Journalist Lisa M. Hamilton (Deeply Rooted) paints an intimate, thoughtful portrait of a Hmong family's journey from Laos to Thailand and eventually to California in her second nonfiction book, The Hungry Season. Spanning decades and continents, Hamilton's narrative focuses on Ia Moua, born during the turbulent 1960s to a farming family in northern Laos, and her determination to survive--even thrive--through war, hunger, and abuse.
In a narrative both practical and cinematic, Hamilton gives readers a primer on the turbulent political conditions in Laos in the mid-1970s, when Ia (then 11 years old) and her family fled their village due to war. They soon returned, only to flee again several years later, this time to the Ban Vinai refugee camp in Thailand. By now, Ia was married to a local teen, Chou Lor, and pregnant with their first child. During their 15 years at the camp, she grew from a shy young wife to a savvy, confident mother and businesswoman, running several businesses with Chou Lor and saving money for their eventual journey to California.
Hamilton deftly places Ia and Chou Lor's story in the larger context of postcolonial chaos in Laos and its neighboring countries. She also details the difficulties many Hmong people have faced in assimilating to American life, including racism, inadequate social services, and increased immigration restrictions under President Donald Trump. Extensively researched, nuanced, and compassionate, The Hungry Season is a detailed look at an immigrant experience often overlooked. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams