I Begin My Life All Over : The Hmong and the American Immigrant Experience.

Boston, MA Beacon Press, 1998. Hardcover First Edition; First Printing indicated. First Edition; First Printing indicated. Fine in Very Near Fine DJ: The Book is flawless; the binding is square and secure; the text is clean. The DJ shows a faint indentation from top to bottom near the rear hinge and the mildest rubbing overall; the price has not been clipped. As New. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. 262pp. Hardback with DJ. This is an astonishing book. The author, working with a Hmong colleague, collected many moving oral histories. She then wove them together into an astonishing tour-de-force.This book provides a voice to Hmong people, telling their stories in their own words. At the same time, Faderman places the Hmong experience in the larger context of the experience of leaving one's home to come to the United States as an immigrant. Using the particular experiences of her Hmong informants, as well as her own history growing up as the child of an immgrant, she sheds light on the general topic of what it means to be an immigrant in this country. For most US residents, there is immigration somewhere in our histories; this book speaks to how our families were profoundly affected by the dislocation and courage of these immgrants, whether they are ourselves, our parents, or lurking in the more distant past. I can't imagine a better book on this topic.