The Making of Hmong America

Yang (emer., ethnic studies, California State Univ., Stanislaus) presents a detailed account of Hmong American history, recounting key milestones in Hmong American life from the first Hmong to arrive as students prior to 1975 and the refugee resettlement era following the aftermath of the Vietnam War era in Laos. A particular strength of the volume is the emphasis on early Hmong American community life in different locales, including cities in California; Missoula, Montana; and the upper Midwest, including Michigan, Wisconsin. and Minnesota. Yang describes experiences with racial discrimination and obstacles, including poverty. The author also provides valuable information about Hmong American firsts in different professions, with biographies and achievements of numerous Hmong American pioneers and community leaders…. [R]eaders will finish the book with a much fuller understanding of the Hmong American experience at both the community and personal level since the 1970s. This work will be of greatest interest to those students, faculty, and scholars working in Asian American studies, ethnic studies, and US ethnic history. Summing Up: Recommended. All public and academic levels/libraries. * CHOICE *
More than forty years after the US defeat in the Vietnam War, the history of the Hmong—who were involved in the ‘secret war’ in Laos—and their resettlement experiences has remained little known. Combining important Hmong perspectives with recently uncovered information about the exclusion of Hmong refugees from the 1975 Indochinese Refugee Resettlement program, Kou Yang’s book offers insightful reflections on Hmong involvement in the war and their efforts to be recognized as refugees. Yang challenges the US perception about the Hmong as unsuitable and too ‘primitive’ to adapt and resettle in American society. This book is an important read for anyone interested in the Hmong Laotian refugee generation, their American-born children, and their various history-making achievements. -- Ma Vang, University of California, Merced
This study provides a comprehensive examination of the history of the Hmong people of Southeast Asia and their resettlement to the United States and other Western countries. -- Lee Pao Xiong, Concordia University
Informed by the extensive research of one of the pioneers of Hmong and Hmong American studies, this study offers an experientially grounded perspective on Hmong integration into American society. Kou Yang argues that the Hmong immigrant story is a success story. Since their days serving as proxy soldiers in the US ‘secret war’ in Laos, Hmong Americans have come a long way to become contributing citizens to US society as entrepreneurs, educators, judges, doctors and lawyers. This portrait of Hmong in the United States stands in sharp contrast to the opinions of US officials in the 1970s and 1980s, which deemed Hmong refugees to be unsuitable for admission. -- Vincent K. Her, University of Wisconsin–La Crosse
In his work, Kou Yang provides readers with informative accounts of the events leading to Hmong resettlement in the United States, important milestones in Hmong American history, and an overview of Hmong American achievements since 1975. This book is essential reading for those wish to understand Hmong American history and the Hmong American experience over the past four decades. -- Mark Pfeifer, SUNY Polytechnic Institute