Institute Insider

Join us for a book reading and dialog with Kao Kalia Yang, author of "The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir" on Tuesday, March 3, at 3 p.m. in Cowles Auditorium. The first mainstream book by a Hmong writer in the United States, Kao Kalia Yang's story begins in the 1970's with her parents' wedding during the aftermath of America's Secret War in Laos. In this time of great terror, Yang recounts the harrowing story of her family's captivity by Laotian soldiers, the daring rescue undertaken by her father and uncles, and their narrow escape into Thailand, where Yang was born in Ban Vinai Refugee Camp. Just six years old when her family immigrated to St. Paul, she evocatively captures the challenges of adapting to a new place, a new language, and a growing family. Yang's memoir speaks eloquently to the history we all share, while relating the stories of a culture few of us know.

Refreshments and informal conversation will follow the program at 4:30 p.m. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. This event is sponsored by the Humphrey Institute Diversity Committee, the Center for School Change, Women and Public Policy, and the University of Minnesota Office for Equity and Diversity.