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A review by karnaconverse
The Song Poet: A Memoir of My Father by Kao Kalia Yang
4.0
A memoir that becomes even more poignant the longer I think about it and the more I learn about the author
When the Vietnam War expanded into Laos, the CIA recruited the Hmong to fight against communism but when America left the country, Laos's communist government ordered a "re-education" of all who remained. Bee Yang was 16 when his family left their remote mountain village for the surrounding jungles in 1975. They knew of neighboring villages that had been burned, of men and boys who had been taken for re-education but never returned, and of the dead who had been left in piles, to rot. For three years, he hid from the Pathet Lao with his mother and his siblings and their families. He befriended and married Chue Moua and then crossed into Thailand and to the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp when they could no longer scavenge enough food for the growing family group. Eight years later and as refugees of war, they landed in the United States and made their way to St. Paul, Minnesota where Bee and Chue took labor-intensive, assembly-line factory jobs so they could provide for their family.
One of their daughters, Kao Kalia, was born in the refugee camp and she tells her father's story with respect, honor, and love. The Song Poet is both meditative and inspiring—much like the art form itself. In Hmong tradition, a song poet keeps the past alive. He tells stories of his people's history—the joys and struggles; the marriages, births, and deaths; the folk tales and the lessons learned. Bee was revered as a song poet at a young age and became so well-known for his performances during their early years in St. Paul that he recorded a cassette tape of songs for the community.
In both his voice and hers (and under section titles of Side A and Side B), Kao Kalia introduces the Bee who survived the jungles, the refugee camp, and the unsafe working conditions of an American factory so his children could have a better life and pays homage to the Bee who impressed stories of patience and kindness upon others so they could see the good in humanity. Each Track (chapter) is prefaced with lyrics from one of Bee's songs, and it's easy to see that he understands the power of words as much as she does.
The Song Poet has been a finalist for several other awards including the National Book Critics Circle Award and the PEN USA Literacy Center Award winner; it was awarded the 2017 Minnesota Book Award in Creative Nonfiction. This is her second memoir. Kao Kalia is currently writing books for children. Bee 's art can be heard in this Minnesota PBS story: https://video.pbsnc.org/video/art-bee-yang-a4ruwc/
When the Vietnam War expanded into Laos, the CIA recruited the Hmong to fight against communism but when America left the country, Laos's communist government ordered a "re-education" of all who remained. Bee Yang was 16 when his family left their remote mountain village for the surrounding jungles in 1975. They knew of neighboring villages that had been burned, of men and boys who had been taken for re-education but never returned, and of the dead who had been left in piles, to rot. For three years, he hid from the Pathet Lao with his mother and his siblings and their families. He befriended and married Chue Moua and then crossed into Thailand and to the Ban Vinai Refugee Camp when they could no longer scavenge enough food for the growing family group. Eight years later and as refugees of war, they landed in the United States and made their way to St. Paul, Minnesota where Bee and Chue took labor-intensive, assembly-line factory jobs so they could provide for their family.
One of their daughters, Kao Kalia, was born in the refugee camp and she tells her father's story with respect, honor, and love. The Song Poet is both meditative and inspiring—much like the art form itself. In Hmong tradition, a song poet keeps the past alive. He tells stories of his people's history—the joys and struggles; the marriages, births, and deaths; the folk tales and the lessons learned. Bee was revered as a song poet at a young age and became so well-known for his performances during their early years in St. Paul that he recorded a cassette tape of songs for the community.
In both his voice and hers (and under section titles of Side A and Side B), Kao Kalia introduces the Bee who survived the jungles, the refugee camp, and the unsafe working conditions of an American factory so his children could have a better life and pays homage to the Bee who impressed stories of patience and kindness upon others so they could see the good in humanity. Each Track (chapter) is prefaced with lyrics from one of Bee's songs, and it's easy to see that he understands the power of words as much as she does.
The Song Poet has been a finalist for several other awards including the National Book Critics Circle Award and the PEN USA Literacy Center Award winner; it was awarded the 2017 Minnesota Book Award in Creative Nonfiction. This is her second memoir. Kao Kalia is currently writing books for children. Bee 's art can be heard in this Minnesota PBS story: https://video.pbsnc.org/video/art-bee-yang-a4ruwc/