A poignant memoir exquisitely written that is more than the journey of a single family. It represents a group of people that although they have been denied a physical land to connect them to what we call a nation and give them a spot on the map, they have managed to connect through a much stronger bond, that is in spirit. The Latehomecomer is the untold story of a people who have endured the-- unfortunately all too usual-- savagery of humanity and war and they have emerged victorious been lifted in the arms of hope in lands that they finally can call their own, still as one people, one culture united in spirit even though they're divided on land.
The struggle for survival and adjustment and the conflict between the need to never forget so they can honor the loss and the need to forget so they can built anew are powerful and real; but even more powerful is the steel determination to exist and to look beyond the burden of their soul-deep traumas towards an American future for the new generations.
The Hmongs have managed to thrive under prolonged extreme duress and persecution. They deserve to be seen for who they are, to have their stories be spoken, heard, and acknowledged: Kao Kalia Young's Family Memoir does exactly that.