| How Do I Begin?: A Hmong American Literary Anthology Contributor(s): Hmong American Writers' Circle, The (Author) |
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ISBN: 159714150X ISBN-13: 9781597141505 Publisher: Heyday Books OUR PRICE: $15.26 Product Type: Paperback Published: August 2011 * Not available - Not in print at this time * |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | American - Asian American |
| Dewey: 810.989 |
| LCCN: 2010052197 |
| Series: Hmong American Writers' Circle |
| Physical Information: 0.6" H x 5.9" W x 8.9" (0.70 lbs) 224 pages |
| Themes: - Ethnic Orientation - Asian |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Hmong history and culture can be found in the form of oral stories, oral poetry, textile art, and music but there is no written account of Hmong life, by a Hmong hand, passed down through the centuries. As an undergraduate, Burlee Vang experienced this void when he received valuable advice from his English professor: "Write about your people. That story has not been told. If you don't, who will?" How Do I Begin? is the struggle to preserve on paper the Hmong American experience. In this anthology, readers will find elaborate soul-calling ceremonies, a woman questioning the seeming tyranny of her parents and future in-laws, the temptation of gangs and drugs, and the shame and embarrassment of being different in a culture that obsessively values homogeneity. Some pieces revisit the ghosts of war. Others lament the loss of a country. Many offer glimpses into intergenerational tensions exacerbated by the differences in Hmong and American culture. How Do I Begin? signifies a turning point for the Hmong community, a group of people who have persevered through war, persecution, and exile. Transcending ethnic and geographic boundaries, it poignantly speaks of survival instead of defeat. |