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Minnesota has always been a land of immigrants. Successive waves have each made their own way, found their place, and made it their home. The Hmong are one of the most recent immigrant groups, and their remarkable and moving story is told in Hmong in Minnesota.<br /><br />Chia Youyee Vang reveals the colorful, intricate history of Hmong Minnesotans, many of whom were forced to flee their homeland of Laos when the communists seized power during the Vietnam War. Having assisted U.S. troops in the &quot;Secret War,&quot; Hmong soldiers and civilians were eligible to settle in the United States. Vang offers a unique window into the lives of the Minnesota Hmong through the stories of individuals who represent the experiences of many. One voice is that of Mao Heu Thao, one of the first refugees to come to Minnesota, sponsored by Catholic Charities in 1976. She tells of the unexpectedly cold weather, the strange food, and the kindness of her hosts.<br /><br />By introducing readers to the immigrants themselves, Hmong in Minnesota conveys a population&#39;s struggle to adjust to new environments, build communities, maintain cultural practices, and make its mark on government policies and programs.

Over the centuries, the Hmong have called many places home, including China, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and most recently France, Australia, and the United States. Their new neighbors, though welcoming, may know little about how they have come to these places or their views on relationships, religion, or art. Now, in A People&#39;s History of the Hmong, representative voices offer their community&#39;s story, spanning four thousand years to the present day.<br /><br />&quot;This was the life of our Hmong people,&quot; remembers Pa Seng Thao, one of many who describe farming villages in the mountains of Laos. Others help us understand the Hmong experience during the Vietnam War, particularly when the U.S. military pulled out of Laos, abandoning thousands of Hmong allies. Readers learn firsthand of the hardships of refugee camps and the challenges of making a home in a foreign country, with a new language and customs. Drawing on more than two hundred interviews, historian Paul Hillmer assembles a compelling history in the words of the people who lived it.

Farmers in Laos, U.S. allies during the Vietnam War, refugees in Thailand, settlers in the Western world–the stories of the Hmong have been told in detail through books and articles and oral histories over the past several decades. Like any immigrant group, the first generation may yearn for the past as they watch their children and grandchildren find their way in the dominant culture of their new home. For Hmong people born and educated in the United States, a definition of self often includes traditional practices and tight-knit family groups but also a fully Americanized point of view. How do these members of the «1.5» and second generation of American Hmong negotiate the expectations of these two cultures? How can their classmates and neighbors better understand what it means to be both Hmong and American? In this collection of essays, historians, sociologists, teachers, counselors, and artists explore the concepts of war, refugee status, resettlement, and assimilation, weaving their own stories into their depictions of a community that continues to develop complex identities, both abundantly shared and deeply personal.??????From the review by Mark Pfeifer: «The discussions and case studies presented on the different facets of contemporary Hmong identity are the most unique aspect of the Her/Buley-Meissner manuscript and provide the strongest argument for its publication. No other recent monograph has focused as exclusively or strongly on Hmong American identity to this degree.»??From the review by Chia Youyee Vang: «The diversity of voices and perspectives makes this volume very powerful. Inclusion of scholars, creative writers and artists makes the volume interdisciplinary and potentially accessible to a broad audience … Collectively, they show that Hmong culture has not been static; instead, Hmong culture and its traditions have served as sites of change and disagreement.»