a way that showcases beautifully what it means to be Hmong, and what it means to be Hmong in America. You learn her family and feel the pain and loss they have been through, feel worry for them and cry when they cry. The America in this book, the Minnesota in this book, is the one I grew up in but not the one I recognize, and the contrast is an educational one. As someone who has barely moved houses, and only been out of the country once, immigration is a foreign concept to me in that I have never done it and probably will never have to. But The Latehomecomer gives me a look into a life that I will never personally have and reminded me to look beyond my personal experiences.